Musashino Inari-jinja

Musashino Inari-jinja 武蔵野稲荷神社 in Ekoda 江古田 officially enshrines Uga no Mi-tama no Kami 宇迦之御魂神, but one can also find several hokora 祠 enshrining Inari, as well as statues of the Seven Lucky Gods and Jizō-bosatsu, which makes this shrine highly syncretic.

Main gate

Daikoku-ten 大黒天, one of the Seven Lucky Gods that can be found in Shintō shrines as well as in Buddhist temples. He originally was a manifestation of the Hindu deity Śiva शिव, but came to Japan through Chinese Buddhism as belonging to the Ten-bu 天部 (gods of heaven). Therefore, he is not a Buddha or a Bodhisattva, but a god/kami 神. He was assimilated to Ōkuninushi 大国主 due to the identical pronunciation of the characters “大国” and “大黒” (Miyamoto, 1987; p45) which made him completely acceptable as a Shintō deity.

A hokora with typical mass-produced shingu 神具 (Shintō style altar fittings) as found in online shops and the like.

The Seven Lucky Gods.

First row from left to right:

Jurōjin 寿老人 (originally an !immortal from Chinese Taoism),

Fukuroju 福禄寿 (based on three lucky gods [Fú Lù Shòu] of Chinese Taoism),

Bishamon-ten 毘沙門天 (one of the Four Heavenly Kings in South-Asian Buddhism)

Second row from left to right:

Hotei 布袋 (based on a legendary Chinese Zen (Chán)-monk who was believed to be an incarnation of Miroku-bosatsu 弥勒菩薩),

Ebisu 恵比須 (the only purely Japanese kami),

Benzai-ten 弁財天 (based on the Hindu Sarasvatī सरस्वती, the consort of Brahmā ब्रह्मा),

Daikoku-ten (see above)

A hokora for Migawari Inari-ōkami (? 身替稲荷大神) with dozens and dozens of statuettes of foxes placed on, next to or under a miniature shrine. Presumably the statuettes were placed there by visitors as an offer.

 

The miniature shrine from up close. In the middle is a divine mirror symbolising the sun/Amaterasu-ōmikami 天照大御神 with two koma inu 狛犬 sitting next to it. The wooden statuette of a woman riding a fox to the left is Dakini-ten 荼吉尼天 (Skt: ḍākinī डाकिनी) but her images is also used to represent Inari 稲荷 which explains the presence of this item on this particular altar.

The Buddhist (Mizuko 水子?) Jizō-bosatsu 地蔵菩薩 surrounded by Shintoist torii.

The main hall.

From left to right: Benzai-ten, Ebisu, Daikoku-ten and a legendary creature (perhaps a koma inu, shishi 獅子 or dragon).

The inside of the main hall as seen through the front window. On the painted sanbō 三宝 offerings of bell peppers, rice cake, a water melon, sake, rice-plants are presented to Uga no Mi-tama no Kami.

Sources:

• Miyamoto, Kesao  (宮本袈裟雄). 『福神信仰』 (Fukujin shinkō).  Tokyo:  Yūsankaku (雄山閣), 1987.

• Tōkyō-to jinja-chō (東京都神社庁). “武蔵野稲荷神社” (Musashi Inari-jinja). Tokyo-jinjacho.or.jp/ (2012) <http://www.tokyo-jinjacho.or.jp/syoukai/22_nerima/22035.html> (28-3-2012).