Kitsune tattoo: sketches with a Japanese fox for fans of the Land of the Rising Sun. Fox in Japanese mythology and its meaning

Kitsune (Jap. 狐) is the Japanese name for a fox. In Japan, there are two subspecies of foxes: the Japanese red fox (hondo kitsune living in Honshu; Vulpes japonica) and the Hokkaido fox (kitsune whale living in Hokkaido; Vulpes schrencki).

The image of a werewolf fox is typical only for Far Eastern mythology. Originating in China in the era of ancient times, it was borrowed by the Koreans and the Japanese. In China, werefoxes are called hu (huli) jing, in Korea - kumiho, and in Japan - kitsune. Photo (Creative Commons license): gingiber

Folklore
In Japanese folklore, these animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical powers. Chief among them is the ability to take the form of a human being; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends - fifty). Kitsune usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they turn into old people.

It should be noted that in Japanese mythology, there was a mixture of indigenous Japanese beliefs that characterized the fox as an attribute of the god Inari (see, for example, the Legend - “Fox-weight weight”) and Chinese, who considered foxes to be werewolves, a family close to demons.

Other abilities commonly attributed to kitsune include the ability to possess other people's bodies, exhale or otherwise create fire, appear in other people's dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex as to be almost indistinguishable from reality.

Some of the tales go further, talking about kitsune with the ability to bend space and time, drive people crazy, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky. Occasionally, kitsune are credited with characteristics reminiscent of vampires: they feed on the life or spiritual energy of people with whom they come into contact.

Sometimes kitsune are described guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama, i.e. "star ball"); it is claimed that the one who took possession of this ball can force the kitsune to help himself; one theory claims that kitsune "store" some of their magic in this ball after the transformation. Kitsune are required to keep their promises, otherwise they will have to suffer the punishment of lowering their rank or power level.

Kitsune are associated with both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. In Shinto, kitsune are associated with Inari, the patron deity of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Initially, foxes were messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them is so blurred that Inari himself is sometimes depicted as a fox. In Buddhism, they gained fame thanks to the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, popular in Japan in the 9th-10th centuries, one of whose main deities, Dakini, was depicted riding a fox riding through the sky.

In folklore, a kitsune is a kind of yokai, that is, a demon. In this context, the word "kitsune" is often translated as "fox spirit". However, this does not necessarily mean that they are not living beings or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting the state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that has lived long enough can thus become a "fox spirit". There are two main types of kitsune: the myobu, or divine fox, often associated with Inari, and the nogitsune, or wild fox (literally "field fox"), often, but not always, described as evil, with malicious intent.

A kitsune can have up to nine tails. In general, it is believed that the older and stronger the fox, the more tails it has. Some sources even state that the kitsune grows an extra tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, the foxes seen in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails.

ONE TAIL =

In some stories, kitsune have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of the weakness and inexperience of the fox). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox that has turned into a man by looking through her clothes through her tail.

TWO TAILS ==

THREE TAILS ===

FIVE TAILS =====

NINE TAILS =========

When kitsune get nine tails, their fur becomes silver, white, or gold. These kyuubi no kitsune ("nine-tailed foxes") gain the power of infinite insight. Similarly in Korea, it is said that a fox that has lived for a thousand years turns into a kumiho (literally "nine-tailed fox"), but the Korean fox is always depicted as evil, unlike the Japanese fox, which can be both benevolent and malevolent. Chinese folklore also has "fox spirits" (Huli jing) in many ways similar to kitsune, including the possibility of nine tails.

One of the famous Kitsune is also the great guardian spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian spirit and protector who helps young "lost" souls on their way in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only for a few days, but if attached to one soul, it can accompany her for years. This is a rare type of kitsune, rewarding a few lucky ones with their presence and help.

The attitude towards charming and intelligent creatures from another world among the Japanese is twofold. It's a mixture of adoration and fear. The kitsune has a complex character that can make a demon like best friend human and mortal enemy. Depending on who the fox is with

It is believed that red foxes can set fire to dwellings, bringing fire in their paws. It is considered a very bad omen to see such a werewolf in a dream.

In addition, silver foxes bring good luck in trade, and white and silver foxes generally swore an oath to the deity of cereals, Inari, to help all mankind. It will be very lucky for those people who, by chance, suddenly settle on the sacred land for kitsune. Such happy families are called "kitsune-mochi": foxes are obliged to follow them everywhere, protect them from all sorts of troubles, and serious illnesses await anyone who offends kitsune-mochi.

Kitsune are also often described as mistresses. In such stories, there is usually a young man and a kitsune that has taken the form of a woman. Sometimes kitsune is credited with the role of seductress, but often similar stories rather romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries a beautiful woman (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many of these stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of the fox essence, after which the kitsune must leave her husband.

And at the same time, there is no sweeter bride and wife than kitsune. Having fallen in love, they are ready for any sacrifice for their chosen one.

The oldest known fox wife story, which provides a folklore etymology for the word "kitsune", is an exception in this sense. Here the fox takes the form of a woman and marries a man, after which the two, after spending several happy years together, have several children. Her fox essence is unexpectedly revealed when, in the presence of many witnesses, she is frightened by a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true form. Kitsune prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying, "Now that we've been together for several years and you've given me several children, I can't just forget you. Please, let's go and sleep." The fox agrees, and since then returns to her husband every night in the form of a woman, leaving in the morning in the form of a fox. After that, they began to call her kitsune - because in classical Japanese kitsu-ne means "let's go and sleep", while ki-tsune means "always coming."

The offspring of marriages between humans and kitsune are usually credited with special physical and/or supernatural properties. The specific nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those who were believed to have such extraordinary abilities is the famous onmyouji Abe no Seimei, who was a hanyo (half-demon), the son of a man and a kitsune

Rain falling from a clear sky is sometimes called kitsune no yomeiri or "kitsune wedding".

