BRONZE 137 ~ Chigo Inari Jinja

 

Japanese Name:  地護稲荷神社
Romanized Reading: Chigo Inari Jinja
English Translation: Ground Guardian Inari Shrine
Size: Tiny
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: Many
First Visit: 30-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Taito
Address: 3 Chome-5-3 Higashiueno, Taito City, Tokyo 110-0015

One of three fox shrines that I should find on my stray today. This one is already a winner: Tiny though it might be, it features a shelf with many tiny porcelain foxes behind the pedestal that holds the tiny shrine. A quartet of tiny porcelain foxes also sit directly next to the shrine, and a pair of roughly life-sized stone foxes sits guard in front of one of the stone Torii.

136 ~ Tsumakoi Inari

 

Japanese Name:  妻恋稲荷
Romanized Reading: Tsumakoi Inari
English Translation: Loving Wive Inari
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Tsumakoi Jinja
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 2+
First Visit: 29-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Bunkyo
Address: 3 Chome-2-6 Yushima, Bunkyō, Tokyo 113-0034

The other fox shrine that I should find on today's short stray through Bunkyou-Ku. This one is a side shrine of Tsumakoi Jinja (妻恋神社 "Loving Wife Shrine"). The tiny side shrine is adorned with a golden circle depicting a fan - the symbol of Tsumakoi Jinja. At the time of my visit, there were only two tiny porcelain foxes there, but judging from the images on google, there might be more foxes around by now.
 

135 ~ Misou Inari Jinja

 

Japanese Name:  見送稲荷神社
Romanized Reading: Misou Inari Jinja
English Translation: Off-Seeing Inari Shrine
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Sakuragi Jinja
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 5
First Visit: 29-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Bunkyo
Address: 4 Chome-3-1 Hongō, Bunkyō-ku, Tōkyō-to 113-0033

One of two fox shrines that I should find on today's little stray through Tokyo's Bunkyou-Ku (文京区 "Culture Capital Ward"). This one is a side shrine of Sakuragi Jinja (桜木神社 "Cherry Tree Shrine"). In fact, there's a big tree growing right in front of this little side shrine, partly obscuring the Torii, but I'm not sure if it's a cherry tree.

Four life-sized stone foxes sit watch over this one, with a fifth little one sitting next to one of the foxes to the right. Unlike the other "vixen and kit" depictions thus far, this one is clearly a separate statue, yet the arrangement is clearly intended to symbolize the same thing, thus bringing the vixen side count to 8:28.

134 ~ Muramori Inari Jinja

 

Japanese Name:  村守稲荷神社
Romanized Reading: Muramori Inari Jinja
English Translation: Village Protector Inari Shrine
Size: Small
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 7
First Visit: 26-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Ota
Coordinates: 35.5563043,139.7447252

The final new fox shrine that I should find on my great stray to Anamori Inari today. This one is located on a corner of Asahi Jidou Yuuen (旭児童遊園 "Morning Sun Playground Park"). Also, does anyone else notice a pattern here? Last was Uramori Inari, his is Muramori Inari, and next is Anamori Inari. Looks like there's a chain of protector shrines down here.

Anyway, two pairs of tiny porcelain foxes reside deep within the shrine, and another pair of life-sized stone foxes sits watch outside, with the right one featuring a kit, thus bringing the vixen side count to 8:27.
 

Snake 2 ~ Shirohebi Daimyoujin

 

Japanese Name:  蛇白大明神
Romanized Reading: Shirohebi Daimyoujin
English Translation: White Snake Great Radiant Deity
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Uramori Inari Jinja
Deity: Inari
Snake Count: 7
First Visit: 26-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Ota
Address: 3 Chome-27-8 Ōmoriminami, Ōta-ku, Tōkyō-to 143-0013

Another side shrine of Uramori Inari Jinja, but this one features snakes instead of foxes. Old-time allies in the fight against vermin, snakes are also sometimes seen as guardians in Inari-shrines such as this one. Despite not having "Inari" in its name, the Inari-emblem on the cloth above this shrine still identifies it as such. A total of seven snakes watch over this shrine: One big stone snake curled up in the shape of a hoju-no-tama, two tiny curled-up porcelain snakes, and another two tiny pairs of porcelain snakes curled up around one another with a golden hoju-no-tama in the middle, with one snake of each pair carrying a golden scroll of teachings in its mouth.
 

133 ~ Uramori Inari Massha

 

Japanese Name:  浦守稲荷末社
Romanized Reading: Uramori Inari Massha
English Translation: Bay Protector Inari Subordinate Shrine
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Uramori Inari Jinja
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 8
First Visit: 26-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Ota
Address: 3 Chome-27-8 Ōmoriminami, Ōta-ku, Tōkyō-to 143-0013

A tiny foxy side shrine of aforementioned Uramori Inari Jinja, featuring another three pairs of life-sized caged stone foxes, as well as one pair of tiny white porcelain foxes.

132 ~ Uramori Inari Jinja (Wood Cutouts)

 

Japanese Name:  浦守稲荷神社
Romanized Reading: Uramori Inari Jinja
English Translation: Bay Protector Inari Shrine
Size: Medium
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 5
First Visit: 26-Apr-2018
Location: Tokyo-Ota
Address: 3 Chome-27-8 Ōmoriminami, Ōta-ku, Tōkyō-to 143-0013

One of the bigger fox shrines that I should visit today, this one even features not one, but two notable side shrines. I am close to calling it a Bronze Fox Shrine, but since it only features 13 foxes alltogether, I feel it's not quite there. Two of the foxes here are, in fact, negative foxes: They come in the form of cutouts in the shrine's front doors, so I wonder if I should count them negative too? If so, this shrine only features the fox kit of the right of the two life-sized stone-foxes in front, which incidentally also brings the vixen side count to 8:26.