Kinkō Inari Shrine

Hiroshima’s answer to Kyoto’s Fushimi-inari Shrine, on the side of Mt Futaba-yama just north of Hiroshima shinkansen station.

Kinkō Inari Shrine is under the administration of Tōshōgū shrine, located just below it, and for the past 250 years has been a place where people have worshipped Inari, the god of prosperity.

The main shrine building is up a short flight of steps which pass under a set of red torii gates and regular Shinto ceremonies are conducted here on the 1st and 15th of every month.

The path up to the Inner Shrine (Oku-no-in) takes you through a tunnel of vermillion torii gates (local information sources say 100, but I only counted 75) – it’s not quite Fushimi Inari Shrine, but it is very pretty and there are no crowds.

Stone steps, getting more uneven as they wind up past several smaller shrines. Nearing the top of the mountain there is a small set of stone steps up to the left – look for the old stone posts now serving as steps embedded in the ground before leaving the main path – this takes you up to the Inner Shrine or Oku-no-in. The path going up from here (at the back of the Oku-no-in) climbs steeply through rocks past more small shrines tucked in the mountainside and takes you to a ridge with the remains of some World War II gun batteries.

The path from Kinkō Inari Shrine is part of the Peace Pagoda Hike from Hiroshima Station to the Peace Pagoda at the summit of Mt. Futaba-yama.