Senbon Torii (Thousand Torii Gates)

The Senbon Torii is defined by dense, parallel rows of vermilion torii gates that create a tunnel-like path winding up the wooded slopes of Mount Inari. These gates mark the entrance to a sacred space, standing as markers of devotion to Inari, the Shinto deity of rice, commerce, and prosperity. Founded in seven hundred eleven, the site is the head shrine for thousands of Inari shrines across Japan and features statues of foxes, which are considered the messengers of the god.