Iya Inari Shrine

Off to one side of the main Iya shrine is a line of torii leading to an Inari Shrine. Each of the different torii , which can sometimes be so many that they literally form a tunnel, are donated by different worshippers.

As is typical of traditional Japanese religious practises, there are numerous identities and attributes of Inari though in the Meiji Period when many kami had their identities changed or fixed by the government it became mostly associated with Ukanomitama.

Inari is often associated with rice as an agricultural deity, but in time its "wish-fulfilling" properties became associated with success in business and many other endeavors, even becoming the patron deity of prostitutes.

Often referred to as a Fox God, the fox is actually just a messenger of Inari