Tokyo and Osaka Travel Notes 02-Fushimi Inari Shrine

Kyoto has a long history. From 794, it was designated as the capital of Japan - "Heian Kyo" many times, and became the political and cultural center of Japan until In 1869, the Meiji government moved the capital to Tokyo . Kyoto has been the capital of Japan for more than a thousand years. The "capital" was called "Kyoto" in Japan at that time, so "Kyoto" later became the proper name for this city. Years of historical accumulation have resulted in Kyoto having quite a wealth of historical relics. Some of Kyoto's historical buildings were listed as world cultural heritage in 1994 under the name "Cultural Properties of Ancient Kyoto". Evaluation by the World Heritage Committee: Ancient Kyoto imitated the form of the ancient Chinese capital (generally considered to be Luoyang City during the Sui and Tang Dynasties). As the cultural center of Japan, it has a history of one thousand years. It spans the development period of Japanese wooden architecture, exquisite religious architecture and Japanese garden art, and also affects the development of world gardening art.
Kyoto was called Heian Kyo in ancient times, and the history of the city's existence can be traced back to 7,000 years ago. In 794 AD, Emperor Kanmu moved the capital here from the mountain town of Nagaoka (now the western suburbs of Kyoto) in order to reform the government. In the hope of achieving safety, auspiciousness, tranquility and peace, he named it Heian-kyo, thus creating the Heian era in Japanese history. , also began the history of Kyoto as the capital of Japan. The location of Ping An Jing was based on Feng Shui ideas, and it was modeled after Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty in China (another theory is that it was modeled after Luoyang in the Sui Dynasty). It is a traditional city with a market system.

Ping'an Jing is about 5.2 kilometers long from north to south and 4.5 kilometers long from east to west. Its area is equivalent to one-fifth of Chang'an City, the capital of the Tang Dynasty in China. Ouchi-ri, where the emperor lived, is located due north of Heian-kyo, with Suzaku Avenue as the center. The city is divided into two symmetrical parts, Ukyo (also known as "Chang'an") and Sakyo (also known as "Luoyang"). However, Ukyo's "Chang'an" area failed to be successfully developed because it was mostly swampland. In the end, the only actual urban area was Sakyo's "Luoyang". Therefore, Kyoto is also called "Luoyang", and going to Kyoto is called "Shangjing" or "Shangluo".
Since its founding, Kyoto has been the economic and cultural center of Japan, and its citizens have inherited its elegant tradition. Kyoto is located to the west of Tokyo. After the capital was moved to Tokyo, the Emperor ascended the throne, and national ceremonies were still held in the Shichenden Hall in Kyoto, so there are The title of "Xijing". Due to its long history, Kyoto enjoys the special political status of the emperor’s enthronement, and is the national center of Buddhism and the holy land of Shintoism. Therefore, Kyoto has various historical sites and ancient buildings. There are still 1,877 temples in the urban area. and shrines, there is an average of one Buddhist temple in every block , and more than 20% of Japan’s national treasures, Make people feel endless charm. Kyoto is a city that is deeply "Sinicized", and many shop names still have traces of Chinese characters. This shows the relationship between Kyoto and China. Kyoto and Xi'an are also sister cities.
Kyoto has a strong Japanese style, It has completely preserved its historical and cultural heritage of more than a thousand years. Kyoto is the birthplace of Japanese literature. The story of the first novel in Japanese history, "The Tale of Genji", took place in Kyoto. Haruki Murakami, one of the most famous writers in modern Japan, was also born. In Kyoto. Kyoto is also the central city of Japanese traditional arts: During the Heian period, Kyoto became a major creation center of Japanese paintings. Kabuki, a representative of Japanese traditional performing arts, originated in Kyoto.

