O-Inari is a genderless Kami in that Inari has been sometimes seen as appearing as a beautiful woman and at other times as a handsome man. So enjoy the harvest season, but just remember not to look at the lights over the sea for too long. Inari Okami () also known as O-Inari Sama, is the Japanese Kami/kamui (God/spirit) of industriousness, grains, the harvest, agriculture and is generally viewed as a fertility Kami. Through the myths and legends of a place, we can come to know about what people truly valued and learn about the differences between our cultures. To ensure that as many people saw the image as possible, Ebian made sure that her image was published inside his latest tome. To his surprise, it began to talk to him about the coming harvest and promised Ebian that if he reproduced its image, the surrounding areas would be saved from hardship. On closer inspection, it turned its head to him and he saw that its face was human-like except for wicked-looking curved horns growing out of its temple. At first, he thought it to be some kind of sea snake as it had a long, snakelike body that twisted and coiled as he approached. Lying on the beach was a strange creature. The ancient Japanese scholar Ebian was in for a surprise one morning while out in the Hizen area of Japan. However, assuming you survived the night, the next day the sprigs could be burned and the loud snaps and crackles of the burning plants would signal the coming of a bountiful harvest, a small gift from the devils of the deep. In the Izu islands, farm folk would block their doors with false holly and mock orange trying to block out any chance of seeing that speck of light that heralded the presence of the salt-soaked spirits. People near the sea where these entities were seen were advised to leave the house with a bag over their head and never look in the direction of the ocean in case out of the corner of your eye you caught the sight of a bright light. This is a wide concept that can be used to describe the spirits of deceased loved ones, gods of Japanese mythology, animal spirits and even the deities of other religions such as Buddha or Bodhisattvas. Legends tell of hapless locals opening their doors to them and going mute or people tracking them and returning home with their clothes caked in blood. Kami are the spirits, gods and deities of Japan's Shinto religion. People are advised to avoid these apparitions. The lights from kainan houshi signaled when seafarers met their deaths in the sea, their salty souls riding phantom boats created at the moment of their horrendous deaths. Aside from the lights of kitsunebi, farmers would also look out for other lights called kainan houshi.
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