Many people believe that kitsune came to Japan from China.

"Types" and names of kitsune:
Bakemono Kitsune- magical or demonic foxes, such as Reiko, Kiko or Koryo, that is, some kind of immaterial fox.
Byakko- "white fox", a very good omen, usually has a sign of service to Inari and acts as a messenger of the Gods.
Genko- "black Fox". Usually a good sign.
Yako or Yakan- almost any fox, the same as Kitsune.
Kiko- "spiritual fox", a type of Reiko.
Corio- "chasing fox", a type of Reiko.
Kuko or Kuyuko(in the sense of "u" with an overtone "u") - "air fox", extremely bad and harmful. Holds an equal place with Tengu in the pantheon.
Nogitsune- "wild fox", at the same time used to distinguish between "good" and "bad" foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use "Kitsune" to name a good messenger fox from Inari and "Nogitsune" - foxes that do pranks and cunning with people. However, this is not a real demon, but rather a mischievous, prankster and trickster. Their behavior is reminiscent of Loki from Norse mythology.
Reiko- "ghost fox", sometimes not on the side of Evil, but definitely not good.
Tenko- "divine fox". A kitsune who has reached the age of 1000 years. Usually they have 9 tails (and sometimes a golden skin), but each of them is either very "bad", or benevolent and wise, like a messenger of Inari.
Shakko- "Red fox". It can be both on the side of Good and on the side of Evil, the same as Kitsune.

SOURCES:

All pictures belong to their respective owners. I don't own them by any means.
just wanted to illustrate interesting articles.
If possible, I indicated the sources, but I found most of it through Google.
If there are any complaints - write in a personal, I will fix everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.coyotes.org/kitsune/kitsune.html
http://htalen-castle.narod.ru/Beast/Kitsune.htm
http://www.rhpotter.com/tattoos/kitsunetattoo3.html
http://www.site/users/3187892/post100958952/
http://news.deviantart.com/article/119296/
http://isismasshiro.deviantart.com/
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/telegraph/theory/1164/

And finally, here is such a kawaii cute ^_____^

Foxes in Japanese are called "kitsune", which means "child from the one who comes at night", and they are also considered messengers of the world of spirits and demons. Japan is a mysterious country. Here high tech are closely intertwined with the world of the mysterious and unknown, here "houses" built for spirits are adjacent to highways, bus stops are guarded by ancient stone idols, here at any moment, carelessly stepping aside, you can get from the noisy metropolis to the realm of spirits. As a rule, the gates to the abode of spirits and demons are locked and strictly guarded, but there are no locks that cannot be opened. And often in the world of big cities and the latest technologies guests drop in that live "on the other side." Having met a werewolf on the street, it is quite possible to make a mistake and take him for a person. Japanese werewolves are not like European ones. These are not people who, with the help of witchcraft, take the form of an animal. These are guests from other worlds, spirits in the form of animals, turning into a person, a tree, and even into some objects. Fox - Kitsune, perhaps the most famous type of such werewolves. They have been living next to man for thousands of years, bringing with them sometimes troubles, and sometimes happiness.
Kitsune is the same charming temptress fox about which many legends are composed. It is believed that many historical figures descended from kitsune, or they themselves were. Such was the mystic and occultist Abe no Seimei, the spirit hunter of the Heian era, the son of kitsune Kuzuha.

The nine-tailed fox was the famous Tamamao no Mae (or Mei), an amazingly beautiful concubine of Emperor Konoe. During her lifetime, Mei brought a lot of trouble to the East, and no one guessed that she was a “kitsune” until the emperor ordered that dogs be set on her for some kind of offense. Only then did the cunning fox give herself away. Kitsune werewolves become either the foxes themselves after death, or the souls of people who were not clean before heaven. At the beginning of their afterlife, kitsune are content with a single tail and cannot assume human form. When they are 50 or 100 years old, they reach maturity. Now they can already turn into a person, but not everyone knows how to hide their tail, and therefore their deception is easy to reveal. Over time, when a kitsune has five or even seven tails, they are already learning magic, they can induce havoc, send madness, become invisible.
Sometimes, on the contrary, they bring good luck. And only those werewolves, whose age is equal to thousands of years, get nine tails, and their "fur coat" becomes white. The Japanese call these werewolves "kyuubi", or heavenly foxes. Kyuubis can control natural phenomena, time and take people to other worlds, from where they soon return as deep old people. But, as a rule, such foxes rarely harm people.
The attitude towards charming and intelligent creatures from another world among the Japanese is twofold. It's a mixture of adoration and fear. The kitsune has a complex character that can make a demon both a man's best friend and a mortal enemy. Depending on who exactly the fox is going to communicate with, she can take on any form - beautiful girl, a pretty young man, a wise old man or an innocent child. They are able to maintain a smart conversation, they know a lot about almost any profession, in addition, kitsune are the best merchants. They are very sexy, which is why the Japanese believe that many geisha are werewolves. Kitsune do not disdain vampirism - both energy and ordinary. Foxes like to send pestilence or madness on people they don’t like, they can inhabit their bodies and even drive them to suicide. Japanese psychiatrists still have one form mental disorder called "kitsune-tsuki" - a disease sent by foxes. It is considered a very bad omen to see such a werewolf in a dream.
And at the same time, there is no sweeter bride and wife than kitsune. Having fallen in love, they are ready for any sacrifice for their chosen one. In addition, silver foxes bring good luck in trade, and white and silver foxes generally swore an oath to the deity of cereals, Inari, to help all mankind. It will be very lucky for those people who, by chance, suddenly settle on the sacred land for kitsune. Such happy families are called “kitsune-mochi”: foxes are obliged to follow them everywhere, protect them from all sorts of troubles, and serious illnesses await anyone who offends kitsune-mochi.
By the way, foxes also suffered a lot from people. For a long time, the Japanese believed that a person who tasted kitsune meat becomes strong and wise. If someone became seriously ill, relatives wrote a letter to the deity Inari, but if the patient did not recover after that, foxes were mercilessly exterminated throughout the district.
The Japanese believe that today kitsune can be found everywhere. They skillfully adapted to modern life, their knowledge of human nature, numerous talents, natural charm and ability to deceive allow them to feel at ease even in a metropolis. They can be found in the field of finance, art. Kitsune are said to be brilliant poets and scientists. But how to determine that in front of you is a werewolf fox, and not a man? They say it's easy. You just need to be more careful. Kitsune are always beautiful and smart, they try to attract the attention of the opposite sex and often behave somewhat frivolously.
Young werewolves do not know how to hide their tails with the help of magic spells, therefore, girls who love wide skirts to the floor can fall under suspicion. It’s more difficult with more mature kitsune: they can fool anyone’s head, but a mirror usually gives them away - they are reflected as they really are, in other words, mirrors convey their true essence. This is how the mother of the mystic and occultist Abe no Seimei mentioned above found herself.

