Izumi Hasegawa of Matsue City’s Shusse Inari pays respects at Fushimi Inari
It’s some time since I visited Fushimi Inari, for much as I love it the tourist hordes of recent times are rather off-putting. But when Izumi Hasegawa, priestess of Matsue City’s Shusse Inari, invited me to join her on a visit, I couldn’t let the opportunity slip. It was a delightful occasion and the tourists not too numerous except on the lower slopes where the torii could barely cope with the pressure of those squeezing through.
The main aspects of the wonderful Fushimi Inari have been covered in previous posts, but what caught my attention this time was the very strong outreach by the shrine to cater for foreigners. Ten years ago you wouldn’t have seen a single sign in English. Now they’re everywhere. On the one hand, there are very informative explanations, on the other are attempts to prevent disrespectful and destructive behaviour. As is clear from the picture portrait below, the outing proved very instructive about the effects of mass tourism on sacred space.
The entrance board now gives a clear overview of the five-in-one Inari deity as well as three of the shrine’s festivals (in winter, spring and autumn).
Finding one’s way around has been simplified by bilingual signposts
There are useful bilingual maps too covering the whole hillside
Remarkably there’s even an open invitation to explain things in English. Some can’t wait to get to hear it….
Worshippers are more colourful than they used to be…
…. though posing rather than worshipping is the name of the game for some
The shrine office was doing such brisk business it felt under siege.
For some a fox mask was a necessary accessory
Filing up the torii tunnel was a bit of a squeeze…
It used to be you had to choose the right way for yourself. ‘Which way is the right way,’ asked Bilbo. ‘All ways are the right way,’ answered Gandalf.
These days ema have an International touch…
…. some with a pagan feel as well
Things that once were puzzling are now fiscally clear…
… and here are the wish papers bound on the fence and cheaper than the usual ema
Other notices were more terse and reflected unwanted behaviour…
…no shoes on tatami…
… and no sitting on steps meant for worshippers
One of the many subshrines had some interesting ofuda hanging from a bamboo torii. Foreign influence?
Up at the top there were plenty of fox statues, but this sign suggested other animals were worshipping here too
Some of the sub shrines went out of their way to explain themselves, a far cry from the insular attitude of twenty years ago. The sacred rock, the shrine’s main object of worship, can be seen below…
The subshrine’s main object of worship, the Kaminari Ishi (Lightning Rock), clearly cleft in two by a sanctifying bolt from the heavens
Without this notice, foreign visitors would have completely missed the point of the dolls in the next picture…
the match-making dolls come in a set of three: husband, wife and attendant. It makes for a harmonious match!
By the time we got back down, it was near dusk and tourist crowds had already headed home. Here Izumi celebrates having visited the ‘top tourist landmark in Japan’, according to TripAdvisor
The shrine is a lot busier compared to the last time I visited in the late 1990’s!
Very true… It was a special experience roaming the upper slopes when there was hardly anyone else around. I remember when you used to greet people because there were so few!