inarizushi

is a favorite food of foxes, the messenger of Inari, the most popular of Japanese gods.

One popular food made from yuba is a sweet kind of sushi, called inarizushi, which Japanese people believe is a favorite food of foxes. Inari, god of rice and of prosperity, is one of the most popular Japanese gods. The red-painted shrines to Inari, signified by red asymmetrical arches, can be found throughout the countryside and the towns as well. Before each such shrine are one or more fox statues. The fox is Inari's messenger. Foxes wander around throughout the night and report back to their master on human doings. Indeed, at the back of an Inari shrine is almost always found a small round hole, so that the fox might freely come and go. Foxes, according to legend, are immensely fond of fried tofu, particularly in the form of inarizushi: simple balls of rice soaked in a light syrup and rolled in fried yuba sheets. Indeed, just around the fox hole, there is likely to be the remains of some inarizushi that someone has offered to bribe the fox to overlook an indiscretion or two.

inarizushi, n.Definitions

inarizushi