During the Heian period, envoys sent to the Tang Dynasty brought tea ceremony from China to Japan, and Kyoto became the center of Japanese tea ceremony. The existence of ancient-style buildings, including temples and shrines, has become a witness to history , Make it the home of the Japanese soul . Kyoto’s Nishijin silk has long been famous, and its traditional industries such as dyeing, ceramics, brewing, lacquerware, and fans are also famous. At the same time, it is also a prosperous place for Japanese flower arrangement and tea ceremony, and is called the "real Japan". Kyoto is also a great place to be immersed in culture, whether it’s art, Buddhism or folk crafts. Visitors can learn Japanese cooking techniques, traditional crafts (silk, ceramics, papermaking, temple costumes, etc.), Japanese drama, tea ceremony and flower arrangement through TIC. Kyoto has celebrations and festivals almost every day, rich in local customs. The most popular ones are the Gion Festival (July 1st to 29th) and the Times Festival (October 22nd). The Jidai Festival is a festival held at the Heian Shrine, which displays the customs and habits of Kyoto for more than 1,000 years after it became the capital in an array of different eras.
Kyoto has attractions worth seeing all year round. The best time to travel to Kyoto is spring and autumn. The Sakura Festival usually takes place in April and lasts about a week. The Japanese way of viewing cherry blossoms is to appreciate the cherry blossoms with the heart and praise spring. Flower viewing has a long history. It was originally a palace banquet, but now it has become the most popular pleasure. Every year at the Cherry Blossom Festival, ordinary people will spread out mats or plastic sheets under the rich shade of the cherry trees, bring wine and food, and make a fuss while drinking, singing, and dancing. Nijo Castle, Heian Jingu Shrine, Maruyama Park, Ninwaji Temple, and the "Philosophy Road" are always bustling with the gathering of flower admirers.

Japan has a long autumn with many maple leaves and red leaves, which complements the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers. It is regarded as one of the countries with the most beautiful red leaves in the world. Just like viewing cherry blossoms and praising spring, Japanese people go to scenic spots with red foliage to enjoy the beautiful scenery and experience autumn. Kyoto is a famous place for viewing red leaves. Arashiyama in Kyoto, Maple tail near Sagano, sparsely populated Ohara and other places are all famous for their beautiful red leaves, attracting countless tourists.
During World War II, Kyoto was one of the few Japanese cities to be bombed by U.S. air raids. Therefore, Kyoto is one of the few cities in Japan that still has a wealth of pre-war architecture. . "Ancient Kyoto Cultural Heritage" There are 17 historic sites that were registered as world cultural heritage in 1994. They are: Kiyomizudera Temple, Nijo Castle, Kinkakuji Temple, Ginkakuji Temple, Tenryuji Temple, Ryoanji Temple, Enryakuji Temple, Takayamaji Temple, Ninwaji Temple, Saihoji Temple, Toji Temple, Daigoji Temple, Nishi Honganji Temple, Kamigamo Shrine, Shimogamo Shrine, Ujigami Shrine, Byodoin Phoenix Hall. Tour guide Yang Zi said that this was thanks to the Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei. It was he who wrote to the President of the United States and marked the important historical sites one by one on the map, which prevented the destruction of these historical sites. I have not verified this statement. If it is true, then Liang Sicheng's defense of Peiping under artillery fire must have come from this.
From Osaka Castle Park, we headed to Kyoto, the journey took about an hour. The tour guide Yang Zi introduced us to the history and various customs of Kyoto, and especially vividly described how the Japanese view cherry blossoms: when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, there are special people who predict when and when the cherry blossoms will be most gorgeous. Before that, it has been Hold back the impulse, never go to see it in advance, and look forward to the most exciting moment. In order to see the cherry blossoms, the company would have a holiday and revel in it to the fullest. But one year, on the night before the peak blooming period, a storm turned all the cherry blossoms into red mud, and everyone cried as if they had lost a loved one.
Heading towards Kyoto along Japan's Chuo-dori, the expressway is well organized. The weather in Japan does change quickly. Not long after we came out of Osaka Castle, dark clouds began to form again, and white-capped mountain peaks could be seen in several places in the distance. The tour guide Yang Zi is an immigrant from the Northeast. He has inherited the characteristic of Northeastern people being able to talk. Various introductions are very attractive. Before getting on the expressway, he even Ask parents with children to put their children in the inner seat to avoid accidents while driving.
Yang Zi said that the driver of the tour bus cannot drive continuously for more than 2 hours. The running and stopping of the bus will be tracked by GPS throughout the whole process. If the time exceeds, there will be a harsh alarm. After an alarm, if you continue to move forward, it will turn into a continuous piercing alarm in ten minutes. Anyone who notices it can call the police, and the police will take appropriate measures (change vehicles, drivers, etc.) to send the passengers to their destination first. After that, both drivers and companies will be severely punished, with the purpose of avoiding fatigue driving and ensuring travel safety. He also said Japan’s highways have a parking spot every 25 kilometers and a service area every 50 kilometers. Each service area is specially designed and the styles are absolutely the same. There are supermarkets and shopping malls in the service areas, which are absolutely fake. Goods, prices are unified across the country. In fact, China's service areas are also designed one by one, but most of them are similar in style, and they can be as far apart as they want. Maybe this is the difference in details.
Before arriving in Kyoto, we entered the service area. The mall is really big and has all kinds of products. The waiters are very enthusiastic, although I can't understand the welcome words they keep repeating. According to my standards, the hygiene of the shopping mall can be used as a mirror, but there is still a cleaning lady not far from the entrance and exit , she is estimated to be over 70, She was almost kneeling on the ground, cleaning with a small shovel and a rag. There were many people coming and going, and I was afraid that someone would step on her accidentally, but she was very involved, so I stopped and looked carefully. After searching, I finally found a few soybean-sized stains on the ground. The old man cleaned these stains very seriously.