Kitsune are afraid of dogs, and dogs hate werewolves. Therefore, the Japanese consider it suspicious if their new acquaintance not only does not keep dogs at home, but also speaks negatively about them, and on the street any dog ​​shows his teeth at him. Believe the legends about werewolves or not, it's up to you. But every Japanese knows the love story of a man and a fox, which laid the foundation for the Kitsune family, whose descendants still live in Japan...

Residents of various regions of Japan are always excited about the appearance of a rare black fox in their area. Animals are often found on the island of Hokkaido. Local residents even manage to film the animal on a video camera. Zoo representatives claim that the animal could have mutated or is a cross between a red fox and a silver fox, which were once imported from Russia and bred for fur, but later fled and ran wild. Now you understand why the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun are so excited...

I will hate if I can, but I can’t, I will love against my will ... (c)

Edited and supplemented the article, so I decided to raise it)

TITLE: Kitsune
OTHER NAMES: Kitsune, Fire Fox, Silver Fox
CLASS: (yokai demon) / (in some fantasy books)
HABITAT: wastelands, hills, among people
APPEARANCE: Werewolves. In their first (main) incarnation, kitsune look like a many-tailed fox, in the second - a man with a fox tail. Well, more about all the features of their appearance will be described later.

kitsune in Japanese mythology werewolf foxes. They are considered smart cunning creatures that can turn into people. They obey Inari, the goddess of cereal plants. These animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical powers. Chief among these, as already mentioned, is the ability to take the form of a person; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends - fifty). Kitsune usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they turn into old people. The kitsune's magical abilities grow as they grow older and gain new levels in the hierarchy. If the capabilities of a one-tailed young kitsune are very limited, then they then acquire the capabilities of powerful hypnosis, creating complex illusions and entire illusory spaces. With the help of their magical pearls, kitsune are able to defend themselves with fire and lightning. Over time, the ability to fly, become invisible and take any form is acquired. Higher kitsune have power over space and time, are able to take magical forms - dragons, giant trees to the sky, the second moon in the sky; they know how to induce madness on people and massively subordinate them to their will.

The heavenly patroness of kitsune is the goddess of rice, Inari. Their statues are an integral part of the temples in her honor. Moreover, some sources indicate that Inari herself is the highest kitsune. At the same time, in fact, the gender of Inari no Kami is not defined - as well as kitsune in general as such. Inari is able to appear in the guise of a warrior or a wise old man, a young girl or beautiful woman. She is usually accompanied by two snow-white foxes with nine tails. In houses, the image of foxes in netsuke is placed at the entrance to ward off deceit and lies that bad people can bring. There are temples and chapels dedicated to kitsune as such.

Rain falling from a clear sky is sometimes called kitsune-no-yomeiri or " kitsune wedding».


Word kitsune often translated as ghost - fox spirit, however, this does not mean that they are non-living beings. The word "spirit" is used in Eastern mythologies, reflecting the level of knowledge or enlightenment of the being. Any fox that lives long enough can no longer be just a beast, but a fox spirit. There are two main types of kitsune. Moyobu, or divine fox, associated with Inari and believed to be a benevolent spirit. And nogitsune, or wild fox(literally "field fox"), which is often presented as a malevolent creature.

The origin of the word "kitsune" has two variants. The first - according to Nozaki, he takes him out of the ancient onomatopoeia of the barking of the fox "kitsu-kitsu". However, in modern language it is rendered as "con-con". Another option is less scientific, but more romantic. It goes back to the first documented legend of kitsune, referring to early period Asuka - 538-710 AD.

Ono, a resident of the Mino region, searched for a long time and could not find his ideal of female beauty. But one foggy evening, near a large wasteland (a common meeting place for fairies among the Celts), he unexpectedly met his dream. They got married and she bore him a son. But at the same time as the birth of his son, the dog Ono brought a puppy. The larger the puppy became, the more aggressively he treated the Lady of the Wasteland. She got scared and asked her husband to kill the dog. But he refused. One day the dog rushed at the Lady. She threw off her human form in horror, turned into a fox, and ran away. Ono, however, began to look for her and call: “You can be a fox - but I love you, and you are the mother of my son; You can come to me whenever you want." Lady Fox heard It, and since then every night she came to him in the form of a woman, and in the morning she fled into the wasteland in the form of a fox. Two variants of the translation of the word "kitsune" are derived from this legend. Or "kitsu ne", an invitation to spend the night together - Ono's call to his runaway wife; or "ki-tsune" - "always coming."

