The name Dakiniten is said to mean "one who flies in the sky" and is believed to have been incorporated into Buddhism from the indigenous beliefs of the Bengal region[2]. In Indian Hinduism, she was considered a member of the goddess Kali's retinue, possessing the characteristics of a female demon (Yaksha) who killed enemies and devoured their flesh and blood. She was subjugated by Mahakala in middle-period Esoteric Buddhism, and in the later period, influenced by Shakti (divine feminine energy) worship, she also became a female consort deity for practitioners[2].

In Japan, Kukai brought her teachings along with Shingon Esoteric Buddhism. Initially, she was depicted in the Outer Vajra section of the Womb Realm Mandala as a life-force-stealing demon under Enmaten. Her image was that of a half-naked figure holding a blood vessel, a short sword, and a corpse, but over time, it transformed into a celestial maiden riding a white fox, and she came to be called Dakiniten, crowned with the title "Ten" (Deva)[2].

The syncretism with Inari progressed rapidly due to the common denominator of the fox. The ancient Indian concept of foxes inhabiting tombs and mounds to devour corpses overlapped with the Shinto tradition of foxes as the divine messengers of the Inari god. The image of "Dakiniten riding a white fox" merged with the existing Inari faith, establishing the syncretism of "Inari = Dakiniten"[1]. During the Sengoku period, warlords enshrined Dakiniten as Inari for the protection of their castles, and from the Kamakura to Muromachi periods, temple-based Inari such as Toyokawa Inari (Myogon-ji) and Saijo Inari (Myokyo-ji) were established. Believed to possess immense divine power to grant wishes, she was widely worshipped by the common people in the Edo period alongside Ukanomitama-no-Kami as "Inari-san," and is still enshrined in temples today as a deity of business prosperity and successful careers[1].