We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant in the city. I vaguely remember that it was in Erjo Alley. The tables and chairs were very small, and the plates for serving the dishes were even smaller. The dishes were only three or two pieces, and the rice bowls were also very small. Each person had one box. "黄豆". Amidst the noise, I faintly heard Yang Zi say, this is natto, Japan’s national treasure, which has the effect of lowering blood lipids. As for how to eat it, I didn’t understand at all. I almost finished the bowl of rice on the table before I sat down, because for such a small bowl, only half a bowl is missing, which is enough for three mouths. You can add more rice as you like, I added twice. The bowl was only about 80% full, and I felt a little embarrassed.
I opened the natto, stirred it for three to five times and then ate it. The taste was almost the same as when I was a child when my grandmother made tempeh. times.

People who travel to Japan must visit shrines. Shrines with important tasks are generally called shrines. After dinner, we first went to Fushimi Inari Shrine. On the way, Yang Zi introduced us to Japanese beliefs and various stories about Inari Shrine.
Japanese people mostly believe in both God and Buddhism. Most weddings follow Shinto customs, while funerals mostly follow Buddhist funeral rites. Shintoism developed from Japan's primitive religion. It initially focused on the worship of natural spirits and ancestor worship, and was roughly divided into three major systems: shrine Shinto, sect Shinto and folk Shinto. They believe in many gods, and are said to have 800,000 gods, 8 million gods, or 15 million gods. They especially worship the imperial ancestor god Amaterasu as the sun god. Shinto had no formal name at first. Buddhism was introduced to Japan and gradually expanded in Japan at that time. In order to compete with the word "Buddhism", the word "Shinto" was created to distinguish Japan's inherent traditional beliefs from foreign countries. Incoming Buddhism. After Chinese characters were introduced to Japan, The word "神" was used to represent "かみ" in Japanese.
The Japanese call the soul of the deceased , a mountain worthy of worship The spirits of trees, foxes and other animals and plants are called "かみ". "かみ" also includes some horrifying evil spirits. Later, the souls of successive emperors, shoguns, heroes, ancestors of clans, and deceased great heroes were gradually used as objects of worship.
Looking at the lives of ordinary Japanese people, they also participate in many Shinto and Buddhist celebrations in their lives, mixing Shinto and Buddhism. Color: from day 32 for boys, day 33 for girls Children will be taken to the shrine to worship the patron saint of their birthplace. Boys aged three and five and girls aged three and seven will also be taken to the shrine to worship, congratulate and pray for the children. growth. Nearly 90%of adults' weddings use Shinto rituals, and most of them visit shrines every New Year. At the end of the last life there is a Buddhist funeral.

Go to a shrine to pray for divine blessings when entering school or getting married. Traditional Japanese houses have both Shinto shrines and Buddhist shrines. Shinto shrines are mostly dedicated to protectors and Amaterasu, while Buddhist shrines are used to worship the spirits of ancestors. The emperor personally offers new rice to the gods on November 23rd every year; the monthly festival is held on the 11th day of June and December every year. Shinto believers do not have fixed weekly services like Christians. Believers can go to the shrine to worship on the 1st and 15th of each month or on festival days. They can also go to the shrine to worship at any time according to personal needs. Devout Shinto believers go there every morning. Worship at the shrine.
The main body of Shintoism. It got its name because the shrine is the main place of worship and center of religious activities. Because it attaches great importance to sacrifices to the gods of heaven and earth and ancestors, it is also called sacrificial Shinto. Closely integrate with the state in administration and education, and carry out education to respect God, patriotism, ancestors and emperor. There are more than 10,000 large and small shrines in the country8, among which the important ones are Ise Jingu Shrine, which worships Amaterasu; Meiji Jingu Shrine, which worships Emperor Meiji; After the Meiji Restoration100The list of officers and soldiers who died in the war of aggression over the years, including Tojo who was hanged by the Far East Military Tribunal The Yasukuni Shrine (not the most visited shrine) where Hideki and other Class-A war criminals lived.

