While the Sun-Goddess is the supreme center of the Universe, the progenitor of the imperial family and the source of all culture, wisdom and light, she is considered a bit lofty by most Japanese. People are primarily concerned with putting food on the table, obtaining the necessities, and if possible, also the luxuries of life. On the grounds of virtually every every shrine in Japan, and most of the Buddhist temples as well, you will find a small shrine with orange torii (the open-gate that marks sacred ground), two guardian foxes on either side and a mandala-like symbol portraying boughs of rice. These are shrines to the Mother Goddess Inari who helps provide all these things to her devotees.      Unlike Amaterasu, Inari is a truly folk deity, one that has little official mythology connected with her, but as you will see, she wears many masks, some of them which do fit in to the “official” mythos.      Her name begins the tale: INA (rice) NARU (to grow) = Inari. Quite simple, really, she is the Mother Who Provides, for in Japan rice is truly life. As mentioned in a previous article (Daigoku), rice is also the primal symbol for money in Japan, which explains why Inari has become the patron of businessmen and merchants as well.

Torii No Ichi Fest.

Torii No Ichi Festival

The cult can be “officially” traced to 711 AD when the Empress Gemmyo sanctioned her worship at what is today Kyoto. According to sources, the Goddess was known as Uka (the first cultivator of rice) and she was worshipped as Uka-no-Mitama.   (This deity is also the Goddess of roads!)  She was worshipped under several other names at this master shrine and, without listing reams of Japanese history and names, a few conclusions can be explained.       First, her worship pre-dates the “official” (read royal) history by thousands of years. Her ancient shrines are excavated constantly. From earliest times a special circular plot of “divine” rice was planted in every village with a pole representing the Mother in the center. In many places (including the Imperial Palace) this practice still continues.      Second, she originated as a conglomerate of hundreds of local Nature Goddesses, much as other Goddesses did, which eventually became recognized as aspects of one Goddess as the Yamoto culture spread and unified into what was then the “Land of Wa.”

     A few of her aspects are worth noting:

Miketsu:  The Goddess of food, meaning (maybe) mi (three) ketsu (foxes.) From earliest times the fox has been the Goddesses vehicle in Japan and is sad to be present in the astral form of a white fox at each of her shrines. Many of the larger Inari shrines today have “caves” where this “fox.” lives.

Ogetsuhime:  Another food goddess, one that plays a role in the mythos. After Susano was expelled from the heavenly realm, he sought her help and begged for food. She produced this out of her orifices and he, considering it unclean, killed her and scattered her body.  From different parts of her body sprung all the foods on the Earth: rice, millet, beans and so on. thus she became....

Uke-Mochi:  The Goddess of all food.

Tanaka-no-kami:  Middle-of-the-ricefield kami.

Sarudahiko:  Earth kami who assisted the first Emperor to Earth.

Ame-no-Uzume:  One of the most interesting Goddesses, she is identified as the Goddess who danced the first rite, the Goddess who lured Amaterasu out of the cave and thus revitalized the Earth.