Inari is a popular deity with shrines and Buddhist temples in Japan.
Inari is the deity of fox.
Foxes is believed to be a messenger or avatar of Inari God and is often found in Inari shrines.
They always appear in pairs, male and female.
One has a sacred jewel representing the spirit of the gods in its mouth,
the other has a cylindrical object which represents the key to the rice storehouse.
It is a god of fertility, rice, tea and Sake, of agriculture and industry,
of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal god of Shinto.