Inari/稲荷

Grace Chilson

Introduction to Inari

Inari is a kami that has been worshiped since the early eighth century and according to myth, is known to have appeared during the time Japan was created (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 1). Inari is said to have descended from heaven on a white fox carrying an abundance of grain that grows in swamps (Opler and Hashima 44). She appeared at a time of famine and became known as the goddess of grain, harvest, and cultivation. The fox that Inari appeared on became known as its messenger. Although commonly referred to as a beautiful female, Inari can also be seen as an old man. The name “Inari” means ‘rice plant’ (ine) and ‘growth’ (naru)” (Heine 76). This name is in relation to the food god Ukemochi or Ogetsu Hime no Kami, who was a disembodied goddess that created a rise in vegetation (Heine 76). Inari is the most commonly worshiped kami with over 30,000 shrines and temples dedicated to its worship (Heine 76). At first, Inari and its messenger fox was only associated with rice, but the ideas and views of them have changed. We can notice how Inari worship has become more broad by taking a look at its beginning stages, its diversity, and how it is currently worshiped Japan.

The Beginnings of Inari Worship:

The Inari Cult

Inari worship began with The Inari Cult, which is the oldest known cult in Japan that started back in 711 B.C (Heine 76). The concept of Inari is said to have started when a bird discovered the Toji temple in the Fushimi Mountains in Kyoto (Heine 76). The buddhist monk Kukai named Inari as the protector of this temple (Heine 76). During the Heian period, the Fushimi Inari shrine, one of the most famous shrines in association to Inari, began to receive patronage from the cult and more shrines began to spread across mountains in Japan in relation to Inari. These shrines were built in connection to the local rice fields, and the cult believed that the gods went back to the mountains during the winter which helped crops grow.

There was also a connection between these Inari shrines and fertility (Heine 76). The Fushimi Inari shrine in particular was mostly patronized by women who could not become pregnant or had miscarriages, which strengthened people’s ideas of the connection between the two. Here we can already see that Inari worship is changing from just successful crop growth, to both crops and childbearing ideas. Although it is not yet explicitly stated at this time, it is worth noticing that both crops and childbearing has to do with the overall concept of “growth,” which will later become what Inari is most known for.

As stated in the introduction, the fox is the animal associated with Inari. Many people assume that Inari itself is a fox, but it is important to know that they are the messengers of Inari. Foxes are important to the cult because its presence determines whether or not there will be flourishing crops (Heine 78).

Foxes in Inari worship are associated with the underworld, therefore it is a symbol of death (Heine 78). In this case, it is connected to the decay of crops. Its presence and absence follows the flourish and decay cycle of crop growth. They are seen when harvest is at a decline, it protects the existing crops, and it is not seen when there is steady growth (Heine 78). With this, we can notice the conflicting ideas associated with Inari. In one sense it helps crops grow which can connect to the concept of “living,” but in another sense, its messenger fox is associated with death.

Inari Worship and its Diversity

Forms of Inari

Although Inari worship started off in relation to a successful harvest, it quickly began to have more of a broad meaning. It is important to know that when Japanese people worship Inari, they are not worshiping one deity. One may worship one form of Inari, and another may worship a completely different incarnation. Inari is a kami that is highly diverse and personalized, which makes is different from other deities associated with religion in Japan. Multiple priests of Inari shrines in Japan have expressed that, “If there are a hundred believers, they will have a hundred different ideas about Inari,” “Inari gives blessings to each person in an appropriate and personalized way,” and “Inari is a different kami to each believer, shaped by what each person brings of his own character and understanding of the world” (Smyers, My Own Inari 89). This shows that not only do people worship different forms of Inari, the significance of Inari also depends on the person who is worshiping.

