A sign points towards the Main Shrine of Fushimi Inari, with not a single person to be seen.
With the cessation of tourism due to the Corona virus, Kyoto has taken on a very different atmosphere. This is apparent in the closed museums and empty downtown streets, but is nowhere more evident than at Fushimi Inari Taisha.
In recent years the shrine has been acclaimed as the number one tourist sight in the whole of Japan. The approach roads were packed with so many visitors it was hard to push through. Entering into the famous tunnel of torii was not so much a spiritual induction as a physical challenge. Only towards the top of the holy hill was there any sense of serenity.
What a difference a virus makes! Visiting the shrine yesterday was a reminder of how things must have been in prewar times when visitors were few and far between. The wide open spaces provided ample opportunity for contemplation of the shrine’s rich array of sacred sites. In this way one could sense the shrine had truly regained its spiritual allure.
An empty torii tunnel beckons the visitor to enter into the sacred realm.
With fewer humans around wildlife is apparently encroaching onto the precincts.Cats too seemed to be enjoying the lack of human intrusion.Sadly the water basin was out of action, replaced by alcohol sanitisers.The once bustling tourist shops now stand empty……though some of the Japanese visitors still seemed to be enjoying themselves.One of the large bilingual information boards, erected in recent times on the grounds of Fushimi Inari and a reminder of former days when the hillside was teeming with tourists.
A towering torii gate at the entrance. (Photo by: かがみ～ )Izumo style shimenawa rice rope (Photo by John Dougill)
The giant straw ropes called shimenawa that resemble anacondas coiled around a tree branch are Izumo Taisha’s most famous feature. They represent the separation between the mortal and supernatural worlds. In fact, the shimenawa at the Kagura Hall at Izumo Taisha are the largest in Japan, measuring 13 meters long and weighing five tons.
What’s with all the rabbits at Izumo Taisha?
Okuninushi and rabbit / hare (photo John Dougill)
The main worship hall, where the Shinto deity Okuninushi is enshrined, is fenced in to divide the sacred from the everyday space. Built in 1744, this hall is the tallest in Japan, at about 24 meters. But it’s what lies behind the cherished building that catches most visitors’ attention.
At the back of the hall, there’s a cluster of cute rabbit statues! The rabbits are important to this shrine because of their connection to Okuninushi. Japan’s sacred text of creation stories, the Kojiki, tells a legend about how the god rescued a white rabbit from being eaten by sharks. Delight in the different personalities, quirks, and poses of each one as you walk through the shrine grounds.
At the nearby museum you’ll find Japan’s largest collection of excavated bronze swords and bronze bells, and learn more about the history of the holy Izumo region.
A shrine dedicated to matchmaking
Pray to find your future mate. (Photo by: Jesse Ramnanansingh)
The ritual for praying at Izumo Taisha is slightly different than at other shrines around Japan. Instead of clapping twice as you usually do at a Shinto shrine, at Izumo, you clap four times—twice for yourself and twice for your current or future partner.
Many young Japanese girls come to the shrine to pray for luck finding a future husband. Okuninushi is the Shinto god of marriage and good relationships, after all.
(Photo by John Dougill)
This
has made the shrine into a very popular wedding destination as well. In
2014, a member of the Japanese royal family, Princess Noriko, tied the
knot here. You may spot a wedding or two during your visit if you’re
lucky!
Close to the shrine is an entire street lined with restaurants and
souvenir shops. Try regional specialties like Izumo soba, which is made
from buckwheat seeds and served with grated daikon, nori (dried seaweed) and spring onions.
Shimane Prefecture has yet to reach tourists’ Japan bucket lists, but it’s well on its way.
Nearby Sacred Beach
Located less than a kilometer and within walking distance from Izumo Taisha Shrine is Inasanohama Beach. The beach is home to a tiny shrine called Bentenjima which rests on a large rock in the ocean. [It is on this beach that the kamiari sai takes place when all the kami of Japan arrive by sea and are taken to be housed in Izumo Taisha.]
See the mysterious Benten-jima shrine on Inasanohama beach. (Photo by mstk east)
For more about the religious significance of Izumo Taisha, please see here or here or here. Please also see the Category for Izumo in the righthand column of this page.
