Little is known surrounding Takayama Inari Shrine's history. Two conflicting accounts of the construction of the shrine can be found. 

1. Takayama Inaria is thought to have been constructed during the Kamakura period by the Ando clan as a shrine to the goddess Inari Ōkami, at which point it was once called "San-oh-jinja". However, it was renamed sometime around the Edo era to its current title, Takayama Inaria Shrine.

2. In 1701, Naganori Asano led an attack against Kira Uenosuke, leading to pressure for revenge. As a consequence for his actions, the Asano clan was left defeated. However, a clan member, Sangoro Terasaka, had escaped and moved to Hirosaki castle in Tsugaru. Later, once his descendants moved to Oshima, they established Takayama Inari Shrine as a holy site.

Very little is known about Takayama's history, but it is well known throughout northern Japan as a popular destination for prayers involving bountiful harvests and business prosperity.

Photo by Mischa WONG

Photo by: Mischa WONG

Takayama Inaria is a shrine located near on the north west coast of Aomori Prefecture. Often referred to as the "Fushimi Inari of the north", the shrine is home to 200 torii gates, a series of red gates that are meant to symbolize the transition from mundane to sacred. Although the true history and reasoning behind the vast number of gates is unknown, it likely has a connection to Fushimi Inari, with torii donations being made in exchange for a wish or a wish granted.

The shrine has many depictions of its goddess (Inari Ōkami) spread throughout it in various depictions. Inari is shown in various forms throughout these depictions, as feminine, masculine, or otherwise androgynous forms. In other cases, they are shown as a trio or quintuplet of kamis (shinto diety or spirit).

The pathway leading to the shrine is improperly named "Senbon-torri", directly translated to "one-thousand torri gates". A misleading title considering the path contains around 200 gates, not the aforementioned 1000. The intended translation is, "plethora of torri gates", signifying a large assortment, but otherwise unknown, number of gates.

A winter walk through of Takayama Inari Shrine

A short walkthrough of Takayama Inari Shrine