Fushimi Inari (伏見稲荷) is head shrine of Inari shrines and is famous for exotic Senbon Torii (千本鳥居,1000 Shrine Gates). The Inari gods (Japanese fox gods) are gods for fertility, rice, sake, agriculture and good harvest.
In Japan, anything powerful can be called a god. The view and the notion of god are different from those in monotheistic religions. A major religion in Japan, Shintoism, has animistic origin, and another major religion, Buddhism, has a hierarchical and polytheistic view not unlike that of Catholicism. During the history of Japan, these two religions (Shintoism and Buddhism) blended, and there are many gods and deities in the culture.
[The Inari god] [at the 1000 Shine Gates]
Although Fushimi Inari is only 2 short train stops away from Kyoto station and the access is easy, it is on a small mountain that is supposedly a spiritual spot, and if you want to go all the shrines and take all major routes, it would easily take 3 hours and would be a good hike. My mother is no trekker and it was a hot day, so we just went, walked around, and came back when she got tired enough.
The place is a very popular place to foreign visitors. I heard English, Italian and Chinese from the people around.
The place is a very popular place to foreign visitors. I heard English, Italian and Chinese from the people around.
Inari is a god of harvest. On the market street in front of the shrine, they serve grilled birds that harm harvest. Grilled sparrow was off-season, so I tried grilled Japanese quail instead. With a hint of liver-like taste, quail tasted different from chicken.
[Grilled Japanese Quail, 750 yen (about $6)]
Fushimi Inari is a shrine, and you can try Omikuji, a fortune telling.
I tried it, and I got "Extremely Good fortune (大大吉)". I used to think "Good Fortune (大吉)" is the best one. I never saw "Extremely Good fortune" before.
It reads, "Anything you pray would be granted and come true. Be thoughtful about what you wish for. Business: Good and profitable. Moving: Good. Relationship: Good. Contests: Victorious. Disease: Cured before long.". Whoa. I never read this good Omikuji before.
[Omikuji. Japanese fortune-telling]
Then I remembered something the monk at my father's funeral said. "During this time, the soul of the deceased is staying around, not too close, not too far. We send good prayers and gifts for the soul, and the good prayers and gifts serve as additional good karma for the soul. They are said to aid the soul to go to better place and rest in peace."
Alright. So I gave this "Extremely Good" fortune sheet to him as an offering. It's a part of my prayers for him. Hope it works as advertised.
