A Rose by Any Other Name
So why the name Inari Grotto?
The simplest answer: I’m a Satanist who appreciates Japanese culture. But obviously, there’s more to it than that. I chose Inari out of countless deities for symbolic, aesthetic, and even personal ritual reasons. The term “grotto” comes from the Satanic tradition of having physical spaces where like-minded people could gather—an essential practice in the days before the internet.
Why Inari?
Inari Ōkami (also spelled O-Inari) is a Shinto kami—a term for a spiritual being or deity—whose identity varies. In some accounts, Inari is a single entity. In others, a group of three or five. They are described as either male, female, or both. Shapeshifting? Absolutely on the table.
Inari is associated with fox spirits (kitsune)—interchangeable in gender and known for their trickster nature. The first appearance of Inari shows them riding a white fox, and their messengers are also white kitsune, the Japanese equivalent of trickster spirits. Tricksters across cultures around the world (from Loki to Bugs Bunny) often play fast and loose with gender roles, and Inari is no exception.
As a gender-nonconforming person, I see in Inari the kind of playful, irreverent, defiant energy I want to embody in my own life. Many fashion trends now seen as “feminine” were once worn freely by men. I see no reason not to reclaim my birthright from those who would suppress self-expression.
If you’ve got a problem with that, I’ll gladly make sirloin out of your sacred cows.
Inari's Domains
According to Japanese mythology, Inari descended from Mount Inari in the 6th century on a white fox, carrying a bowl of rice during a famine. Since then, they’ve been worshipped as the kami of foxes, rice, fertility, tea, sake, agriculture, and industry. Over time, their portfolio expanded to include:
- Swordsmiths and warriors
- Actors, merchants, fishermen, and prostitutes
- Luck, prosperity, and protection from fire
- All aspects of business and finance, especially as money replaced rice as the measure of wealth in Japan.
Inari became a Desire-Fulfilling Deity—which brings us straight into Satanic territory. Some of Inari’s shrines were even located at or near pleasure centers!
The Seven Sins of Inari
Whether by coincidence or cosmic resonance, Inari represents all the Seven Deadly Sins—reclaimed in Satanism as natural, life-affirming impulses:
- Lust: Patron of prostitutes and granter of fertility.
- Gluttony: Giver of rice, tea, and sake; protector of fishermen; accepts food offerings like inari-zushi.
- Greed: Oversees wealth, trade, and industry.
- Wrath: Patron of weaponsmiths and warriors; wielded a flame-inducing whip (but sparingly).
- Envy: Grants desires, luck, and worldly blessings.
- Sloth: Celebrates indulgence, leisure, and sake-fueled festivities.
- Pride: Seen in the samurai and sex workers who worshipped them; reminder: vainglory is just one face of pride.
On Appropriation
If you think I’m “appropriating” Inari to fit my worldview—maybe you’re right. But I have two counterpoints:
- Most people who shout “cultural appropriation” have no clue what appropriation actually means. If I were claiming that Inari belongs exclusively to my culture, that would be appropriation. But I’m not. I’m appreciating and adapting symbolic elements that resonate with me.
- Even within Shinto, there’s the idea of watashi no O-Inari-sama—“my personal Inari.” Every worshipper sees them a little differently. Some see a benevolent guardian, others a trickster or even a dark force. Inari's nature is fluid, both historically and mythologically.
So yes—I claim a personal Inari. One that reflects gender non-conformity, indulgence, and individual sovereignty. And yes, they’re absolutely aligned with Satanic values. If that makes you uncomfortable, you’re welcome to fuck off. I’ll be happy to supply the boot.
Why “Grotto”?
“Grotto” has historical significance in Satanism. Before online forums, grottoes were the meeting grounds for Satanists. They weren’t always successful—some collapsed from egos, drama, or power abuse—but the intent was there: to create profane, human spaces for Satanic community.
But “grotto” also has older roots.
It comes from the Vulgar Latin grupta, derived from crypta—the same root as crypt. It’s related to the word grotesque. Natural grottoes are water-carved limestone caves, sometimes submerged at high tide. They were used as root cellars, sacred spaces, and later as artificial sanctuaries in Roman and Renaissance gardens—often decorated with fountains, shells, mythological statues, and devotional altars.
Catholics still build grottoes as shrines for saints and the Virgin Mary.
What It Means to Me
So in my case, Inari Grotto is:
- A shrine to my personal religiosity.
- A sanctuary for Satanic indulgence and beauty.
- A gender-nonconforming foxhole for poetry, essays, fiction, and philosophical mischief.
- A grotesque little cave carved out of the internet.
A place of desire. Of symbolism. Of self-expression.
Of myth, sin, and profane defiance.