Inari (deity)
Inari is a significant deity in Japanese mythology, revered in the Shinto and Buddhist faiths primarily as the god of agriculture, particularly rice cultivation, which is central to Japanese society. As a protector of rice fields, Inari plays a crucial role in ensuring bountiful harvests, contributing to the prosperity of farmers and communities. This deity is often depicted in diverse forms, including as an old man or a woman, and is frequently associated with foxes, known as kitsune, which are believed to be Inari's messengers and guardians of the rice fields.
Mythology surrounding Inari includes tales of the god overseeing the planting and harvest seasons, as well as narratives that explain how foxes became servants to Inari. Temples dedicated to Inari, the most famous being the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, reflect the deity's importance, with thousands of stone fox statues and sacred red torii gates adorning the sites. Worship of Inari dates back to at least the fifth century, with many shrines incorporating offerings of rice, sake, and tofu to honor this multifaceted deity, who embodies not only agricultural success but also broader themes of prosperity and good fortune.
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Subject Terms
Inari (deity)
Symbols: Fox; jewel
Culture: Japan
Inari is a prominent god in Japanese mythology and in the religions of Shinto and Buddhism. Inari is primarily known as the god of agriculture and the cultivation of rice—the most important food for the people of Japan. The success of the rice harvest was vital to the prosperity of farmers, traders, and villagers alike, also contributing to Inari’s role as the god of prosperity. As the god of rice and prosperity, Inari is viewed as a protector of the rice fields, ensuring that the harvest is abundant each season. Mythology says that each year during the spring planting season, Inari comes down from the mountains to oversee the fields, and leaves after the winter harvest is complete. In addition, Inari is commonly associated with the fox, or kitsune in Japanese. Foxes can frequently be seen near rice fields, hunting and feasting on rodents that so often plague the crops. It is partially for this reason that foxes have been associated with Inari, and are considered the god’s messengers, as well as the guardians of rice fields.
The visual form and identity that Inari assumes varies depending on the traditions of a given region, or the specific religious beliefs of the worshipper, and can appear as either a man, woman, or androgynous figure. One of the most common forms of Inari is as an old man with a beard, riding a fox or sitting atop piles of rice. Another common form shows Inari as a woman with long hair, carrying bundles of rice, and sometimes with the face of a fox (Inari is also thought to be able to take on the form of a fox).
In Mythology
Inari is associated with many different Shinto kami, or spirits worshipped in the religion. A myth involving the kami Uke-mochi, the goddess of food and the wife of Inari, explains how Inari came to assume the role of protector of the rice harvest. One day, Uke-mochi hosted a feast, to which she invited many important kami. Amaterasu, the sun kami, could not attend the feast, and so sent her brother Tsukiyomi (the moon kami) in her stead. To prepare the food for the feast, Uke-mochi regurgitated fish and game from her own body. When he discovered the method by which the food was prepared, Tsukiyomi, disgusted and enraged, killed Uke-mochi. Learning of her brother’s actions, Amaterasu refused to be in his presence, leading to the eternal separation of sun and moon, and Inari assumed Uke-mochi’s duties.
Several myths exist that explain how foxes came to be Inari’s servants and messengers. According to mythology, long ago, a fox family journeyed to Inari Mountain, where the famed Fushimi Inari Shrine exists. Upon arrival the foxes implored Inari to accept their service, which Inari did, placing them as guardians of the temple. In another story, Inari sends the foxes as messengers to protect his worshippers. One night, a mother witnessed as her young daughter fell from a window in their home. Believing that surely the child was dead or injured, as the window was quite high up, the mother went to look outside. To her surprise, she found that her daughter was completely unharmed, despite falling from such a great height and landing amidst shards of broken glass. She later learned that Inari sent a fox to protect the girl, and the fox caught the child in its mouth and safely set her down.
In addition to Inari’s duties as protector of the rice fields and the prosperity a successful harvest brings, the god has also been associated with the general prosperity and good fortune of the people of Japan. In one famous Inari myth, the god teaches a miserly old man the beauty and importance of kindness and compassion. The old man, who was very rich, was not generous with his wealth—in fact, he held tight to his possessions, in fear they would be taken from him. His servants, who served him faithfully, grew afraid of the man, who constantly terrorized them and accused them of theft. The servants prayed to Inari for help, and their prayers were answered. Inari caused the old man to contract a serious illness, which left him asleep in his bed for ten days. When he awoke, he saw a priest by his side, but when he begged the priest for help, he refused. The old man cried out to his servants, but no one came to his aid. Suddenly, the old man saw a huge spider by his window, and the spider declared that it was Inari, who had also taken the form of the priest to teach the old man a lesson. The old man was ashamed and begged forgiveness, and donated half of his fortune to his loyal servants.
Origins and Cults
Worship of Inari is believed to go back as far as the fifth century, although the oldest shrine to Inari was built in 711 BCE. Many Japanese families once worshipped Inari from their own homes, but now most common worship for the god is performed inside a dedicated shrine. More than one-third of Shinto temples located in Japan, about 32,000, are specifically dedicated to the god Inari. The most popular, and oldest, of these temples is the Fushimi Inari Shrine, located in Kyoto near the Inari Mountain and is a common pilgrimage site. Despite being built in the eighth century, the temple was completely burned during the Onin War in 1468, and was rebuilt over the course of thirty years. A nearly three mile long path lined with 10,000 torii, or sacred red gates, guards the temple.
An important aspect of every Inari shrine is the presence of stone fox statues. No matter how small, every Inari shrine contains at least two of these foxes. Worshippers will bring offerings of rice, sake, or tofu for the foxes, which in turn will confer with Inari on their behalf. In addition, a common symbol that exists in many Inari shrines is a precious, wish-fulfilling jewel. These jewels are meant to symbolize all things prosperous—wealth (in both the spiritual and material sense), as well as fertility and life. The jewels are usually found with the fox statues, either in their mouths or held in a paw.
Bibliography
Ashkenazi, Michael. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2003. Print.
"Inari." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 15 Sept. 2015
Roberts, Jeremy. Japanese Mythology A to Z. New York: Chelsea, 2010. Print.
Smyers, Karen A. The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 1998. Print.
Wilkinson, Philip, and Neil Philip. Eyewitness Companions: Mythology. New York: DK, 2007. Print.