Kanagawa

<p>It is impossible to miss the front entrance of this colorful shrine</p>

It is impossible to miss the front entrance of this colorful shrine (Photo: Steve Morton)

Kanagawa

Sanctuaire Sasuke Inari à Kamakura

Honneur au messager et au Dieu Renard

Isabelle Despert Okumura Nov 18, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>It is impossible to miss the front entrance of this colorful shrine</p>

<p>Two visitors gradually disappearing into a thick sea of red torii (gates)</p>

<p>Over half way up you will see the first of many 'Inari' (white foxes) located around this shrine</p>

<p>Sasuke Inari Shrine is famous for its inari. Although the general translation means white fox, Inari have been worshipped for centuries as a spiritual messenger as well as the Shinto god of fertility, rice, tea, sake and agriculture amongst many other things</p>

<p>Also found in many religious places are `koma-inu` (large dogs), which are generally kept inside the inner shrine so as not to be visible to the public</p>

<p>When climbing Sasuke Inari`s long staircases you will probably begin to feel like your every footstep is being closely watched!</p>

<p>The long climb up these stairs will take you to a courtyard where there is a shrine dedicated to Inari</p>

<p>Another pair of eyes is watching you!</p>

<p>Around the main courtyard are several 'mini-shrines' containing many minature white Inari</p>

<p>Just some of the many countless rows of Inari</p>

<p>Just when you thought you couldn`t see any more foxes a large shrine will suddenly appear in front of you, containing several hundred, if not thousands of these little creatures</p>

<p>Up close it`s difficult to say if they are cute or eerie</p>

<p>These tiny Inari are not just found inside buildings but also outside in the open</p>

<p>In fact they are everywhere!</p>

<p>There is even a small garden dedicated to Inari containing many 'mini-shrines' and monuments to the Fox God</p>

<p>From the top of this garden you can follow the hill upwards which joins the Daibutsu Hiking Course or return back down the long staircase if you want to disappear once more into the thick sea of red torii</p>

La légende dit qu'au XIIe siècle, Minamoto Yoritomo, le premier Shogun de Kamakura, aurait vu en rêve un Inari (un renard blanc) qui lui aurait conseillé à quel moment attaquer ses ennemis, lui assurant ainsi la victoire. Par gratitude, Yoritomo fit construire le sanctuaire Sasuke Inari en l'honneur de ce messager.

En visitant cet intéressant sanctuaire, on peut constater que ce sentiment de gratitude n'a pas disparu même 800 ans après car l'on est entouré par une multitude de statues de renards de toutes les formes et de toutes les tailles. Situé dans une forêt dense, ce sanctuaire a une ambiance un peu surréelle et parfois un peu sinistre.

En savoir plus

Pour en savoir plus sur Sasuke Inari Shrine.

Isabelle Despert Okumura @isabelle.despert.okumura

Voilà très longtemps que je vis au Japon mais je ne cesse de découvrir le pays, ses coutumes et ses habitants.