Introduce Kyoto to Foreigners !!!
“Oinari-san,” the deity of Fushimi Inari Taisha, is the god of grain and agriculture that symbolizes rice (Inari god).
Inari God was originally a god who controlled a good harvest, but now it is also worshiped as a god of business prosperity, industrial prosperity, family safety, traffic safety, and improvement of performing arts.
The foxes you see a lot in the precincts are not the Inari gods, but the messenger of the Inari God.
It is said that Fushimi Inari Taisha began when the Inari deity was enshrined on Mt. Inari in the Nara period (711).
The Fushimi Inari Taisha was completely destroyed by the Onin War that lasted for 11 years from 1467 to 1478.
Thirty years later, the current main shrine was rebuilt in 1499.
Today, many shrines in the precincts are designated as important cultural properties.
Fushimi Inari Taisha is a shrine located in Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. It is the head shrine of Inari Shrine, which is said to have about 30,000 nationwide.
Row of Fujiwara court nobles (Fujiwara period) This represents the imperial court customs of the Fujiwara clan in their heyday, when the influence of the Tang style faded away and a unique Japanese “national culture” developed after the mid-Heian period, and represents the summer formal wear of civilian and military officials.
Jonan Yabusame Row (Kamakura Period) Yabusame (horseback archery), in which targets are shot from horseback, has been popular since the Heian period (794-1185) as an etiquette for warriors. In 1221 (Shokyu 3), Emperor Go-Toba summoned warriors from more than ten provinces in the Kinki region to participate in Yabusame (horseback archery) at Jonan Detached Palace in order to restore imperial power. This procession represents the appearance of warriors disguised as Yabusame (archery on horseback) led by archers dressed in hunting costumes.
Medieval Women’s Procession
Ohara-women (women from Ohara in northern Kyoto who carried firewood and charcoal on their heads and sold them to the capital city.
Katsura-women sold ayu (sweetfish) and candy from the Katsura River, mainly from Katsura in the western part of Kyoto.
These processions show the customs of this period, each with its own characteristics.
When Emperor Godaigo returned from Oki in 1333, Masashige Kusunoki led his family and men to Hyogo to take a palanquin to the capital. This procession was a grand event throughout the life of Kusunoki Masashige, and his splendid armors can be seen in this procession.
Row of Regents of the Muromachi Shogunate (Muromachi Period) This row of regents represents the warrior customs , and depicts the lightly armed warriors of the time, led by Shogun Ashikaga.
The main clansmen who were appointed by the Ashikaga Shogun to the three regent posts and four posts in the shogunate followed him as his attendants, and the distinctive customs of court nobles, Buddhist priests, doctors are also represented.
Oda Nobunaga led his army to Kyoto in 1568 at the invitation of the Emperor, and devoted himself to the restoration of Kyoto. This is a symbol of his visit to the capital.
The line of visits by Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Azuchi-Momoyama period) It is said that Toyotomi Hideyoshi was most active when he visited the shrine for the first time in May 1596 and when he came to Kyoto in September 1597. This row represents them.