Another aspect of Inari that relates to its various forms, is that it has been identified with various other food deities such as “Miketsu Okami, Ogetsu Hime no Kami, Ukemochi no Kami, Toyouke no Kami, Toyouke Hime no Kami, or Ukanomitama no Kami,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel, 153). It has also been associated with deities such as Izanagi no Mikoto, Izanami no Mikoto, Susanoo no Mikoto, etc (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 153). This goes to show that Inari and its powers can be connected to various deities.

An example of a personalized form of Inari is Omatsu Okami, who has helped a man get over his addiction to alcohol (Smyers, My Own Inari 100). Him and his family were a part of an Inari worship group, and they consulted the leader of the group about what they should do about his addiction. He suggested that he go on a pilgrimage every month with Omatsu Okami (Smyers, My Own Inari 100). The altar for Omatsu Okami is shaped like a gourd that holds sake, and has two rocks shaped like shogi markers on each side. Since the shape of the altar can represent alcohol, and the rocks that look like shogi markers can represent gambling, the leader of their Inari worship group claimed that Omatsu Okami is the best kami to help with unhealthy addictions (Smyers, My Own Inari 100). By going on these pilgrimages, the man has been able to remain sober.

We can see that Inari has developed from a deity only in relation to rice, to a more inclusive deity. Many deities are often relied on for a specific reason, yet Inari holds a variety of powers to cater to people’s needs. It is a kami that becomes whatever that person needs it to be.

Conflicting Views of the Fox

So far I have discussed the positive impact that Inari and its messenger foxes can have on people. But there are opposing views associated with its messenger foxes. Many Japanese people who worship Inari have positive views about the deity, but those who do not, associate its fox with negativity (Symers, The Fox and the Jewel 106). The polarization of Inari's fox can be seen through stories involving the fox in Japanese folklore, stories of possession, and stories told by people who claim to have encountered a fox.

In Japanese folklore, foxes are often associated with negativity because they are tricksters, and they go after vulnerable people, especially men. Foxes will shape-shift into beautiful women and trick these men into marrying them. An example of a Japanese folktale that shows this is How Kaya no Yoshifuji of Bitchu Province Became the Husband of a Fox and Was Saved by Kannon. The main character Yoshifuji who lives with his wife and son, becomes tricked by a fox during an evening walk. The fox appeared as a beautiful woman and he fell madly in love, married her, and had a son with her. Meanwhile, his real family recites Buddhist sutras and chants to try and bring him back, which eventually forces Yoshifuji to come back to them. As he tries to proudly show off his new son, there is nobody there, nor is his house. He soon discovers that he had been living under his house with a family of foxes. Throughout traditional Japanese stories it is common to see men tricked into falling in love with foxes thinking that they are beautiful women, and later find out that it was all an illusion.

Although men are often tricked by foxes, women are the ones that are more likely to become possessed by foxes. This is apparently due to the fact that women are “more emotional than men, hysterical by nature, and more sensitive,” (Smyers, The Fox and The Jewel 179). Traditionally, behavior such as “unusual eating habits, inappropriate use of language, inability to follow social norms, and most interesting, newfound abilities in literacy,” were associated with fox possession, (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 178). The possessed will also show a desire to spend time outside, walk on all fours, and reply to fox calls (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 179). However, there are stories of women being possessed by foxes and displaying more positive rather than negative behavior. According to Smyers, there is a story about an illiterate girl from 1820 who became possessed by a fox and lived as a Buddhist priest, and spoke Chinese (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 178). With this, we can understand that being possessed by a fox is not always about displaying inappropriate behavior, it can give people to have the ability to do things that they could not do otherwise.

Throughout the stories told by people who claim to have encountered the fox, we can see the polarization of Inari's fox more clearly, considering that there are people with good and bad experiences. Symers tells the story of a man who was coming home from a party late at night with some Inari-zushi. The tofu wrapped around this sushi is known to be the fox’s favorite food (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 106 and Heine 77). Suddenly, he encounters a beautiful woman who invites him to come home with her. He ends up spending the night at her place and when he woke up, he was in the middle of a rice field (Smyers, The Fox and The Jewel 106). With this, he concluded that he had been tricked by a fox.