People of all countries have the custom of worshiping their ancestors. The Chinese have it, and the Japanese have it too. We are opposed to Japanese high-ranking officials worshiping the Yasukuni Shrine. We are not against the worship of ancestors. I just object to the sacrifice of those war criminals.

Shrines usually have a traditional entrance, called a torii. A bell and a thick rope are hung on the lintel of the main hall. First, pull the thick rope, then clap loudly to alert the gods, and then put your hands together and pray silently. Generally, there is no need to kneel down, but you must take off your shoes when entering the temple. The shrine does not have spiritual tablets. Walking along the main path from the torii gate, you can reach the purification basin, where worshipers can wash their hands and rinse their mouths. The main hall of the shrine houses the divine body(Shintai, also known as Yureidai) , but they are just some symbols, such as magical mirrors, puppets, Cong Yun sword, etc. Visitors to the shrine usually wash their hands in the small pool of the shrine to show that they are clean before going to worship. In traditional Shinto weddings, there is a hand washing ceremony before entering the temple, which is a ritual of washing hands and mouth with water to express cleanliness.
Fushimi Inari Shrine is the headquarters of more than 30,000 Inari shrines spread throughout Japan Miya , is also one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto, was built in In the 8th century, there is a legend that after the Pre-Qin or Pre-Qin Chinese crossed the sea and came to Japan, they brought great development to Japan's agriculture and economy. A community was built to commemorate the mountain, and then developed into the scale it is today.
Inari is the god of grain and food in Japanese mythology, in charge of good harvests. Legend has it that he sometimes appears in the form of a man, sometimes in the form of a woman, and even changes into other forms such as a spider. He has two followers, a white fox and a tanuki. Since Inari God is responsible for good harvests, many Japanese companies also worship Inari God. Inari God has been included in the category of Japanese Shinto gods, and is worshiped throughout Japan. There are many shrines dedicated to the God of Inari, KyotoInari in Fushimi The Taisha Shrine, Yutoku Inari Shrine in Saga Prefecture and Kasama Inari Shrine in Ibaraki Prefecture are known as Japan's three major inari shrines.
There are many torii gates in shrines, which represent the entrance to the divine realm and are used to distinguish where the gods live. The divine realm and the secular world where humans live, remind visitors that stepping into the torii means entering the divine realm, and all subsequent behaviors should be paid special attention to. The torii is very similar to the Chinese simplified Chinese character for "开", The main structure consists of two columns, Kasa wood on the columns and It consists of three parts: the island wood and the crossbar inserted between the two pillars. The kasa wood and island wood are curved and have both ends warped. Some torii gates are equipped with ropes to create a barrier to prevent disasters from passing through.

The most common ones are wooden torii, stone torii and copper torii. In addition, there are iron torii gates, reinforced concrete torii gates, etc. that have appeared in modern times. The color of a torii gate is usually the color of the material itself. The torii gate of Inari Shrine is usually painted in vermilion because ancient Japanese believed that vermilion can bring warmth and yang energy in spring, thus promoting agricultural production. The size of the torii gates varies, usually about 2-4m high, and large torii gates can reach 7-10m. As of 2016, the largest torii gate is the large torii gate of Kumano Hongu Taisha Shrine. About 34m, width about 42m;As of 2016, the smallest torii gate is Awashima Shrine (Kumamoto The mini torii gate of Uto City, Prefecture, is about 30cm and about <bpt32 wide >30cm.

Torii gates are usually placed on the shrine or at the tamaki (i.e. fence) , A few torii gates are set on the water surface . The number of torii gates installed in each shrine varies. The quantifier of torii number is "base". When there are multiple torii gates on a shrine, they are called the first torii gate, the second torii gate, the third torii gate, etc. from the outside to the inside. Among them, , and are located at the entrance of the shrine and are the largest. The torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine have the largest number of torii gates , with the total number of torii gates in the territory reaching nearly 10,000 bases. Divided into several rows, arranged from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain. Among them, on the Okusha shrine, nearly a thousand base torii gates worshiped by believers form a long corridor, forming a long corridor The passage leading to the top of Mount Inari, is called "Senbon Torii", There are dozens of them in between A stone statue of a fox.

Walking into the Senbon Torii Gate, the decayed dark red torii gate and the bright vermilion torii gate are densely intertwined. Through the sunlight, it looks particularly spectacular and charming, and it is quite visually shocking. Passing through the "Senbon Torii" is the entrance to Inari Mountain. From here you can climb to the top of Inari Mountain. The mountain path is lined with red torii gates.

