25 ~ Shibaura Myouhou Inari Jinja

 

Japanese Name:  芝浦妙法稲荷神社
English Reading: Shibaura Myouhou Inari Jinja
English Translation: Lawn Bay Lotus Sutra Inari Shrine
Size: Small
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 2
First Visit: 18-Mar-2018
Location: Tokyo-Minato
Coordinates: 35.6462718,139.7536572

The final fox shrine that I should find on today's stray, and another special one at that. This one neatly demonstrates how very intertwined Shinto and Buddhism are in Japan, with a Buddha statue sitting in a sort of mini-pagoda above the Shrine. Incidentally, in this Shrine I can clearly recognize the item that the fox on the left is holding as a pipe (I guess), which makes sense. In Japanese folklore, Kudagitsune (管狐 "Pipe Fox") were thought to dwell in pipes and help their owners, though there's also the saying that they would multiply and eventually devour all the wealth they created.  Either way, there seems to be a connection between foxes and pipes that runs all the way to the shrines.