This area of Ikebukuro is known for cats. So seeing this pillar made me stop and look around.
And to the left of it was a sign at the entrance to a shrine. Ikou Inari Shinto Shrine.
The entrance led to a long walkway of vermilion torii and lanterns.
Where did this lead to? Only one way to find out. Under the gates and past the twin trees they carefully paved around.
To find foxes and an Inari shrine. With white lanterns.
Really cute kitsune, this one with a baby kit.
Fresh paint on the lanterns. And a traditional Japanese kusari doi, rain chain. I think they look really nice.
But that wasn't the end of the torii. So down the stairs I went.
To find more kitsune.
Another Inari shrine, this time really small.
Along with this kitsune below and a torii in need of some care.
But wait, there were more torii and more kitsune.
And more Inari shrines. I don't know what each one is for. If I go again I will get better photos of the kanji to figure that out.
It seemed the further I went, the older the kitsune were.
Some seemed to befallen a sad fate.
Usually the doors are closed, so it's possible the kami enshrined here is not home?
And another shrine. I wonder if some of these belong to families or local businesses.
And an even sadder kitsune.
Walking back out the way I came in. There is an exit that leads to a street in the back, but I wanted to visit more temples and that walkway was enticing.
And a cat. There were a few there, but this set of shrines clearly belongs to the foxes.
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