A young kitsune, as a rule, engages in pranks among people, and also enters into romantic relationship varying degrees seriousness - in such stories, one-tailed foxes almost always act. In addition, very young kitsune often give themselves away by their inability to hide their tail - apparently, while still learning transformations, they are often betrayed by a shadow or reflection even at a higher level.

Finding an extra tail on a fox is one of the accepted techniques for recognizing a kitsune, but some sources speak of other methods to show the true form. Sometimes, the girl that the fox turned into casts not a human shadow, but an animal one; other stories say that the reflection of a kitsune girl in a mirror will be that of a fox.

With age, foxes acquire new ranks - with three, five, seven and nine tails. Interestingly, three-tailed foxes are especially rare - perhaps they are serving somewhere else during this period. Five and seven-tailed kitsune, often black in color, usually appear in front of a person when they need it, without hiding their essence. Nine-tailed (in Japan they are called kyubi-no-kitsune, in Korea - kumiho) - the kitsune elite, not younger than 1000 years. Nine-tailed foxes usually have silver, white, or gold skins, and a host of high magical abilities. They are part of the retinue of Inari no Kami, serve as its emissaries, or live on their own. However, some even at this level do not refrain from committing small and large dirty tricks - the famous Tamamo no Mae, who terrified Asia from India to Japan, was just a nine-tailed kitsune. Nine-tailed kitsune, according to legend, was turned at the end of his earthly life by Koan, another famous mystic.

There is even a certain classification of kitsune:
Yako or Yakan- common kitsune.
Byakko("white fox") - a very good omen, usually has a sign of service to Inari and acts as a messenger of the Gods.
Genko("black fox") - usually a good sign.
Reiko("ghost fox") - sometimes not on the side of Evil, but definitely not good.
Kiko("spiritual fox").
Corio("chasing fox").
Kuko or Kuyuko("air fox") - extremely bad and harmful. Occupies an equal place with Tengu in the pantheon.
Nogitsune ("wild fox") - this concept is at the same time used to distinguish between "good" and "bad" foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use "kitsune" to name a good messenger fox from Inari and "nogitsune" - foxes that play pranks and cunning with people. However, this is not a real demon, but rather a mischievous, prankster and trickster. Their behavior is reminiscent of Loki from Norse mythology.
Tenko("divine fox") - a kitsune who has reached the age of 1000 years. Usually they have nine tails (and sometimes a golden skin), but each of them is either very "bad", or benevolent and wise, like a messenger of Inari.
Shakko("red fox") - can be both on the side of Good and on the side of Evil.

One of the characteristic features of kitsune is " kitsune-bi» (Fox Lights) - Foxes can accidentally or deliberately indicate their presence at night with mysterious lights and music in the wastelands and hills. Moreover, no one guarantees the safety of a person who dares to go to check their nature. Legends describe the source of these lights as " hoshi no tama» (Star Pearls), white balls that look like pearls or gems that have magical powers. Kitsune always have such pearls with them, in fox form they keep them in their mouths, or wear them around their necks. Kitsune highly value these artifacts, and in exchange for returning them, they may agree to fulfill the desires of a person. But, again, it is difficult to guarantee the safety of the insolent after returning - and in case of refusal to return the pearl, the kitsune can enlist his friends to help. However, a promise given in such a situation to a person, like a fairy, must be fulfilled by the kitsune - otherwise it risks being demoted in position and status. Fox statues in Inari temples almost always have such balls on them.

Kitsune in gratitude, or in exchange for the return of their pearls, can give a person a lot. However, you should not ask them for material objects - after all, they are great masters of illusions. Money will turn into leaves, gold bars into pieces of bark, and gems into ordinary ones. But the intangible gifts of foxes are very valuable. First of all, Knowledge, of course - but this is not for everyone ... however, foxes may well bestow health, longevity, good luck in business and safety on the road.

A very funny and revealing story about a fox document, told by the Chinese poet Niu Jiao. Official Wang, being on a business trip to the capital, one evening saw two foxes near a tree. They stood on their hind legs and laughed merrily. One of them was holding a piece of paper in her paw. Wang started yelling at the foxes to leave - but the kitsune ignored his outrage. Then Wang threw a stone at one of the foxes, and hit the eye of the one holding the document. The fox dropped the paper, and both disappeared into the forest. Wang took the document, but it turned out to be written in a language unknown to him. Then Wang went to a tavern and began to tell everyone about the incident. During his story, a man with a bandage on his forehead entered and asked to see the paper. However, the owner of the inn noticed the tail peeking out from under the robe, and the fox hurried to retreat. A few more times the foxes tried to return the document while Wang was in the capital - but each time unsuccessfully. When he went back to his county, on the way, with no small surprise, he met a whole caravan of his relatives. They reported that he himself had sent them a letter stating that he had received a profitable appointment in the capital, and invited them to come there. In joy, they quickly sold all their property, and hit the road. Of course, when Van was shown the letter, it turned out to be a blank sheet of paper. Wang's family had to go back at great loss. Some time later, Wang returned to his brother, who was considered dead in a distant province. They began to drink wine and tell stories from their lives. When Wang got to the story of the fox document, his brother asked to see it. Seeing the paper, the brother grabbed it, with the words "finally!" turned into a fox and jumped out the window.

Kitsune are also frequently depicted in love stories. These romance novels usually involve a young man and a fox, who takes the form of a beautiful woman, who seduces him. Many of these stories could have ended quite tragically. If a husband accused his wife of being a werewolf, she had to leave her husband and he fell ill in grief.

The offspring of marriages between humans and kitsune are usually credited with special physical and/or supernatural properties. The specific nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those thought to have such extraordinary abilities is the famous onmyōji Abe no Seimei, who was a hanyo (half-demon) son of a human and a kitsune named Kuzunoha.

