Written in May 2009 I wrote this paper based on my research on Shinto (sp. Inari) and East Asian folklore regarding the fox. I was fascinated by Fushimi Inari Taisha, and I was familiar with the kitsune as well as Shinto, so I started researching Inari and fox lore in more detail.
Through the Eyes of the Fox: Japan’s Connections with Korea through Inari Worship and the Plausible Influence on Shinto Religion
As the sunlight fades and dusk creeps in, an air of eerie tranquility settles on the shrine complex. Passing underneath thousands of vermillion torii gates, it seems like a tunnel leading to another world. And everywhere one looks there is the expectation for a slender, lithe vulpine creature with a luxurious tail to suddenly appear and lope through the trees. Such is the atmosphere at Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine of Inari, one of Shinto’s most diverse and popular kami. One of the most unique aspects of Inari worship that is often overlooked is its strong connections to the Korean peninsula, which are most distinctly seen in its origins and the central symbol of Inari, the fox. Given how prominent Inari worship is, how the Korean impact on it may have influenced Shinto beliefs in general is also worth examining.
Although Inari worship is known to have existed as early as 711 A.D., the official date the Fushimi Inari Shrine at Inari Mountain was founded, evidence suggests that the formal worship of Inari had started centuries before that date; and by people who were not Japanese. The most widely accepted Shinto account is that Fushimi Inari Shrine was founded by an affluent ancestor of the Hata Clan named Irogu, who one day decided to use mochi, rice cakes, for archery practice. But when his arrow pierced one of the cakes, it transformed into a white bird and flew away to a mountain peak. He followed the bird up the mountain, and beheld a marvelous sight; where the bird had landed, rice was growing in abundance. Realizing he had abused a gift of divine importance, the rice, Irogu erected a shrine on the site where the white bird had alighted to assuage the offended kami and protect his wealth. He named the shrine Inari. Since then, it is said that the Hata clan have never handled rice with disrespect, and have as a result enjoyed good fortune.
Panda Samurai 