“If you long for me, come and seek me in Shinoda Forest in Izumi…”
— Kuzunoha
You know what folks, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve done an installment of my ongoing Backyard Tourism series where I try to show that just about anywhere in Japan has potential if the marketing and storytelling are done right. So, today, we are going to rectify that and close the loop on something I started back in 2022 with Backyard Tourism Vol. 12, when I covered Kyoto’s Seimei Shrine, a sanctum dedicated to Japan’s most famous diviner. In this one, we’ll be looking at Kuzunoha Inari Shrine, which is connected to the tale of how said diviner came to be.
Before we get into the shrine itself, though, I need to prime you with a bit of context. After all, I can’t assume everyone has a thorough understanding of obscure myths from Japanese folklore, can I? As the name suggests, Kuzunoha Inari Shrine is integrally tied to, well, Kuzunoha. A moniker meaning “A Kudzu Vine Leaf” in English, Kuzunoha is a popular Kitsune character in Japanese folktales (a sort of wily Japanese fox spirit with the ability to shapeshift or bewitch other life forms) who is allegedly the mother of Abe-no-Seimei, the diviner of legend mentioned above.
According to legend, Kuzunoha’s story begins with Abe-no-Yasuna, a man whose father had been tricked out of his lands and who regularly prayed to Shinoda Myojin to restore his family’s fortunes. On one such visit, Abe-no-Yasuna came across a white fox fleeing from hunters and decided to intervene. He saved the animal, but got himself injured in the process. Not long afterward, a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha appeared and tended to his wounds. The two eventually fell in love, returned to Abe-no-Yasuna’s home in Abeno, and had a son named Dojimaru.
Of course, this being a Kitsune tale, Kuzunoha wasn’t just some conveniently timed woman who happened to show up after Abe-no-Yasuna saved a fox. She was the white fox, having taken human form to repay the man who had protected her. For several years, the family lived together without Abe-no-Yasuna or Dojimaru knowing her true identity. Kuzunoha played the part of wife and mother so convincingly that nobody suspected a thing. Unfortunately for her, though, secrets of the supernatural variety have a nasty habit of eventually coming out, and this one was no exception.
That all came crashing down one autumn when Kuzunoha accidentally reverted to her original form and was spotted by her young son. Once Dojimaru realized his mother was actually a fox, the jig was up. With the proverbial cat, or I guess fox in this case, now out of the bag, Kuzunoha could no longer remain with her human family. Before returning to Shinoda Forest, she left behind a famous farewell poem telling Abe-no-Yasuna and Dojimaru that, if they longed for her, they should come seek her in the forests of Izumi where she had first come from.
And with that, Kuzunoha disappeared back into Shinoda Forest, leaving Abe-no-Yasuna and their young son behind. That child, at least according to the legend, would eventually grow up to become none other than Abe-no-Seimei himself. As the story evolved over the centuries, his seemingly supernatural abilities became tied to the idea that he had inherited otherworldly powers from his mother. Whether you buy any of that is another matter entirely, but as origin stories go, being the half-fox son of a shapeshifting spirit is certainly one hell of a way to enter Japanese folklore.
What does this have to do with an Inari Shrine in southern Osaka though? Well, Kuzunoha is said to have returned to Shinoda Forest, where Abe-no-Yasuna first encountered the white fox. Today, that landscape is home to Shinoda-no-Mori Shrine, better known as Kuzunoha Inari Shrine, which serves as the physical anchor for the tale. Over the centuries, the shrine has accumulated several sites tied to Kuzunoha, including places associated with her transformation and eventual departure. In other words, the folklore here has quite literally been mapped onto the landscape itself.
Are Kuzunoha Inari Shrine and the city of Izumi worth visiting on a trip to Japan? Maybe? Like with all spots in this series, I am not saying you should cut one of my 60 trip anchors just to go chasing the folktails (get it?) of a centuries-old Kitsune myth. That said, the point is to show that there is nowhere in this amazing country that doesn’t have potential. So, on that note, if you’re a lover of Japanese legends, be sure to add Kuzunoha Inari Shrine and the nearby spots associated with the mother of Japan’s mightiest diviner to your next itinerary!
