To fully appreciate the Toyokawa Inari Shrine, it helps to have a little background on religion in Japan. The two main religions are Shintoism and Buddhism, and you can find Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines throughout Japan. All told, there are about 80,000 shrines, and 75,000 temples scattered across the country, so every city in Japan has many of both, from the big famous ones to tiny local ones. So what are the differences?
Buddhism has a clear doctrine and rules. There are various sects, like Zen, Pureland, and Shingon, but throughout them certain truths are always maintained. Shinto is more ambiguous, with no founder, religious texts or set doctrine. As a polytheistic religion, it allows more freedom for believers to worship the “kami” (deities) of their choosing. Important ideas in Shintoism are purity and harmony with nature.
From my personal experience, Buddhism seems more disciplined and aesthetic, whereas Shintoism reminds me of an “old boys” club with a long history, whose members wear funny hats and engage in lots of showy rituals and services. For example, for a fee a Shinto priest will come to bless the land where you are going to build a new home. They also perform ceremonies for births, and if you take your three, five, and seven-year-old kids to the local shrine, the priest will pray for their good health. During the ceremonies, they ring bells, and shake large paper shakers called “onusa” for purity, and generally seem to have a festive time. Buddhist monks, on the other hand, are more austere. They live simple lives, centered around daily chants and work. Buddhism came from China, via India, whereas Shinto is a homegrown religion, but nobody really knows where it started. My theory is a group of drunk friends thought it up one day as a lark, and then realized they could make some money from it. Both Buddhism and Shintoism date back at least to the 8th century in Japan, so they have a lot of history by now. Buddhism venerates humans who have achieved enlightenment, but Shinto is an animistic religion, so there are kami (gods) for rocks and trees and birds and waterfalls.
As for praying, at Buddhist temples (otera) it is a largely silent affair, but at the Shinto shrines (jinja), it is more active. They ring bells, and clap their hands to wake up all those sleepy kami.
Temples and shrines look different, too. You’ve probably seen photos of “torii” (those tall red gates consisting of two vertical pillars connected by two horizontal bars on top). Torii are only erected in front of shrines. They are often guarded by foxes, or dogs or other animal statues. There is also usually a water trough where you can wash your hands in running water to purify yourself. The temples tend to be more understated, less colorful… Rather than a torii, they have a “sanmon” which is a gate with a roof over it like a small building, that you walk through before entering the temple grounds. Inside the gate building there are often two very muscular guardians called Nio. They look like body builders with scary faces. After passing through the gate, the main temple often contains a big Buddha, painted in gold. There is a big bowl of ashes with incense burning in it in front of the temple. You can wave the smoke onto your body for purification, and to heal injuries.
To become a monk, you must devote your life to Buddhism, forego many worldly possessions, and live a life of austerity. As for Shinto priests, you just have to pass a written test! Anybody can be a Shinto priest! Then, you can perform all those ceremonies, shake your onusa and ring your bells, and get paid for it!
In Japan, weddings and funeral ceremonies are handled differently. Can you guess which one is a Buddhist ceremony, and which one Shinto? Yep, funerals are Buddhist, as beautifully depicted in the movie “Okuribito” (“Departures” in English). You wouldn’t want a priest ringing bells and shaking onusa at a funeral.
So, the thing about the Toyokawa Inari Shrine is it has elements of both a Shinto jinja and a Buddhist otera. Founded in 1441, it’s dedicated to both the Shinto fox goddess Inari Okami and also the Buddhist protective deity Dakini Shinten. In the 13th century, a priest envisioned a goddess riding a white fox, and made the first fox carving out of stone. That statue is now inside the main temple building, but there are MANY other fox carvings throughout the temple grounds.
Toyokawa Inari has two big torii, a main one at the entrance to the shopping street leading to the shrine, and another one inside the shrine grounds. This is the one inside, with the moon shining through.
There is also a sanmon. Toyokawa Inari has both a Shinto torii and a Buddhist sanmon! The sanmon is the oldest building on the complex. It was made in 1596! Do you remember what’s inside the sanmon, on either side of the entrance? It’s too dark to see from here, so let’s get a little closer.
Yep, it’s Nio, the muscular guardian. I wonder what people did to get so muscular back in those days.
Do you remember what we have to do before entering the temple grounds? Yes, you wash your hands for purity.
This is the main temple! See that little roof in front of the building at the bottom? That’s where the incense is. And, see that fox guardian on the bottom right? Let’s take a closer look at her.
Foxes represent the kami “Inari”. Inari is the deity associated with rice and having a good harvest. The color red is used to expel demons and prevent illness. So, the red bibs are an appeal to the Inari kami to protect the harvest. There are many Inari statues throughout the temple grounds, and they all have distinct faces.
There is also a dragon next to the main temple. I don’t know what it represents, but it’s cool.
On another part of the temple grounds, there is a huge “chochin” paper lantern. Chochin can all be folded flat. And, the big ones are actually really heavy! They are another example of incredible Japanese design.
There is also a koi pond. I never tire of watching koi.
Finally, you come to the main event, the Reikozuka, or “shrine of a thousand foxes.” Apparently, there are actually about 800. To get to the shrine, you first walk through the “senbonnobori” (path of 1000 prayer flags).
There are foxes stationed along the way, each with a distinct face.
Finally, you arrive at the Reikozuka. If you go at New Years it can take a half hour or more just to walk the short path to the main area, and when you get there, there is only time to pray quickly and move on for the next person to pray. But, we went off season and there were few people and I was able to take my time with the foxes, admiring all their different faces.
If you have the chance to visit Toyokawa in Aichi Prefecture, be sure to hit up the Toyokawa Inari Shrine. It’s a short walk from the train station in and is open all year. I recommend going in the off-season.