A green fox, a messenger of Inari Okami, sits on the approach to the inner sanctuary at Toyokawa Inari

Green fox and masked worshippers at Toyokawa Inari — Worshippers pass by the green fox at Toyokawa Inari

The Inari shrine, which was worshipped by Ooka Echizen, is still popular in the 21st century. Still in a New Year's mood, I arrived at Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin early in the New Year to find a large crowd of worshippers waiting in line in front of the main temple.

This Inari was originally enshrined in the residence of the Ooka family. It was worshipped by Oooka Echizen no Kami, who was active as a magistrate in the southern part of Edo and rose from being a shogunal vassal to a feudal lord. I, too, would like to be blessed with the blessings of this temple if I hear about its legend.

Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin is interesting not only because of its legend. The fact that it is a Soto Zen temple that enshrines Inari is also interesting, and the fact that the inner sanctuary is built right next to the main temple seems to be different from the norm. Normally, the inner sanctuary is located at the top of the mountain, away from the main hall, and is considered the most sacred area. However, the inner sanctuary of this temple sits unobtrusively beside the main hall. The main hall and the inner sanctuary stand side by side.

Around the sacred inner sanctuary, there were many streamers dedicated to prayers, creating an atmosphere that went beyond the ordinary. The green fox sitting at the entrance was not a familiar sight, and it looked like the entrance to another dimension.

Comment via

日本語