One of the famous Kitsune is also the great guardian spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian spirit and protector who helps young "lost" souls on their way in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only for a few days, but if attached to one soul, it can accompany her for years. This is a rare type of kitsune, rewarding a few lucky ones with their presence and help.

A source of information: almost verbatim was copied from the Internet, the link to this article has not been preserved. Alas, I don’t know who the author is, but I don’t want to ascribe to myself someone’s colossal work.

Kitsune in anime and manga:

1. Sushi Mikitsukami- a descendant of demonic fox blood and the owner of incredible multi-colored eyes. In his demonic form, Soushi has fox-like white ears and nine tails, while wearing a white kimono. One of the main characters of the anime "Dog, Me and the Secret Service" (Inu x Boku SS).

2. Shippo- a mischievous fox boy who nailed to the company of Kagome and Inuyasha in the anime "Inuyasha" (InuYasha).

3. O-tian(Osaki) is a kitsune spirit in the form of a white two-tailed fox cub that always accompanies Tamaki, the princess of Tamayori, in the anime "Scarlet Shards" (Hiiro no Kakera). It can disappear and appear at any moment. He is also able to merge with Tamaki's power, increasing her spiritual power.

In this anime, there is another fox, or rather a descendant and rebirth of the fox god Komura Yuichi, who is one of the guardians of Princess Tamayori and the demonic sword Onikirimaru. Yuichi does not know how to turn into a fox, but fighting at the limit of his strength, in him, as in other guardians, the bestial features of a distant ancestor appear. And he is subject to fox fire.

4. Any fan of the anime "Naruto" (Naruto) at the mention of the demon-fox will immediately remember Kurama, the nine-tailed demonic fox (kyuubi). Once he attacked the village of Konoha shinobi, many people died before the beast was pacified and sealed. Naruto's body became the prison for the kyuubi.

5. Demon fox Tomoe, a guardian in the temple of the Earth God Mikage, one of the main characters of the anime "Very Nice, God" (Kami-sama Hajimemashita).

6. Kon- one of the foxes from the temple of Inari, servants of the goddess Uki, in the anime "Inari, foxes and magic love(Inari, Konkon, Koi Iroha). Kon was once saved by a girl named Inari, and after Inari received some of Uki's divine powers, she became the girl's assistant.

7. Gintaro and Kinjiro- A pair of guardian foxes from the Saeki Temple, dedicated to the goddess Inari, in the anime "Silver Fox" (Gingitsune).

8. Cute fox cub, whose name was never revealed, Natsume's friend. The kid was even ready to give his own name for the sake of this friendship, but Natsume did not accept such a sacrifice. Anime "Natsume's Book of Friends" (Natsume Yuujinchou)

9. Five foxes from the Osaka house, faithful and diligent servants of Kaname Osaka. Their charm, as well as the smile of their beloved owner, is deceptive, if necessary, chanterelles can be deadly. And they often and easily change their appearance. Anime "Hakkenden: The Legend of the Eight Dogs of the East" (Hakkenden Touhou Hakken Ibun).

10. Hakumann no Mono is a powerful nine-tailed fox that terrifies both humans and youkai in the anime and manga Ushio and Tora. Likes to destroy countries by manipulating their rulers. She was sealed under a powerful magical barrier and fell into a slumber, however, she continued to act, sending her avatars to work.

11. Kushimatsu- a purebred demon fox. Looks like a white fox in a kimono. He is the guardian of half-breed girls, including Zakuro. Very kind and caring. Anime "Demon Girl Zakuro" (Otome Yokai Zakuro).

12. Pokémon vulpix, a red fox cub with nine tails, and ninetalis(evolution of the vulpix), having the appearance of a white nine-tailed fox, also evokes the thought of a kitsune with its appearance. Even their element is corresponding - fiery.

According to the Taoist concept, at the moment of a person's birth, a spirit (shen) is formed, which is, as it were, a soul, by connecting the vital breath coming from the outside with the jing substance. When a person dies, the ching disappears." The ching energy of all beings steadily increases with age; animals finally become able to transform into humans and persecute them.
This Chinese concept resonates with the Slavic idea of ​​the danger emanating from a creature that "has lived in the world", "jamming someone else's eyelid" and because of this even capable of becoming a vampire. It is noteworthy that almost all Japanese werewolf animals (with the exception of the raccoon dog - tanuki) show a tendency to vampirism.

The Japanese remembered magic foxes most often when it came to some strange and mysterious phenomena. Especially interesting are the examples when the antics of foxes are opposed to the belief in ghosts. For example, in Ueda Akinari's story "A Night in the Reeds" (collection "The Moon in the Fog", 1768), we are talking about ghosts.
However, the idea that he met a ghost did not immediately occur to the protagonist when he woke up the next day to find that his wife had disappeared, and the house he returned to after a seven-year absence looked abandoned: "The wife has disappeared somewhere. Maybe all this is the tricks of the fox?" Katsushiro thought. However, the house he was in was undoubtedly his own house, although it had fallen into extreme desolation..

In the story "Kibitsu Temple Cauldron" from the same collection, a friend of the protagonist, who saw the ghost of his dead wife, consoles him: "Of course, the fox deceived you"3. There is an even more eloquent legend called "The Road of the Spirits of the Dead", where the protagonist, a skeptic, also did not believe in ghosts: "They say that these are spirits, but in fact it was just someone dreaming, that's all. Foxes are, who else!".
The main features of the beliefs about magical foxes were borrowed by the Japanese from China. W.A. Casal writes about it this way: "Faith in the magic of foxes, as well as in their ability to turn around, did not originate in Japan, but came from China, where these fearsome animals that can take on human form and fool people were described as early as in the literature of the Han Dynasty, 202 BC - 221 AD Since animism has always been inherent in the Japanese, the belief in magical foxes was relatively easily accepted.

