Hanazono Shrine is in Shinjuku on Yasakuni Dori . It is is tucked away behind some buildings and is painted bright red and white.- the colours of the fox. To get to it you walk down a narrow lane under numerous red torii. This shrine is where businessmen and women pray for the success of their business ventures and although the shrine was built well before Shinjuku became the bustling commercial district that it is today,(in the 17th century) farmers would go there to pray for good soil conditions and rice crops etc In those days of course bartering was the main means of doing business so rice farmers, in particular, were deemed to be wealthy.
The deity is Inari which is the Japanese kami (god) of fertility, rice, agriculture, foxes, industry and worldly success and it is one of the principal kami (gods) of Shintoism it is represented as male and female.
I should mention that there is an altar in which a statue of a fox and its kitten is carved from stone.so it obviously is an important part of this shrine’s grounds.
It has a very famous festival each November called the Tori no Ichi Festival. The walk way to the shrine is lined with food and drink stands and stalls where people buy bright red rakes which are for raking in money..I have been to the festival on three occasions and am fascinated by one tent in which a snake charming performance takes place. I actually dislike snakes but am attracted to this tent each time I attend the festival.
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