2016年9月30日金曜日 - 
William: Fushimi Inari Shrine Part 2
Being
a heavier guy, one other draw to Fushimi Inari for me was the climb itself.
There are three main shrines that wind up the mountain, a Lower, Middle, and Upper shrine.
Reaching each of these shrines is quite a bit of exercise, and they can be
considered checkpoints of sorts, each with their own rest stop and place to sit
down and rest. Thousands of steps, uneven and often roughly-hewn, ascend the mountain, and the constant
fight against gravity (and my own body!) gives unfit
guys like me a real workout!
Of
course, through many portions of this winding uphill battle are the torii
gates. Hundreds, if not thousands, of them form continual thresholds around each step you take.
Each torii is adorned with a name (usually a company, or a well-to-do
family) and a date, indicating who wishes to receive Inari's good luck, and
when it was placed. I'm not sure how long each torii stays there, but I
imagine the shrine priests and staff let it stay until it falls into such a
state of disrepair that it becomes unsafe, and
then they take it down and open the spot up to a new investor. I've seen empty holes on
either side of the stairs where torii gate poles would be placed, and
also witnessed a painter carefully filling in the carvings on the a
freshly-painted torii with black paint. These would represent the most
expensive (and clearly, the most successful!) methods of asking Inari for help
in one's financial life.
At
each “checkpoint” up the mountainside, there is also a collection of individual
shrines, and a corresponding
map
labeling each shrine with a number, much like a map of a local
neighborhood. Slipping in behind the
Lower, Middle, or Upper shrines, you’ll find yourself in this “neighborhood” of
individual shrines, where the moss-covered stones sit peaceful and quiet. Often
there is a freshly-melted white candle atop the shrine, or an open bottle of
One Cup sake, both offerings to Inari or perhaps the shrine owner's deceased relatives. It is also not
uncommon to see miniature porcelain Inari statuettes, often in pairs bordering the shrine with an offering
in the middle. This adds a level of personalization to an individual's or
family's shrine.
Continuing
up the mountain, usually breathless at this point, one is greeted with a
gorgeous view of Kyoto, and if you happen to be there during the spring, when
the sakura (cherry blossom) is in bloom, the beauty of the area is accentuated. It's a stark contrast between the sprawling metropolis of Kyoto, with the
trains rumbling in the distance and lights
twinkling in the twilight, and the ancient-feeling, nature-shrouded pathways that adorn Fushimi
Inari.
From
there, it's a (relatively) easier downhill battle against the uneven, short,
long stairs. But every time I'm relieved to reach the foot of the mountain, I
know it won't be my last time. Ever since I left, I've been yearning to return
to the shrines and meander about unpopular paths, and get lost for a few hours in
the beautiful calm of the mountain.
wind up：巻き上がる
uneven and often roughly-hewn：凸凹した
ascend：登る
gravity：重力
workout：運動になる
thresholds：敷居/入口
adorned：飾られた
disrepair：朽ちた
investor：出資者
corresponding map：対応地図
deceased：亡くなった
porcelain：磁器
statuettes：彫像
accentuated：引き立たせる
stark：全く
sprawling：広大な
rumbling：ガタンゴトンと音を鳴らす
nature-shrouded：自然に包まれた
meander：あてもなく彷徨う