The beliefs associated with the fox are also among the Ainu. So, A. B. Spevakovsky reports: "The black fox (shitumbe kamuy) was almost always considered by the Ainami as a "good", kind animal. At the same time, the red fox was considered unreliable kamuy, capable of harming a person".
It is about the red fox as a character of lower mythology that we find a lot of information. Tironnup is a skilled werewolf who can take the form of both male and female.

There is a legend about how tironnup turned into a young guy in order to find a bride for himself. At competitions, he amazed everyone with his jumping skills, and the bride would already be his, if someone did not notice the tip of the tail, visible from under his clothes. The red fox was killed.
The legends about the fox taking the form of a beautiful girl also most often end with someone seeing their tail. The Ainu believe that contact between a man and a fox, especially sexual contact, is very dangerous and leads to the death of a person. Ethnographic data from the beginning of the 20th century. show that among the Ainu there is also a belief in a man's obsession with a fox. Most often this happens to women (the same can be seen in the Japanese material, we will discuss this below), this condition is called tusu.
However, all borrowings should fall on the base prepared for this: there is no doubt that the Japanese themselves had a certain layer of beliefs associated with foxes. Separate evidence of this is the cult of the Shinto deity Inari. Inari can also appear in human form, but most often appears in the form of a heavenly snow-white fox.

Fox statues are an integral part of temples in his honor, Inari is usually accompanied by two white nine-tailed foxes. Inari is the patron saint of rice, in all its forms: ine (rice in ears), kome (threshed rice) and gohan (boiled rice; designation of food in general). The very name Inari means "rice man" (the root "ine" is added "ri" - "man"), and ears of rice are still associated among older Japanese with little green men. This all leads us to the idea that the deity Inari is one of the variants of the "rye wolf", about which, among others, J. Fraser wrote.
Lafcadio Hearn points out that Inari was often worshiped as a healing deity; but more often he was considered a god bringing wealth (perhaps because the entire fortune in Old Japan was considered in koku rice). Therefore, his foxes are often depicted holding keys in their mouths. M. V. de Fisser, in his book The Fox and the Badger in Japanese Folklore, notes that the deity Inari is often associated with the bodhisattva Dakini-Ten, one of the patronesses of the Shingon Order.

However, there is a significant difference between the foxes of the deity Inari and the werefoxes, which the Japanese ethnologist Kiyoshi Nozaki points out: "It should be noted that the foxes in the service of Inari have nothing to do with the witchcraft of other foxes, which are often called nogitsune, or "wild foxes" One of the duties of the servants of the Inari Shrine in the Fushimi quarter in Kyoto was precisely the expulsion and punishment of these nogitsune." Nogitsune are werefoxes. It was believed that Inari could control them, however, not in all cases. The conflict between the deity Inari and the wild nogitsune foxes is shown in the feature film Gegege no Kitaro (2007; dir. Motoki Katsuhide), where Inari acts under the name of Tenko and appears as a beautiful celestial maiden with many fox tails. Nogitsune foxes are presented there as the main antagonists: they seek to harm people in every possible way, which is opposed by Tenko, who wants everyone to live in peace.

The main magical ability of foxes is the ability to turn into a person. In Asai Ryoi's Otogi-boko collection, there is a story called "The Story of the Fox That Absorbed the Daimyo's Energy". It describes in detail the process of turning a fox into a man: "Walking along the banks of the Shinohara River in the dim light of a foggy autumn evening, he(protagonist of the story) I saw a fox praying frantically, facing north, standing on its hind legs, with a human skull on its head. Every time the fox bowed in prayer, the skull would fall from its head. However, the fox put it back and continued to pray, facing north, as before. The skull rolled off many times, but in the end, it was firmly fixed on the head. The fox read the prayer about a hundred times". After that, the fox turns into a young girl of seventeen or eighteen years.

Not all foxes could turn into humans. U. A. Kasal writes the following: "The older the fox, the greater its strength. The most dangerous are those who have reached the age of eighty or a hundred years. Those who have crossed this threshold are already admitted to heaven, they become" heavenly foxes. one tail grows nine. They serve in the halls of the Sun and the Moon and know all the secrets of nature".
In the Kabuki play "Yoshitsune and a Thousand Cherry Blossoms", the main character, a magical fox, says that her parents were white foxes, each of which was a thousand years old. In Ogita Ansei's story "About the Werecat" (collection "Tales of the Night Watch"), it says: "The sacred books say that a thousand-year-old fox can turn into a beauty, a hundred-year-old mouse into a witch. An old cat can become a werewolf with a forked tail".

Can younger foxes take on human form? Yes, but they are not always good at it. In "Notes from Boredom" by Kenko-hoshi, there is a story about a young fox who entered the Gojo Imperial Palace and watched a game of Go through a bamboo curtain: “A fox in the form of a man peeked out from behind the curtain. “Ah! It’s a fox!” Everyone made a noise, and the fox fled in confusion..

This aspect directly echoes Chinese beliefs: "In the minds of the Chinese, there were several, so to speak, age categories of magical foxes. The lowest - young foxes capable of magic, but limited in transformations; further - foxes capable of a wider range of transformations: they can become an ordinary woman, and a beautiful maiden, or maybe even a man.In human form, a fox can enter into relationships with real people, seduce them, fool them so that they forget about everything<...>the fox, as a result, can significantly increase its magical abilities, which allows it to achieve longevity, and perhaps even immortality, and thereby fall into the last, highest category - thousand-year-old foxes, become a saint, approach the heavenly world (often just about such the fox is said to be white or nine-tailed), leaving the vain world of people".
For Chinese tradition in general, the idea that the vital spirit (ching) of all beings steadily increases with age is characteristic, and the strength of foxes that increases with age is another manifestation of this.

