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In the course of our daily reporting, we often uncover unusual projects, places, or connections that don't make the final cut. Instead of keeping it to ourselves, we're pleased to share our weekly Architrivia.
Founded in 711, Fushimi Inari-Taisha is a Shinto shrine in Kyoto, Japan, dedicated to Inari Okami, the kami (god) of fertility, rice, agriculture, business, and money. Sitting at the base of a mountain 233 metres above sea level, it is surrounded by many other smaller shrines spread over four kilometres across the mountain. The journey to the top is said to take approximately two hours, with over 10,000 torii gates spanning across the path to the top of the mountain.
Shinto, referred to as "the way of the gods," is an ancient Japanese religion that has become Japan's most practiced faith, alongside Buddhism. Shinto shrines are places of worship for Kami: Spirits that are connected with nature, and can take the form of landscape elements and forces of nature. Shrines are visited to pay respect to the kami, or to pray for good fortune. As a result, visiting a shrine during special events, like weddings or the birth of a child, has become a common practice.
Fushimi Inari-Taisha is one of Japan's most popular tourist destinations, and is most known for its breathtaking spectacle of more than 10,000 torii gates. A torii is a traditional Japanese gate, typically found at the entrance to a Shinto shrine, that marks the transition between the spirit and human worlds. The gates have historically been constructed from wood or stone, but today can be constructed from stainless steel, copper, reinforced concrete, and other materials. Fushimi Inari-Taisha's lavish number of torii gates come from successful businesses that donate the gates in gratitude to Inari. The price of each gate can range from ¥400,000 ($3,500 USD) to over ¥1 million ($8,800 USD), depending on the size and location.
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