Toyokawa Inari, Buddhist temple in Toyokawa, Japan.
Toyokawa Inari, formally Myōgon-ji, is a Sōtō Zen temple in Toyokawa, Aichi Prefecture. Its main hall, rebuilt in 2024, enshrines a thousand-armed Kannon, while the guardian Dakini Shinten is housed in a separate hall reached through a torii gate. The temple's main gate, built in 1884, has doors of single zelkova planks 15 cm thick.
The monk Tokai Geki founded the site in 1441 and dedicated it to the deity Dakini Ten. Three major warlords from the 16th century came here to pray for victory before battles.
The name Inari here refers to Dakiniten, a Buddhist goddess fused with the kami Inari, not to a Shinto shrine. She is called Shōten-sama by worshippers, and her mantra, On shira batta niri un sowaka, is chanted in temple services. The temple is also nicknamed Heihachirō Inari after a fox that served founder Tōkai Gieki as a temple hand and left behind a pot kept in the inner sanctuary.
Stone paths connect the prayer halls, making it possible to explore the complex on foot. The site receives visitors year-round, with main festivals taking place in May, August and November.
The temple is also called Heihachirō Inari after a fox that took the form of an old man and served founder Tōkai Gieki, cooking endless meals in a small pot. The pot he left behind when he vanished is kept in the inner sanctuary of the main hall.
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