Motonosumi Inari Shrine and its Magnificent 123 Torii
Nagato City in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan, was only founded on 31 March 1954. It includes the smaller towns of Fukawa, Misumi, Yuya, Heki, Senzaki, and Kayoi, as well as Omijima island. Nagato City has an estimated population of 37,998. Nagato remains peaceful and quaint as if it exists in an era long gone. Within this picturesque city lies one of the country’s most beautiful shrines, Motonosumi Inari Shrine.
Perhaps Motonosumi Inari Shrine’s most distinct feature that draws so many visitors all year round is its unique 123 vermillion shrine gates (torii) that stretch over 328 feet along a beautiful hilly landscape overlooking the Japan Sea. The contrasting colors of the greenery and the gates create a magnificent view.
Motonosumi Inari Shrine is home to the sacred spirits that originally came from Taikodani Inari Shrine in the neighboring Shimane Prefecture and was shared with Motonosumi Inari Shrine. As the story goes, there was a deity that came in the form of a white fox and appeared in a dream of a local fisherman. The deity told the fisherman to build him a shrine in the area. It was believed that praying to the deity could result in all kinds of favors being granted such as a bountiful catch, finding a soul mate, having a baby, success in business, a safe journey, and so on.
From inside them, the 123 shrine gates of Motonosumi Inari Shrine resemble a tunnel. Aside from the numerous torii that make Motonosumi Inari unique, there is also the shrine’s offertory box. Most shrines have their offertory boxes easily located on the ground. At Motonosumi Inari Shrine, the offertory box is located at the top of the tall shrine gate at the entrance of the path to Motonosumi Inari. To make an offering, you have to have good aim by throwing your offering and making sure it goes in the offertory box. Once you get your offering in, it is believed your wish will come true.
You can also try catching the “Ryugu no Shiofuki” (dragon palace geyser) if you walk towards the ocean past the torii. It’s a unique phenomenon where waves break against a hole in the cliff, creating compressed air that makes the water shoot up into the air reaching as high as almost 99 feet from autumn to winter. The seawater shooting at these enormous heights are said to resemble a dragon soaring in the skies.
Check out this YouTube video of Motonosumi Inari Shrine:
