Animals and nature at shrines and temples: foxes, komainu, deer, the three monkeys and sacred trees

Contents

1. These animals are messengers, not gods
2. Foxes, and the roughly 30,000 Inari shrines nationwide
3. Left and right komainu, and how to read a and un
4. Shrines and their divine messengers
5. The deer of Nara, divine messengers and wild animals
6. The three monkeys of Nikko, and shrines with cats
7. Sacred trees and shrine groves, or when the tree itself is the object
8. Practical warnings for photographing animals
9. Frequently asked questions

These animals are messengers, not gods

Tour Japanese shrines and you meet animals again and again, in statue and in painting: foxes, lion-dogs, oxen, monkeys, deer, doves, snakes. The common misunderstanding among visitors is that these animals are the objects of worship.

Strictly, they are not. They are shinshi, divine messengers, sometimes called kenzoku, who serve the deity and convey its will to people. They stand between god and human, and are not gods themselves. The foxes at an Inari shrine are not the Inari deity, and the deer at Kasuga Taisha are not gods either.

Knowing that distinction changes how a precinct looks, because there is always a reason why that particular animal belongs to that particular shrine. This article covers the main divine messengers, the shrines and temples associated with animals, and Japanese attitudes to nature. It ends with practical warnings for travellers who want to photograph the animals.

Foxes, and the roughly 30,000 Inari shrines nationwide

Of all Japanese shrines, roughly 30,000 are Inari shrines. That is the count of those registered with the Association of Shinto Shrines alone; include the small shrines on factory rooftops and behind shops and the real number is higher still. It is the most numerous type of shrine in Japan.

The head shrine is Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, said to have been founded in 711. Inari was originally a deity of grain and agriculture, presiding over the growth of rice. Because a good rice harvest meant wealth, Inari came over time to be worshipped for business prosperity as well. That is why the thousands of torii at Fushimi Inari were donated by companies and individuals.

Several explanations exist for how the fox became the messenger. The ones usually cited are that foxes appear at the same time of year as the rice grows, and that foxes eat the mice that damage the fields.

When you look at a fox statue in a precinct, check what it is holding in its mouth or under a paw. Each has a meaning.

• An ear of rice stands for an abundant harvest. The original character of the Inari deity, plainly stated
• A key is the key to the rice granary, standing for protecting the harvest
• A jewel is a sacred gem, said to symbolise divine virtue itself
• A scroll means wisdom, here in the sense of knowledge and teaching

Fushimi Inari Taisha is open 24 hours and free to enter. In the middle of the day the torii tunnel is a queue of photographers, but around 6:00 in the morning and after 21:00 there is almost nobody. If you are moving early in Kyoto, it is the best first stop of the day.

Left and right komainu, and how to read a and un

A pair of beast statues stands along the approach to a shrine. They are collectively called komainu, but strictly speaking the two are different creatures.

On the right as you face them is a lion, its mouth open. This is the a. On the left is the komainu proper, mouth closed, usually with a single horn on its head. This is the un.

A-un is said to derive from the first and last sounds of Sanskrit, and is explained as beginning and end, the whole of the universe. The form only means anything as a pair. The Nio guardian figures at temple gates are built on the same a-un pairing.

Trace the origin and you get to the lion statues that guarded temples in ancient India and the Near East, arriving in Japan by way of China and the Korean peninsula. Japan has no lions, so the form shifted in transmission and became an imaginary horned beast.

What is interesting is that at some shrines the komainu are replaced by a different animal: foxes at Inari shrines, oxen at Tenmangu shrines, monkeys at Hiyoshi Taisha, snakes at Omiwa Shrine. Which deity a shrine enshrines shows up in the shape of the statues along its approach.

Shrines and their divine messengers

Here are the main messengers. Look at what the statues on the approach are, and you can read the character of the deity enshrined.

The deer of Nara, divine messengers and wild animals

Nara Park holds about 1,200 deer. They are regarded as the messengers of Kasuga Taisha and designated a national natural monument. They walk the pavements in town, stop at traffic lights, and show no fear of people.

Now the honest part. The deer of Nara are not kept animals. Nobody owns them and nobody manages their feeding; legally and ecologically they are wild. They are used to people, which is not the same as being placid.

Injuries are reported every year. Most are minor, but they come from bites, charges, jabs with antlers and kicks. In some years the total exceeds 100 incidents, and the great majority occur while the person is holding deer crackers.

