The kami associated with rice, agriculture, and foxes is Inari.
Inari Ōkami is one of Japan’s most widely worshipped kami, associated with rice, fertility, agriculture, prosperity, industry, tea, sake, and foxes. Inari is not simply a fox: foxes, or kitsune, are traditionally regarded as Inari’s messengers. Their white stone statues are among the most recognizable features of Inari shrines.
Inari worship is traditionally traced to Mount Inari in Fushimi, Kyoto, where a shrine was founded in 711 CE. The deity’s name is often connected with rice-bearing, and agricultural communities gradually expanded Inari’s role to commerce, craft production, and general worldly success. Worship became especially widespread during Japan’s Edo period.
Inari may appear as male, female, elderly, youthful, or as a collective of several kami. This flexibility reflects the deity’s long development through Shinto, Buddhist, and local traditions. Another common mistake is assuming that every red torii belongs to an Inari shrine, although Fushimi Inari Taisha is famous for its thousands of vermilion gates. Fried tofu, especially inarizushi, is also traditionally linked with foxes and Inari worship.