The shrine regarded as the head of the Inari shrines of the Kanto region. On New Year's Eve, foxes from all over the Kanto were said to gather under a nearby nettle tree and light fox fires before visiting, a scene drawn by Utagawa Hiroshige. Today the "Oji Fox Parade" is held on New Year's Eve.
Legend Site
Oji Inari Shrine (New Year's Eve Fox Fires)
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Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
| Encyclopedia | Kitsunebi (Fox Fire) |
|---|---|
| Location | Tokyo Kita City |
| Type of place | Shrine or temple |
| Map position | Approximate position (Municipality), not the exact place |
Ghostly balls of light that appear in rows, flickering across the fields and mountains at night. They were said to be lit by foxes and to be the lanterns of a fox wedding procession. At Oji Inari in Edo, foxes from all over the Kanto region were said to gather on New Year's Eve and light fox fires.
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