Inari shrines are the most familiar Shinto shrines to the Japanese people.
There are said to be some thirty thousand throughout the country, frequented by people of all ages. Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine with which all the others are affiliated.

Inariyama, the mountain on which the shrine rests, is the kamnabi, or residence of the deity, of Fushimi Inari Taisha.
The deity Inari Okami took up residence on the mountain on the first Day of the Horse of the second month of 711, according to the traditional zodiac and lunar calendar. The year 2011 marked the 1300th anniversary of this event.

In the intervening centuries, Inari Okami has been worshiped as the deity who provides the people with the food, clothing, and housing that support life and who brings abundance and joy.
We have a duty to protect Inariyama and pass on the tradition of promoting the harmonious coexistence of the deities, human beings, and nature that it represents.

I would like to ask all of our devoted visitors to lend even more of a helping hand than before to preserve our mountains and natural environment, and I pray that the blessings of Inari Okami bring prosperity for you all.

Masami Funahashi
Head Priest, Fushimi Inari Taisha