Ghost of Tsushima's Fox Shrines Are Actually A Real Thing
Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima provides players with an expansive open-world environment in which they can explore a wide variety of locations, including fox shrines. Fox shrines, also known as Inari shrines, are an important part of Japanese culture, explaining their frequent inclusion in the game.
Ghost of Tsushima allows players step into the shoes of Jin Sakai, one of the last remaining samurai on the island of Tsushima. He must defend the island from Mongol invaders while saving his uncle Lord Shimura from the clutches of Khotun Khan, with the help of only a few unlikely allies.
Aside from the main story missions, players can also explore various locations in the open world, such as hot springs, cemeteries, and of course, shrines. These locations often offer collectibles and rewards, incentivizing players to keep exploring throughout the duration of their experience. But how often would someone actually come across a fox shrine on the island of Tsushima? The answer is frequently.
Fox shrines are actually referred to as Inari Shrines, shrines that are used to worship and celebrate Inari, a Japanese deity associated with foxes. The deity is commonly celebrated in Shinto and Buddhist shrines throughout Japan, so the frequency of fox shrines in Ghost of Tsushima isn’t only to provide players with additional advantages. There are thousands of Inari shrines in Japan alone. Inari shrines are usually decorated with statues of foxes to symbolize deities, particularly at their entrance. To this day, many people continue to leave offerings at Inari Shrines, such as rice, sake, or similar foods.
In Ghost of Tsushima, the Inari shrines are marked as ‘fox dens’ on the map. If players go to a fox den, they’ll encounter a fox that will then lead it to the location of a sacred shrine where Jin can collect a reward. Some fox dens will only become available as the story progresses. There are 49 in total to discover. Finding all of the Inari shrines will earn players the Body, Mind, and Spirit trophy. The Inari shrines will give Jin certain charms in Ghost of Tsushima and can also upgrade his Charm Slots so that he can utilize more charms at a given time.
One of Ghost of Tsushima’s strengths is how much there is to discover, thereby extending the gameplay experience way past the story campaign, and the Inari shrines are only one of many locations that can be explored.