Recognizing a fox that has turned into a man is quite simple: it most often has a fox tail. In the legend of the fox named Kuzunoha, the mother of the famous magician Abe no Seimei, the fox, transformed into a young beautiful woman, admired the flowers, but with admiration did not follow the fact that her tail became visible through the skirts of the kimono. He was noticed by her son, Abe no Seimei, who was then seven years old. After that, his mother leaves a farewell poem and goes back into the forest, assuming her true form. In Izumi, there is now a Kuzunoha-Inari Shrine, built, according to legend, on the very spot where Kuzunoha left her farewell poem.

But there are even more reliable ways to identify a fox. In a short story from Konjaku Monogatari called "The Fox Turned His Wife," the protagonist unexpectedly meets not one, but two wives at home. He realizes that one of them is a fox. He begins to threaten both of them, the women burst into tears, but only when he grabs the fox tightly by the hand, as if he wants to tie it, does it break free, assume its true form and run away.
The author himself gives advice: "The samurai was angry at the fox for fooling him. But it was too late. It was necessary to guess right away, so it was his own fault. First of all, he had to tie both women, and the fox would eventually take on its real form".

Foxes are immediately recognized by dogs. For the first time this idea sounds in the story from "Nihon ryo:iki" - "The Tale of the Fox and Her Son": the fox wife, frightened by the dog, assumes her true form and runs into the forest. In the otogizoshi "Fox of Kovato", the fox Kisyu Gozen leaves the house where she was a wife and mother, as her son was given a dog. Davis Headland notes that the word "dog" written on the child's forehead was a defense against the witchcraft of foxes and badgers. He also points out another way to identify a fox: "If the shadow of a fox-woman accidentally falls on the water, the fox will be reflected in it, and not the beautiful woman".

An interesting way to identify a fox is indicated by Lafcadio Hearn: "the fox cannot pronounce the whole word, only part of it: for example, "Nishi ... Sa ..." instead of "Nishida-san", "de goza ..." instead of "de gozaimas or "uchi...de" instead of "uchi de ka?". U. A. Kasal reports on the evolution of this method of recognizing a fox in modern society: according to popular beliefs, a fox cannot say the word "mosi-mosi".
The fox says "mosi" once, and then something incomprehensible, or else says the next "mosi" after a while. According to popular explanation, the habit of saying "mosi-mosi" at the beginning telephone conversation- this is exactly the way to make sure that your interlocutor is not a fox.

What is the reason why foxes take on human form? In the already mentioned story by Asai Ryoi, "The Story of the Fox that Absorbed the Energy of the Daimyo," it is said that the fox was expelled by the priest, who noticed that the samurai in love with the transformed fox did not look good.
He tells him the following: "You've been under a spell. Your energy is being consumed by a monster, and your life is in danger if we don't do something right away. I'm never wrong about such matters.". The priest later denounces the fake girl, and she turns into a fox with a skull on her head, appearing in the same form in which she was transformed into a man many years ago.

It can be seen that foxes are not alien to vampirism. The same motif can be traced in Chinese beliefs about foxes. I. A. Alimov writes: "It is the marital relationship with a person that is the ultimate goal of the fox, since in the process of sexual relations she receives his vital energy from a man, which is necessary for her to improve her magical abilities<...>Outwardly, this is expressed in a sharp weight loss ("skin and bones") and in general weakness. Ultimately, a person dies from exhaustion of vital forces.
However, it is believed that children endowed with miraculous abilities are born from a marriage with a fox. Also, despite the vampiric tendencies of Japanese fairy foxes, their husbands are often genuinely sad for their loved ones they have abandoned, and this sadness is due to human causes, and by no means bewitchment.

In addition, the fox can turn into different things, into animals and plants. The story of the fox that was killed pretending to be a tree from Konjaku Monogatari tells how the nephew of the high Shinto priest Nakadai and his servant saw a huge cedar tree during a walk, which had not been there before. They decide to check if it is a real cedar or not, and shoot it with a bow. In the next moment, the tree disappears, and in its place after they find a dead fox with two arrows in its side. B. H. Chamberlain recounts a widely publicized case in 1889.
It was a story about a fox that took the form of a train on the Tokyo-Yokohama line. The ghost train was moving towards the present and seemed to be about to collide with it. The driver of the real train, seeing that all his signals were useless, increased the speed, and at the moment of the collision the phantom suddenly disappeared, and a downed fox appeared in its place.

A very famous legend in Japan tells of a fox named Tamamo no Mae. This legend is also mentioned in The Tale of the House of Taira, where it is told by Prince Taira no Shigemori.
Originally a white fox with nine tails lived in India. Turning into a beautiful girl, she called herself Hua-Yang and was able to bewitch the king of India, Pan-Tsu. He made her his wife. Being naturally evil and cruel, she enjoyed killing thousands of innocent people. When she was exposed, the fox flew to China.
Turning into a beautiful girl again, under the name of Bao Si, she entered the harem of Emperor Yu-wang of the Zhou Dynasty. Soon she became a queen, still cold-hearted and treacherous. "Only one thing was not to Yu-wang's heart: Bao Si never laughed, nothing made her smile. And in that foreign country there was a custom: if somewhere there was a rebellion, they lit bonfires and beat big drums, calling warriors. Bonfires these were called "feng ho" - signal lights.One day an armed riot broke out, and the signal lights lit up. "How many lights! How beautiful!" - Bao Si exclaimed, seeing these lights, and smiled for the first time. And in her smile there was an infinite charm...".
The emperor, for the pleasure of his wife, ordered to burn signal fires day and night, although there was no need for that. Soon, the soldiers stopped gathering, seeing these lights, and then it happened that the capital was besieged by enemies, but no one came to defend it. The emperor himself died, and the fox, having assumed its real form, flew to Japan (according to another version, it died along with the emperor, and was reborn already in Japan).

