Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 3.7
Monument of Kasama Inari religious association
lived in Noda City, and 10 in Kasukabe City. In Ibaraki Prefecture urban areas, 12
believers lived in Mito, and 11 in Tsuchiura City.
The content of the pious worshiper's prayers varied. Of 57 persons who wor-
shiped at 6:00 a.m. on the fi rst day of every month, most (47, 82%) prayed for safety
in their homes and 42 for commercial prosperity. The next most frequent prayers
were for safety in construction and in factories.
Most pious worshipers were owners of commercial or industrial enterprises, and
their families. Most worked in machinery and metal manufacturing common in the
Keihin area and the east and south of Tokyo, where most members came from. In
addition, people involved in construction, civil engineering, fi nance, and real estate,
trading, transportation and textile businesses were common.
3.1.3.2
Distribution of Kasama Inari - ko
Kasama Inari - ko are groups consisting of 12 or more people that worship Kasama
Inari . Ko can be classifi ed into general worship ko and substitute worship ko . In
1993, most Kasama Inari - ko were general worship ko, whose members visited and
worshiped at Kasama Inari once a year, and prayed on entering the sanctum.
The origin of the fi rst Kasama Inari - ko is unclear, but existing dedication frames
and religious association monuments suggest that these ko prospered in the fi rst half
of the nineteenth century (Fig. 3.7 ). Total worshipers signifi cantly increased from
the late nineteenth to the beginning of the twentieth century, when the National
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