Toyokawa Inari Shrine (Toyokawakaku Myogon-ji Temple)

A Soto Buddhist temple which is also regarded as one of the three great Inari Shinto shrines in Japan. The official name of the temple is the Toyokawakaku Myogon-ji, but it is popularly called the Toyokawa Inari. The nickname derives from the temple’s figure of a Buddhist Dakini spirit, which sits astride a white fox and carries an ear of rice, symbols of the Inari Okami, the god of foxes. The temple was built in the Muromachi period and came to be worshipped by the common people in the Edo period for purportedly blessing people with thriving businesses, good fortune, and peace and prosperity in the home. One of the highlights of the temple is the “fox mound” found on its grounds, which is covered with countless statues of foxes donated by worshippers. Restaurants in the neighborhood around the temple serve Toyokawa Inari-zushi fried tofu sushi rolls.