At Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, Inari Ōkami is worshipped as the principal Shinto kami.
Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of Japan’s most famous Inari shrines and is located at the base and slopes of Mount Inari in southern Kyoto. The shrine is dedicated to Inari, a kami traditionally associated with rice, agriculture, prosperity, and commerce. Inari worship has developed through several interconnected traditions, so the kami may be represented in different forms and understood through multiple aspects.
The shrine is internationally recognized for its long paths of vermilion torii gates. Thousands of gates were donated by individuals and businesses seeking gratitude, protection, or prosperity. Foxes appear throughout the shrine grounds as messengers of Inari; they are not themselves the principal kami.
Fushimi Inari’s history is traditionally traced to its foundation in 711, before its relocation to the present area in 816. Its distinctive worship combines an ancient agricultural connection with later commercial and household devotion.