The Japanese fox spirit portrayed as a messenger of the Shinto deity Inari is the kitsune.
Foxes have been associated with Inari, a kami connected with rice, agriculture, prosperity, and commerce, for centuries. At Inari shrines, stone or wooden fox images commonly stand near gates and buildings. They may hold symbolic objects such as a key, jewel, sheaf of rice, or scroll.
Kitsune folklore is broader than shrine symbolism. Stories describe foxes as intelligent supernatural beings capable of shapeshifting, often taking human form. Some tales present them as helpful and loyal, while others emphasize trickery. A fox spirit with many tails is often understood as older and more powerful; the famous nine-tailed form is called kyūbi no kitsune.
Kitsune and Inari are not the same being. Inari is the kami, while foxes are traditionally described as messengers or associated animals. The fox images at shrines therefore represent a connection rather than a claim that Inari is literally a fox.