Inari Konkon Koi Iroha, goddess Uka-sama = Dakini

Ah, this is so wonderfully shojoesque, but this is all done in Kyoto-ben, or Kyoto dialect. While 99% of anime are done in standard Tokyo language, this anime is unique. Yes, Miyabi  (elegancy) of Kyoto dialect, which used to be the official language of Imperial Japan before the Meiji period. Yes, that was the language used by imperial court, and aristocracy. And the capital of Japan was Kyoto. But now, since the Meiji era (1868), capital has moved to Tokyo, and then Tokyo dialect becomes the official standard language of Japan. So, Kyoto lost the status of standard language, demoted to the status of “one of those dialects.” and Kyoto people also lost the emperor, the emperor lives in Tokyo now, so Kyoto people are still griping about it. But, to hear that this kind of cute middle school girl speaking Kyoto dialect. It has developed my unexplored moe, yes, hougen-moe, dialect moe! Dialect fetish! A girl with dialect, hoooo, kawaii! Guu-kawa (super cute)! Shoujo anime with dialect, yes! The new moe I discovered!

Plot is that Inari, a middle school girl, has a crush on a boy of school’s basketball team. But that is one way, unrequited love, her crush almost NTRed by another good looking girl, so she runs crying to Fushimi-Inari shrine and pleads Goddess for help, and Goddess grants her the transformation power. Yes, she lives in Fushimi district of Kyoto city, and the Goddess there is Ukanomitama, or Uka-sama, and her aka is Inari-sama, yes, same name as main character.

Fushimi district is very historical:

And this Uka-sama, food goddess has several epithets:

•Mi-ketsu-gami (honorable food deity)

•ketsu = kitsu (food) = fox (kitsu-ne), thus related to fox

•Oo-getsu-hime (mighty food goddess – scatology goddess)

Since people offered fried tofu to Inari-sama, “Inari” becomes a name for fried tofu. Thus, fried tofu sushi is called “Inari-zushi.”

The word “Inari” means “grain grow” And the most famous epithet of Uka-sama is Dakini. And this explains why her body is so erotic and voluptuous, especially her things-in-themselves, i.e., oppai:

•Inari = Dakini

Yes, when Vajrayana (Diamond Vehicle) Buddism was introduced in Japan (9th century), Dakini was brought in and syncretized with Uka-sama (Inari). Dakini was originally a malicious female spirit ( a Kali, Yaksha or Rakshasa) that ate human heart in Indian mythology. But Dakini was defeated by Vairocana (Vajrayana’s supreme buddha), and became subordinate to Vairocana. Since then, especially in later Tantric Buddhism, she becomes a goddess of eroticism. And in Japan’s folklore, Dakini rides on white fox. Thus, Uka-sama’s familiars are white foxes.

And now, Dakini = Inari-sama = Uka-sama is still a goddess of eroticism? Kind of. She has been a goddess of food, harvest, business, war, and theater. And now, she got the new epithet. The Goddess of Otome-game! Yes, playing Otomate games! Reserved harem! Reversed Dakini! Or Daka (masculine form of Dakini). That is the revelation from this anime!

So, holy communion of Inari/Dakini. I will eat Inari-zushi to get that divine ability of transformation power, just like Christians eat bread and wine, Corpus Inari! With chanting this mantra (dharani),

On basara dakini un hatta sowaka! 

So, I can have skinship whoever I want to, if my crush already has boyfriend, I can transform myself to her boyfriend. If a girl I want to sleep already has husband, I can transform myself to her husband, NTR without hurting anyone! No hiru-dora (soap opera) anymore! No more Mari Okada screenplay!