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Inari Fox Messenger
  Inari
is actually the name of the Japanese Shinto (native religion of Japan) god who watches over and protects the rice
harvest. As rice has long been the staple food of the Japanese, this god
is obviously very important, and shrines to Inari are reported to number
more than 20,000 throughout the country. Inari's messenger is the magical,
shape-shifting fox or kitsune as it is called in Japanese. Images
of foxes are commonly seen flanking Inari in paintings of this god, as
well as guarding the entrance to Inari shrines.
Inari
messenger foxes are said to possess the ability to hear and see all human
activities as well as to transform into human form (usually a bewitching woman).
Inari
fox messengers are said to grow in power as they age and will only
grow a tail (a symbol of power) after reaching the ripe old age of 100.
Fox messengers are most powerful after they have lived for 1000 years at which
point they may have a total of nine tails, grey or white fur and will have
attained the power of infinite vision. Fox lore is common in Asia, though
it is normally thought to have originated in India. Some Asian cultures
view the fox as a strictly malevolent creature, though it Japan it is just as
often portrayed as a powerful, yet kind creature with a genuine interest in the
welfare of humans. The photo at right shows our daughter Emily in front of
a small Inari shrine near our home in Japan. If you
look closely you may spot the shrine's two stone Inari fox's guarding the
entrance just in front of the actual shrine structure. My family and I
enjoy discovering interesting examples of Inari fox messengers here in Japan and
have include some of our favorites in the photo gallery below.
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Click
here
to see Inari fox-related items available for purchase within our eBay store The
Old Tokaido |
Inari Fox Messenger Gallery
The following are images of Inari fox messenger's we have captured in
our travels within Japan. This gallery does grow as new images are added
so please check back from time-to-time if you wish to see new additions to the
gallery.
*** Click to enlarge ***
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White fox
Small Inari shrine in downtown Shizuoka. |
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Small Pair
Seen guarding a very small Inari shrine within a Buddhist temple in the mountains near our home. |
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Caged Fox
The two foxes at this small river-side shrine had protective cages over them. |
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Fox Before Torii Gates
This striking fox figure stood guard before a long set of torii gates which themselves are within a larger shrine complex in Shimizu. |
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Pair to the Previous Fox
This fox stands guard opposite the previous fox. |
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Inari Fox
One of two larger Inari fox figures flanking a large shrine in Shimizu. Built over 400 years ago this shrine is the oldest in the city of Shimizu and many of its fox figures are quite weathered. |
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Small Inari Shrine
This little shrine in Shimizu has two wonderful columns of Inari fox messengers standing guard between the torii gate and the shrine itself. The images which follow this one are details of some of the foxes seen here. |
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Inside Shrine
Small ceramic fox figure inside a very old looking shrine. |
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Weathered Old Fox
This very old fox stands within the right-side column of foxes. The statue's features are heavily weathered and nearly erased. There are several such statues at this shrine. |
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Another Old Fox
Another very old and weathered statue, again situated on the right side column of foxes. The tail on this fox is incredible! |
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Still Another Very Old Fox
This fox stands guard within the left-side column and is probably the most worn of the group. The face is weathered to a mere stump. |
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Evildoers Beware
This newer statue is the last within the little shrine's right-side column. The fox looks right at you as you approach and it's fierce gaze is quite intimidating. |
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Fox with Stone Basin
This is the last fox within the left-side column. The chozubachi cistern seen behind this fox is used to wash the hands and mouth before praying. Another newer fox with a fierce gaze. |
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Guarding The Shrine
This is the same fox seen in the last image. This picture however shows how close it is to the shrine. |
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Carved Inari Fox
This carving was seen in the transom of the structure covering a small chozubachi water basin as a shrine in Shimizu. |
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Small Shrine Fox
This fox was seen before a pair of very weathered shrines with a fresh offering of persimmons. |
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