At the entrance of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, there stands the large statue donated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1589 Behind the torii is the main hall of the shrine and other buildings. In the shrine, you can also see various stone statues of foxes, because foxes are regarded as messengers of the god Inari. The fox-faced ema is a specialty here. In addition to the cute fox statues, there is also the most distinctive Thousand Torii gates. The ema here (a small wooden board used to make wishes, write blessings on it, and hang it on a special rack for ema) (to make your wish come true) It looks like a cute fox. You can also draw a beard on it and pray to the fox god to fulfill your wish.

In addition, there is a kind of tofu skin sushi in Japanese cuisine. It tastes sour and sweet. It is probably made with vinegar and sugar. It is called "Inari Sushi". Why is it called "Inari Sushi"? Because it is said that foxes like to eat fried tofu skin very much, it was named after Inari, which means a good harvest. The saying that eating Inari sushi will bring good luck has spread like wildfire. The Japanese believe that if you put on new straw sandals when the sun goes down, you will turn into a fox. If you want to put on new shoes, you must wear them in the morning. You cannot wear new shoes in the evening. , if you must wear them, remember to apply a layer of soot or ink on the soles and wait until they dry before wearing them. I really don’t understand. Since I can become a messenger of God, why don’t I wear new shoes when the sun goes down? Maybe I, a stranger, don’t understand the mystery.
There are many views on the origin of the torii. Amaterasu, the god who controls the sun, hid in a cave because he was angry at his brothers for misbehaving, and there was no sunlight in the world. In order to let Amaterasu come out of the mountain again, people built a high wooden frame and put all the roosters in the world on the wooden frame to crow together. In the cave, Amaterasu heard the cock crow and poked his head out to look curiously. As a result, he was pulled out by the Amaterasu who was guarding outside the cave, and the world saw light again. From then on, the wooden frame was called the "torii" and became a symbol of the divine realm.

Others believe that torii gates originated from other structures. For example: the theory of the origin of Japanese crown wooden doors, the theory of the origin of Chinese archways, the theory of the origin of Indian archways, the theory of the origin of the Korean Peninsula Red Arrow Gate ... But I prefer what the tour guide Yang Zi told us :
There is a divine bird that travels between heaven and earth. After people die, it identifies them and sends those who have accumulated good deeds to heaven. Those who do evil will be sent to hell. In the future, it will continue to screen, and if there is a hypocritical person who sneaks into heaven, it will take his soul out and send him to hell. How to deal with the souls that were sent to hell by mistake, haha, I didn’t hear clearly. They should be sent to heaven again and receive compensation. The sacred bird needs to perch on a high branch, so there is a torii gate to squeeze the place where the sacred bird lives.

The parking lot is quite far away from the shrine, and the road is winding and winding with many forks. It is a narrow street with shops on both sides. ), Yang Zi led everyone to squeeze through the crowd, gathered everyone again in the open space next to the gatehouse in front of the main hall, explained the tour guide map to everyone again, and agreed on a gathering time after the visit.
There are not many people at the shrine, so if you move quickly, you can even avoid other people when taking photos. The main hall is not very big. The gate looks like a bow lying horizontally. There are many people visiting under the eaves and pulling ropes to ring the bell. Yang Zi said that it is easy to distinguish whether the bell is Japanese or not. The Japanese ring the bell. The sound will be very "crisp", three times, just three times, no more and no less, the sound is loud, those who keep knocking and have a dull sound are not Japanese.
There are quite a few people wearing kimonos. I thought they were Japanese. Yang Zi said, maybe most of them are not. You can easily tell them from the way they walk. I know how to tell them. I won’t tell you now. In fact, many people, when they look at the wrinkled and sloppy kimono, they probably don't think so, because Japanese people wear kimono very seriously and cannot be so casual.
Because the points of interest were different, everyone went to visit separately. There were many people in the Senbon Torii Gate, and I was among them. Before entering, I should bow in front of the Torii Gate . This is a greeting to the god, telling him "excuse me". As a foreigner, I don’t understand this etiquette. I saw two Japanese girls in kimonos bowing at the entrance and giving way slightly. The torii gates are close to each other, just like a corridor. The big torii gates in the front are still quite far apart from each other, but at the back, the roots of the standing trees are completely close to each other.

The sky was already overcast, and the light in Senbon Torii was even darker. I carried the camera on my back shoulder most of the time. It was a very peaceful walk. Because there was not enough time, it was impossible to go to the top of Inari Mountain. This way, we could be more calm and peaceful.
When I was walking back, the two Japanese girls wearing kimonos I met earlier walked in front of me again in the corridor of Senbon Torii Gate, and walked out from the Torii Gate. The reddish light diffused in the gap was very soft, matching their whispering all the way.