Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine

This guide to Tamatsukuri Inari Shrine in Osaka centers on an unusual relic: the placenta of Toyotomi Hideyori, heir to Osaka Castle, born here in the 1590s. It follows his father, warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who installed the shrine's fox deity to protect his new castle, and the family's tea visits poured by master Sen no Rikyu. Young Hideyori gave the shrine its own torii gate, which still stands. Look for the small shrine holding the placenta stone, where visitors still tie cords of fate today.