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Even Japanese People Sometimes Can't Tell a Temple from a Shrine

Yesterday, I visited Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin, which is just a short walk from my hotel in Tokyo.

 

For years, I assumed Toyokawa Inari was a Shinto shrine—something like a Tokyo branch of the famous Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto. After all, it has torii gates, countless fox statues, and the word Inari in its name. What else could it be?

 

Well, I was wrong.

 

To my surprise, Toyokawa Inari is actually a Buddhist temple, not a Shinto shrine. Its official name is Myogonji Temple, a Soto Zen temple. The deity worshipped there is Toyokawa Dakini Shinten, a Buddhist guardian deity that became closely associated with Inari worship over the centuries.

 

No wonder I was confused.

 

In fact, I was so convinced it was a shrine that I performed the traditional Shinto prayer ritual: two bows, two claps, and one bow. Only later did I learn that Buddhist temples generally do not use clapping during prayer.

 

Oops.

 

Was that a problem? I hope not.

 

But honestly, if a place has torii gates and foxes everywhere, can you really blame me? Apparently, even Japanese people can have trouble telling the difference between a shrine and a temple when history, Buddhism, and Shinto traditions have blended together for centuries.

 

That's one of the fascinating things about Japan. The lines between Buddhism and Shintoism are sometimes much less clear than people imagine.

 

So yesterday I learned something new: Toyokawa Inari was not a shrine after all. And yes, I accidentally prayed the wrong way at a Buddhist temple. Fortunately, I think sincerity matters more than technique.