When I started blogging on this platform I promised to highlight some of Japan’s less known places. With such a rich cultural tapestry, the country boasts a multiplicity of historical sites. Due to this many people, foreigners and Japanese alike, are often unaware of many of these places. One such site is the Fujishiro Sankenchi Inaka Shrine. It is about 5 minutes by foot from the highway that connects Tokyo and other metropolitan areas. Fujishiro Sankenchi Inaka is what the Japanese call an “O-inari-san” or Inari shrine. They are among the most common places of worship on the island.
I have passed Fujishiro Sankenchi Inaka Shrine on multiple occasions during my weekend strolls but never bothered to go on the property, however, with the weather being so good today, I, wanting to discover some of these hidden places in my community, armed myself with my Sony 20.1 pixel camera, and went sleuthing.
This Shinto shrine was completed in 1592 and is among the thirty thousand plus throughout Japan. On special occasions, “many gather to pray for bountiful harvests, business prosperity, the safety of their home and family, and the fulfillment of all kinds of other wishes.” And while one is not aware of how many people visit this shrine in my hometown of Fujishiro, it is common to see worshipers gather during the new year to pray.
Chances are that I might become one of the growing throngs of overseas worshipers who have joined the Japanese in praying and touring these shrines. Chief among these shrines is the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, which I was fortunate to visit last winter. It was a rather fulfilling experience to see this iconic Japanese structure.
Unlike Fushimi Inari Taisha, which is packed most times, today I and a priest were the only people present on the compound, which is a bit sparse. Despite this, there were some interesting icons around, and of course, I snapped as many of them as I could. I was hoping to take some shots of the inside, unfortunately, as is the case with many of these places, that was a no-no. So these were the shots I managed to get.
Due to such prohibitions, my initial goal of making this article longer was dashed. To address this I thought about exploring the meaning behind the different icons, for example, the fox, the temizuya, which is a basin of water with a dipper that visitors can use to cleanse themselves, and the pathway that leads to the shrine. But for brevity's sake, I will write more about these in subsequent posts.