How to Get There
Let’s keep the logistics quick. Since I’m assuming you’re already in Osaka, I’m not going to insult the intelligence of readers of this Japan travel blog with some sprawling step-by-step breakdown of how to get to Osaka. Izumi sits south of central Osaka and is easy enough to reach by train, so just make your way toward the Hanwa Line and let your preferred transit app do the rest. Despite being so far off most itineraries, Kuzunoha Inari Shrine is comparatively easy to get to.
To begin, plug Kita-Shinoda Station into Jorudan or a similar service. For anyone coming from central Osaka, that will likely route you to Tennoji Station where you’ll pick up JR’s Hanwa Line. From there, it’s only about 20 minutes or so on a southbound train so we’re hardly talking about some expedition into the Japanese hinterlands here. Once you arrive at Kita-Shinoda, Kuzunoha Inari Shrine is only about a five-minute walk away, making the actual visit remarkably straightforward.
As for timing, October is worth considering if you want to turn the outing into something considerably more chaotic. Izumi is serious Danjiri country, and the local Shinoda Nine Town Danjiri Festival sees massive wooden floats hauled through the surrounding neighborhoods, including Kuzunoha-cho itself. The exact dates change each year, but festivities generally take place around the second weekend of October. If gigantic festival floats being dragged through the streets at speed sound like your kind of thing, definitely check that year’s schedule.
The Kuzunoha Inari Shrine Grounds
With the logistics out of the way, let’s finally get to Kuzunoha Inari Shrine itself. Its formal name is actually Shinoda-no-Mori Shrine, though it is far better known by the name tied to the legend we’ve just spent all this time unpacking. Shrine tradition dates the site to 708, centuries before the Kuzunoha story took on the form we know today. More importantly for our purposes, this isn’t some tiny roadside Inari shrine either. The grounds are surprisingly expansive and packed with things connected to Kuzunoha and the surrounding folklore.
The obvious centerpiece is the shrine’s enormous camphor tree known as the Chie-no-Kusu, or “Thousand-Branched Camphor.” Izumi City has designated the tree a Natural Monument and estimates it to be at least 700 years old. In the Kuzunoha legend, this is where the white fox supposedly concealed herself after returning to Shinoda Forest. The massive trunk also divides into two, earning it the alternate name Meoto Kusu, or “Married Couple Camphor” in English, and giving the sacred tree additional associations with good relationships and marital harmony.
From there, the Kuzunoha connections keep piling up. Nearby is the Sugatami-no-Ido, a well where the white fox is said to have checked her reflection after transforming into Kuzunoha. The well eventually developed another tradition of its own, with people believing that seeing their reflection in the water promised a safe return home. From the Russo-Japanese War onward, soldiers and their families even came here to pray for exactly that. Elsewhere on the grounds are several sacred stones tied to different parts of Kuzunoha’s story.
Beyond all of that, the grounds are filled with smaller shrines, fox statues, torii and other monuments that make the complex feel far larger than the main sanctuary alone would suggest. There are also literary monuments dedicated to Izumi Shikibu and Matsuo Basho, reflecting Shinoda Forest’s long history as a place celebrated in Japanese poetry. Taken together, all of this means Kuzunoha Inari Shrine isn’t really a one-building attraction. The story has effectively been layered across the entire precinct, so don’t just make a beeline for the main hall and bail.
Oddly enough, for a shrine so heavily connected to Abe-no-Seimei, the legendary diviner isn’t actually enshrined here. Kuzunoha, however, is worshipped as Wakamiya Kuzunoha-hime alongside the shrine’s other deities, which makes sense given whose turf we’re on. That little distinction is worth keeping in mind while exploring the grounds. Despite Abe-no-Seimei being the famous name that draws people into this story, Kuzunoha herself is ultimately the figure around whom this particular shrine and its collection of legends revolve.