Smyers also discusses positive stories told by people who claim to have encountered a fox. She tells the story of an Inari worshipper who claims that her daughter was saved by a fox (Smyers, The Fox and The Jewel 106). When her daughter was younger, she fell out of the second story window of their home, but to her surprise, she was unharmed (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 106). Later, an ascetic tells her that a fox once saved her daughter by catching her in its mouth (Smyers, The Fox and The Jewel 106). Here we can see the difference from the previous story of a man who does not worship Inari, and a woman who does.

When Inari worship began, its messenger fox was seen in a positive light because its presence meant that there was going to be good crops. But as stories developed through time, that soon changed into the messenger fox also being associated with negativity. It not only shows the two polarizing ideas about the fox, but also that ideas related to religion can change over time.

Current Inari Worship

As mentioned in a previous section, the people of Japanese society and priests all have their various opinions about the power of Inari and Inari worship. Inari is known to have the power to fulfill various desires of society, and its role changes depending on the wishes of the worshiper and changes in society. Generally, the power of Inari is associated with growth and good luck. That growth can be associated with “human, social, and financial” such as “agriculture, business, childbirth, health, passing exams” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 214). However in today’s society, it is most commonly known as the kami who brings about business prosperity.

Many businesses in Japan today will have a shrine dedicated to Inari somewhere inside of the shop along with a statue of a fox. As stated in an article titled Rice Goddess and Fox in Japanese Religion, “Since Inari is a bearer of food and goddess of commerce, nearly all the Japanese shops have a miniature shrine of Inari right there in the place of business. In these shrines there is always an image of a squatting fox with the right paw lifted in that beckoning gesture,” (Opler and Hashima 45).

Smyers gives a further explanation of Inari altars and Inari worship inside of shops. She describes a scene inside of a beauty salon in Tokyo that prays to Inari at the beginning of every work day. Before the shop opens, the owner will stand in front of the shrine and the rest of the employees line up behind her (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 2). As the owner clasps her hands together, they all follow her lead and together they begin chanting the “Shinto norito” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 2). Before ending the prayer, they “clap and bow twice, and turn and bow to the east, in gratitude to the sun,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 2). They say personal prayers at the end as well, and continue on with the rest of their day (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 2). Here we can clearly see how Inari plays a significant role in Japanese people’s lives and their business.

In the beginning stages of Inari worship, people would have prayed for good crops, or a successful pregnancy. Since then, we can see how much it has changed to fit modern Japanese society. Traditionally, people wanted rice prosperity because that was what had great value at the time. In modern society, money is the medium of exchange, therefore as people began to pray for good business and an abundance of money, Inari’s role has shifted to fit the changes of their wants and needs.

Motifs/Symbols in Inari Worship

Inari and Rice

Although people do not pray for rice prosperity in the way that they did in the past, there is still a strong connection between an abundance of rice and the power of Inari. As Inari worship developed, Inari became associated with a broader sense of prosperity. A good harvest is known to bring about good luck in other aspects of life. Smyers, gives two examples of where rice is associated with a broader sense of luck.

The Fushimi Inari shrine located in Kyoto, “recently created a new omamori consisting of a few grains of rice, still on the stalk, in a plastic case with golden background. The talisman is called minori no mamori, protection of the the harvest or bounty - intended in its broadest sense” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 215). She goes on to say that this can also be “seen in the popular custom found among older people at Toyokawa Inari, where a vegetarian meal is served as part of the prayer service. To leave uneaten rice behind is to leave luck behind, they believe, so they take home any leftover rice they are unable to finish” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 215). We can see here that although the ideas of Inari have changed, its worshipers are still in connection to its traditional roots.

The prayers towards Inari may have shifted to prayers of good business and wealth in the form of money, but an abundance of rice is still the basis of what Japanese people associate with good luck and fortune in various aspects.

