Fushimi Inari Shrine and Torii

Published on: Jul 7, 2008

The next day was Saturday, and we borrowed bicycles from the inn to visit the complex of the Imperial Palace, located just across the street from our ryokan in Kyoto. This place was huge, so the bikes really came in handy to take a tour of the grounds in a short time.

Jesse on the Palace grounds.

Plum trees in bloom.

I love the way they build supports for trees like this.

Then we took the train to the Fushimi Inari Shrine, where thousands of torii create a portico of sorts that people can walk through for several miles.

The entrance.

A kitsune guard.

From Wikipedia:

The kitsune statues are at times taken for a form of Inari, and they typically come in pairs, representing a male and a female. These fox statues hold a symbolic item in their mouths or beneath a front paw — most often a jewel and a key, but a sheaf of rice, a scroll, or a fox cub are all common. Almost all Inari shrines, no matter how small, will feature at least a pair of these statues, usually flanking or on the altar or in front of the main sanctuary. The statues are rarely realistic; they are typically stylized, portraying a seated animal with its tail in the air looking forward. Despite these common characteristics, the statues are highly individual in nature; no two are quite the same.

A map of the shrine complex.

Prayer at the shrine.

Walking through the torii.

Wikipedia offers some insight into torii:

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine, although it can be found at Buddhist temples as well. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermillion. Traditionally, torii are made of wood or stone. Torii mark the transition from the sacred (the shrine) to the profane (the normal world).

The origin of the word "torii" is not known. One theory is that it was designed for birds to rest. A second theory is that it is derived from the term tari-iru: pass through and enter).

A prayer board along the way.

Jesse and I took a detour from the torii covered area, walking through a path in the forest instead, away from the crowds. He had been there once before, and had previously trekked the path. It's hard to relate just how incredible it was to be walking through this area on our own for several hours, hardly seeing anyone along the way, but getting a better idea of the beauty of the area.

Walking through a bamboo forest.

We climbed to the very top of the hill, visiting many graveyards along the way that were built into the side of the mountain.

One of the graves.

One of the graveyards.

We walked for several hours this way, rejoining the torii path at the top, then descended the mountain via hundreds of stairs.

Walking down the torii.

Next, we went to the Silver Pavilion, or Ginkaku-ji. It was a sunny day by then, and many people were out for the weekend. The temple was under construction, but the walk through the park was cool and lovely.

The rock garden at the Silver Pavilion.

From there, we followed the Philosopher's Walk, another scenic path that follows a canal for 1 mile. In another few weeks, the cherry trees lining the canal would be in bloom, but when we were there, they were bare of flowers.  Still, we enjoyed the quiet path and visited many of the shops lining the walk.

The Philosopher's Walk, Kyoto.

Shopping in Kyoto.

Jesse remarked that once the trees are blooming, the crowds increase drastically, so we were lucky to have fewer people to deal with during our stay in Kyoto. Still, I hope to return someday when the cherry trees are in bloom.