At the onset of the Meiji Restoration (1867) , when Japan had finally opened her doors to the West hoping to modernize, the government ruled that all temples and shrines that had previously shared the same space, should now be separated. Toyokawa Inari Temple is a perfect example of how that proclamation was resisted. Although this is a temple, there are remnants of shine influences everywhere you look. Statures of sacred foxes (which can be found in abundance at shrines all over Japan) dominate the grounds, and here and there, there are also shrine torii (Shinto gates) that you will see. Its head temple is located in Aichi Prefecture. These photos were taken in mid-March. Follow these links to the other photo stories in the series.
Toyokawa Inari Temple, Akasaka
Buddhist temple with a Shinto flair
