At Toyokawa Inari, a green fox also sits on the approach to the inner sanctuary

Fox in Toyokawa Inari — Green Fox at Toyokawa Inari

While some look scary, such as Fudo Myoo and those who you wouldn't want to get close to, such as the snake at the Okami Shrine, there are also many divine messenger animals with a cute side, such as the monkey at Hiyoshi Taisha in Shiga, the deer at Kasuga Taisha in Nara, and the crow at Kumano Sanja in Wakayama.

Toyokawa Inari, located in Moto-Akasaka, Tokyo, has foxes in its family, just like Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. A huge fox is sitting beside the main hall, and several foxes keep a watchful eye around the inner sanctuary, so you can see them everywhere in the temple grounds.

Interestingly, the fox, which is considered a divine messenger in Toyokawa Inari, is often associated with a negative image in the Western world. According to the World Symbol Dictionary, the fox is depicted in many legends as an animal that symbolizes cunning and wiles. It is also said that the fox was sometimes considered a messenger of the devil because of its reddish fur color, reminiscent of fire.

Indeed, if you think about it, foxes are not only considered beneficial to humans in Japan. The foxes that appear in folktales are all foxes that deceive or play tricks on people. Regardless of whether they were beneficial or harmful to humans, people in the past must have seen in foxes a mystique that transcended humanity.

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