Inari and the Fox

As stated in an earlier section, the fox is known as the messenger for Inari. However, there is no literature that states exactly how this came to be, or why the fox is associated with rice as well. What is known about the foxes association with rice and Inari is based on theory. These theories are based on where people would encounter foxes, the visual of the fox, myth, and wordplay.

The first theory that is widely discussed is where people used to see foxes in public. Foxes were “seen around rice fields, where they fed on rodents that ate the rice, and were thus seen as its protectors” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 75). A theory based on the image of the fox is that “the fox’s color, close to that of ripened rice, and the observation that the fox’s tail resembles a full sheaf of rice,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 76).

But there are other versions to the story opposite to this that is based on myth. For example, some believe “the fox originally ate the ripened rice, and the people were troubled; angry Inari transformed the fox into the protector of rice from that time forward, and that is how the fox came to be the messenger of Inari,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 78).

Another story about how the fox became associated with Inari comes from Buddhist text dated at around 1332 (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 79). A family of foxes go to Inari Mountain praying to Inari in front of the shrine, stating that they wish to protect the world and express their desire to become assistants of the shrine. Inari allows them to become attendants of the shrine and they dedicate their lives to granting people’s desires (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 80).

Some believe that it is a play on words considering word play is commonly used in Japan. Miketsu no Kami, meaning “honorable food deity,” is often a deity in association with Inari, and according to Smyers, in certain dialects, kitsune can be pronounced as ketsune which sounds like a part of the word miketsu, meaning “three foxes,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 78). This was a strong enough association for people to believe that Inari is a fox deity, or associated with the fox (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 78).

We do not know which one is true, but it is clear that there is a variety of ways that Inari and the fox can be connected.

Foxes and Jewels

Foxes in Inari worship are always associated with the power of jewels. Whenever one visits an Inari shrine or temple, the majority of fox statues will have jewels, oftentimes at the base of the statue (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 113). Jewels in Inari worship are derived from Buddhist meanings, represents both life and death, and has the power to grant material desires (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 113).

The meanings behind the jewels began in Buddhism. One Buddhist interpretation of the origin of jewels is that it came out of the head of a dragon that was part snake and part human (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 119). This jewel was said to have the power to “grant wishes” or ‘enlighten people,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 120). They also represent the Three Treasures of Buddhism: the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 120). Over the years, its meaning spread throughout Buddhism and other East Asian religions and ultimately became the general object that “grants infinite desires,” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 121). It shows similar meanings in relation to the fox in Inari worship as well.

In relation to foxes, the jewel represents life and death. We can clearly see this when looking at jewels in relation to fox holes. Foxholes are considered to be “a jewel-like space that encompasses the fox and its treasures,” and symbolize “birth, death, and spiritual rebirth.” (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 146). These fox holes were believed to lead to the Inari mountains in Kyoto, therefore were worshiped at Inari shrines (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 146). They were usually found near graves, and it was where foxes lived and gave birth (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 146). Here, we can see the connection between life and death considering that birth has to do with life, and graves have to do with death. At Fushimi Inari Mountain, fox holes are displayed with offerings such as fried tofu, rice, or coins, all of which can be considered as “treasures,” to the fox (Symers, The Fox and the Jewel 121).

Although jewels seem to be a large part of Inari worship, it is not directly discussed in relation to Inari itself, it is always in relation to the fox. Within the context of Inari worship, jewels are considered to grant material desires, such as money (Smyers, The Fox and the Jewel 122). In relation to foxes, jewels have a more metaphorical meaning such as its connection to life and death, yet in direct relation to Inari, it is more literal considering that both jewels and money are both concrete objects of similar value.

Jewels in association to Inari and the fox have polarizing concepts such as life and death, or metaphorical and literal. It presents a variety of representations and can be viewed from a diverse perspective. Overall, this seems to be a common theme in Inari worship as it has spread and shifted through time.

Google Sites

Report abuse