Fushimi Inari taisha

   Located in Kyoto and said to have been founded in 711, Fushimi Inari taisha is the mother shrine of thousands of branch Fushimi Inari jinja. It is dedicated to the kami of rice or business (i.e. Inari) who is identified at Fushimi and in many other shrines with the food kami Uga-(or Uka-)no-mitama-no-kami, a deity mentioned in the Kojiki as a son of Susa-no-o and in the Nihongi as a son of Izanagi and Izanami, though Inari may also be represented as female. Inari is popularly identified with the messenger fox (o-kitsune-san), statues of whom can be seen at most Inari temples. The Inari-matsuri held at the shrine in April involves visits by the deity to various o-tabisho over 21 days. Fushimi Inari is one of the great shrines which these days attract enormous crowds at New Year for hatsumode and the shrine is highly regarded throughout the year by business people, particularly those in the financial sector. Many companies send staff representatives to visit the shrine or they receive visits from shrine priests to company premises to pray for prosperity. So many firms have donated red torii to the shrine as votive offerings that the walkways within the shrine precincts are virtually torii-tunnels.