There are periods when the risk rises.

• September to November is the rut. Male aggression rises noticeably. The antler-cutting ceremony held every October is a response to this, but a cut stump still hurts if you are jabbed with it
• May to July is the birthing season. Females with fawns are intensely defensive. Approaching because a fawn looks adorable is the single most reliable way to get hurt

Deer crackers cost around ¥200 a bundle (as of August 2026) and are sold at stalls in the park. They are made from rice bran and flour only, with nothing harmful to the deer in them. Never give them anything else. Deaths from deer swallowing plastic bags have been reported repeatedly, so be careful how you carry shopping bags in the park.

The three monkeys of Nikko, and shrines with cats

The lintel of the sacred stable at Nikko Toshogu, the building where the sacred horse is kept, carries monkey carvings across eight panels. The famous see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil trio is the second of them.

The eight panels form a continuous story, telling a human life through monkeys. It opens with a mother monkey looking toward her child’s future, then the three monkeys (in childhood, keep bad things from being seen or heard), then independence, love, marriage and the next generation. Monkeys are carved on a stable because monkeys have long been considered protectors of horses. Most people photograph the three monkeys and walk on, but reading all eight panels from left to right makes the meaning connect.

There are cat-related sites too. Several traditions claim the origin of the beckoning cat, with Gotoku-ji in Setagaya, Tokyo (a temple) and Imado Shrine in Taito each telling their own version. Gotoku-ji has a corner where hundreds of donated beckoning cats stand together, known as an expanse of pure white. Admission is free and the grounds are open during the day. Tashirojima in Miyagi Prefecture has a cat shrine, and the island is known for its cats, but it is offshore and needs a ferry.

Sacred trees and shrine groves, or when the tree itself is the object

In shrine precincts you will see huge trees with a straw rope, a shimenawa, tied around the trunk. That is a sacred tree. A shimenawa is a boundary marker showing that what lies beyond it is sacred ground; wrapped around a tree, it means the tree itself is the object of worship.

Shinto has a strand that requires no particular building or image. That is why some shrines have no main sanctuary at all.

• Omiwa Shrine (Nara) has no sanctuary. Mount Miwa behind it is the sacred body itself, and worshippers face the mountain from the worship hall. It is considered one of the oldest shrine forms in Japan
• Hiro Shrine (Wakayama): Nachi Falls itself is the sacred body. At 133 m, it is among the highest single drops in the country
• Iwakura is a large rock treated as the place where a deity descends. These survive at the back of shrine precincts all over Japan

The forest surrounding a shrine is called a chinju no mori. In heavily urbanised areas, the shrine grounds are often the only land that escaped clearing, so the native vegetation of that place survives there. That is why these groves are noted for their ecological value.

The forest at Meiji Jingu in Tokyo is the reverse case. When the shrine was founded in 1920, around 100,000 trees were donated from across the country and planted by hand on bare ground. It is a planted forest designed to become a natural forest 150 years later, now about 70 hectares, and a habitat for birds and insects in the middle of the capital. Entry is free and it is open from sunrise to sunset.

Practical warnings for photographing animals

For visitors who come specifically to photograph shrine animals and the deer, here is what we would actually ask you to observe.

• If a deer bows to you, that is a demand. Nara deer have learned that lowering the head produces a cracker. Respond to it as a cute gesture and you will be bitten the moment you stop producing food
• Once you take crackers out, hand them all over at once. Doling them out gets you surrounded. Holding them high to tease the deer is the single most common accident pattern
• Do not walk around with paper bags, plastic bags or maps. Deer read these as food and will take them. Swallowing one can kill
• Do not crouch. Children are already close to eye level with the deer, and injuries to the face have happened
• Do not approach fawns. From May to July, mothers will attack, and they mean it
• No flash. It is hard on the animals and on the cultural property inside the halls. Most shrines and temples prohibit it
• Komainu and messenger statues can be photographed; Buddhist statues inside halls generally cannot. Check the signs in the precinct
• Keep worshippers out of your frame. Do not point a lens at someone performing an act of faith

For itineraries combining Nara and Kyoto, see our Kyoto and Kansai tours; Kanto including Nikko is covered in our Tokyo and Kanto tours. Shrines known for rows of torii exist in the northeast too, such as Takayama Inari Shrine in Aomori (see our Tohoku tours). For how to structure a first trip to Japan, see first trip to Japan.

Frequently asked questions