Ikou Inari Shinto Shrine in Ikebukuro

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.

Kishimojin Temple in Zoshigaya

One of the better known temples in the area is Kishimojin Temple. Since I was just wandering through the area, I ended entering through the side entrance.

It was still an impressive view. The grounds here are larger than most in the area. 

 Established in 1578, the goddess Kishimojin is enshrined here. The main hall or honden was built by carpenters from Hiroshima which is why it has features found in temples in Hiroshima.

Small but still fierce komainu. 

They look rather old compared to others I have seen in the area. 

Besides the komainu, there are carved baku and lions on the temple. Both for protection.

 Yes that is gold up there. Also inside the temple the ceiling has gold leaf. The temple has been designated as an important cultural property.

The temple is part of the Nichiren sect. The goddess Kishimojin is a goddess of little children and motherhood, so this is a popular place for expectant women to pray at.

Something fun on the grounds is this vintage candy shop. Kamikawaguchiya may have been around since 1781.

Near by is the temple chozubachi.

 Along with many vermillion gates or torii.

 They lead to a pair of kitsune

and this Shinto shrine, Takeyoshi Inari Shrine. You can actually see the lit lanterns inside the shrine.

It is sad they have to put cages around the kitsune statues to protect them. These are a great looking pair of foxes. 

Near by people have tied their omikuji to a rope around a tree. Probably the bad luck ones. 

As for the tree, it is impressive. Maybe it is a Japanese cedar tree?

 There is more than one impressive tree here. 

 Most notable is this gingko tree, which is thought to be about 700 years old. It is around 33 meters tall and about 11 meters in girth.

I ended up going out the entrance. Where a couple small but impressive Nio statues are located. 

Back out to the owls. 

And the sakura trees, just waiting to blossom.

Kanjoin and Shinjoin Temples

One thing about visiting Zoshigaya area, it's easy to see a lot of temples. It only took me a couple hours to see the ones I saw back in March, and I'm sure I missed a couple. They are that close to each other. I was reminded of the Yanaka area which I visited the year before, and all the temples there. Both are in Tokyo and worth checking out.

This Temple is Kanjoin, part of the Nichiren Buddhist sect.

It also is one of the Seven Lucky Gods places. My personal favorite, Benzaiten.  

Goddess of music, the arts, and things that flow.  Usually there is a water feature at Benzaiten shrines. In lieu of that, those who wish her favors here are expected to pour water on her image.

Another temple in the area is Shinjoin Temple. It is also Nichiren Buddhist.  

I attempted to take a look at the chozubachi but this was the first place I've encountered that had an alarm. I have no idea why, maybe to let the people there know they had visitors?

Helps to have a decent telephoto lens. Because this is a nice dragon water spout.

Apparently Daikokuten, god of great darkness, wealth and kitchens, another of the Seven Lucky Gods is enshrined here. I hope this light shining down in my photo is a good omen. 

Next to Daikokuten was a little Shinto Inari shrine and the attendant kitsune. Newer looking pedestals here for the shrine and foxes. 

A little water feature at Shinjoin Temple. This, like Kanjoin Temple, must be very pretty once the sakura begin blooming.