Shinoda-no-Mori Kagami-ike Historic Park
Before leaving the area, there is one more Kuzunoha-related spot that is absolutely worth seeking out. A short walk uphill from Kuzunoha Inari Shrine brings you to Shinoda-no-Mori Kagami-ike Historic Park, home to the appropriately named Kagami-ike, or “Mirror Pond.” While considerably less imposing than the shrine we just explored, this little pocket of greenery is another important physical anchor for the Kuzunoha story. In fact, depending on which part of the legend you’re interested in, you could argue that what supposedly happened here is even more important.
Local lore holds that Kagami-ike is where Abe-no-Yasuna first rescued the white fox from the hunters pursuing her. It is also said that the fox later gazed into the water and saw her human form reflected back at her, thereby giving the pond its “Mirror Pond” moniker. In other words, if Kuzunoha Inari Shrine is associated with where our supernatural heroine ultimately returned, this is effectively where the whole strange romance began. The pond itself isn’t huge, but knowing the story beforehand gives an otherwise unassuming body of water considerably more weight.
Right beside the pond is the Shinoda-no-Mori Furusato-kan, a small local museum dedicated to the history, nature and folklore of the surrounding area. Admission is free, and the displays naturally devote plenty of attention to Kuzunoha, using illustrations, historical documents and folk materials to explain how the story developed over time. It’s hardly some massive museum that will devour half your day, but that’s precisely why it works so well here. Pop inside, get a little more context and then take another look at the pond with the legend fresh in your head.
Other Nearby Attractions
The most natural addition is Hijiri Shrine, especially since it ties directly into everything we’ve just covered. Located near Mirror Pond, the shrine is historically connected to the Shinoda Forest landscape, with the pond itself once serving as its purification pond. The current main hall was rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1604, while it and two subsidiary shrine buildings are designated National Important Cultural Properties. If you’re already making the walk up to the pond and Furusato-kan, there’s really no reason not to include it.
If you want to squeeze more out of Izumi itself, the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture and neighboring Ikegami-Sone Archaeological Park are another easy option. The latter preserves one of Japan’s major Yayoi-period (c. 300 BC–250 AD) moated settlements, complete with reconstructed buildings and a massive ancient well, while the museum provides all the archaeological context you could possibly want. Both are near a station on the same Hanwa Line, so combining them with Kuzunoha Inari Shrine doesn’t require some ridiculous logistical detour.
Then, of course, there’s Tennoji, where you’ll likely need to transfer on the way back into central Osaka anyway. The station and surrounding district are major sightseeing territory in their own right, making this an easy place to tack something else onto the day. One thing that can get confusing here is the romanization. The station and neighborhood are officially written Tennoji, while the temple pictured above is Shitenno-ji, with the “-ji” suffix denoting a Buddhist temple. Same general place name, slightly different conventions, so don’t let the spelling throw you off.
As for Shitenno-ji itself, the temple is traditionally said to have been founded by Prince Shotoku in 593 and is one of the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan. The present-day complex has obviously been rebuilt numerous times over the centuries, but its central precinct still revolves around a five-story pagoda, main hall and other structures arranged in a very old-fashioned layout. Between that history and everything else packed into the surrounding Tennoji area, there’s more than enough here to round out the day. Better yet, you’re already changing trains nearby anyway.
Lastly, if you’d rather continue south from Kuzunoha Inari Shrine instead of heading back to Osaka, know that the Hanwa Line eventually terminates at Wakayama Station. That opens up Wakayama City as another perfectly reasonable next leg of the journey. Here, Wakayama Castle is the main draw, with its reconstructed keep, stone walls and surrounding park offering plenty to explore. It’s certainly more of a commitment than simply hopping off somewhere nearby, but if you’ve got the time, there’s no reason your little Izumi excursion needs to end in Izumi.
Until next time travelers…