In Japan, the fox was named after Tamamo no Mae. She took the form of a dazzlingly beautiful girl and became a court lady. One day at midnight, when a festival was held in the palace, a mysterious wind rose and blew out all the lamps. At that moment, everyone saw that a bright glow began to emanate from Tamamo no Mae.

Kikukawa Eizan. Geisha playing kitsune-ken (fox-ken), an early Japanese rock-paper-scissor or sansukumi-ken game.

In addition to transformations, foxes also know how to fool and bewitch people and animals. As Kiyoshi Nozaki notes, "it is believed that when a fox bewitches people, the number of its victims is limited to one or two". However, this rule does not always work. Ihara Saikaku's story "Fox's Faithful Vassals" tells how a rice merchant named Monbyoe, walking along a mountain path in a deserted place, saw a whole bunch of white fox cubs. Without much thought, he threw a pebble at them and hit one fox right in the head - he died on the spot.
After that the foxes long time they took revenge on Monbye himself and his family members, presenting themselves to them either as the guards of the steward, or depicting a funeral ceremony. In the end, the foxes shaved their heads and that was it. The story of a fox cutting off her hair was quite common. The tale "The Fox Named Genkuro" speaks of a fox whose main pastimes were to cut off women's hair and break clay pots. When in Edo late XVIII in. a maniac appeared who cut off the hair of women, he was called "The Fox that cuts off the hair."

However, usually the fox bewitches only one person. A frequent plot of stories is when a fox, having turned into a beautiful girl, drags a man with him to his "home". The "Story of a Man Maddened by a Fox and Saved by the Goddess of Mercy" from Konjaku Monogatari tells the story of a man who lived for 13 days in his own basement, thinking that he had been living in the rich house of a beautiful princess for three years.
In a story from Asai Ryoi's Otogiboko entitled "The Story of a Samurai Hosted by Foxes", the protagonist was found in a fox hole, and he himself believed that he was in a magnificent estate and was playing sugoroku with the aunt of the princess he had saved before . Creating illusions with a fox also involves time management.
In the legend of "Adventures of Visu" the protagonist sees two women playing go in a forest clearing: “After sitting in the clearing for three hundred years, which seemed to Vis only a few noon hours, he saw that one of the women playing had made a wrong move. “Wrong, beautiful lady!” Visu exclaimed excitedly. Immediately, both strangers turned into foxes and ran away ".
Foxes, despite their animal nature, are still characters from the other world. Therefore, it is not surprising that their time also flows according to the laws of another world. On the other hand, perhaps there is some hint here that games in Go do sometimes take a very long time - they can last for months.

Fox charms have become a proverb in Japan. In Genji Monogatari, there is a scene in which Prince Genji is mistaken for a werefox due to the fact that he wears an ordinary hunting dress, but behaves too courteously for a person of his rank. Genji himself calls himself a fox in a loving conversation with a lady: "Indeed," Genji smiled, "which of us is a werewolf fox? Don't resist my charms," ​​he said affectionately, and the woman obeyed him, thinking: "Well, apparently, so be it.".

The fox bewitches people by waving its tail. This motif is central to the story told by a resident of the city of Kobe, Miyagi Prefecture.
The narrator sees a man sitting under a large tree in a deserted place. He behaves like a madman: bowing to someone, laughing merrily and as if drinking sake from a cup. The fox sitting behind him stretched out its tail to its full length and with its tip it seems to draw a circle on the ground. The narrator throws a stone at the fox, it runs away, and the enchanted man suddenly comes to his senses and cannot understand where he is.
It turns out that he was on his way to a wedding in a neighboring village and was carrying salted salmon as a gift. Apparently, the fox was flattered by him. In addition to humans, foxes can also cast illusions on animals.

In the book "Kitsune. Japanese fox: mysterious, romantic and funny," among others, there are stories about how a fox bewitches a horse, a rooster and a crow. It is noteworthy that when the fox tried to charm the rooster, she "stood on her hind legs and beckoned the rooster to her with her front paw like a maneki-neko".
Beliefs about fox witchcraft sometimes turned into grotesque situations. Lafcadio Hearn tells the story of a farmer who saw the massive eruption of the Bandai-san volcano in 1881. The huge volcano was literally torn apart, all life in a space of 27 square miles around was destroyed. The eruption razed forests to the ground, forced rivers to flow backwards, entire villages, along with their inhabitants, were buried alive.
However, the old peasant, who was watching all this, standing on the top of a neighboring mountain, looked at the catastrophe indifferently, as if theatrical performance.
He saw a black plume of ash that rose to a height of 20,000 pounds and then fell to form a giant umbrella and blotted out the sun. He felt a strange rain come down, scalding like water in a hot spring.
Everything went black after that; the mountain shook beneath him, thunder rang out, so terrible, as if the whole world had broken in half. However, the peasant remained imperturbable until everything was over. He decided not to be afraid of anything, because he was sure that everything he sees, hears and feels is just fox witchcraft.

An interesting phenomenon is also the so-called "kitsune-bi", or "fox fire". It was the tricks of the fox that the Japanese explained the well-known phenomenon of "stray lights", which is widespread throughout the world. It is worth immediately clarifying that he was given other explanations, which will be discussed below. Kiyoshi Nozaki identifies four types of kitsune-bi: a cluster of small lights; one or two large fireballs; the moment when all the windows in several large buildings standing side by side are lit; fox wedding.
Ando Hiroshige's engraving "Fox Lights at the Iron Tree of Oji Dressings" from the cycle "One Hundred Views of Edo" depicts a whole flock of white foxes, each of them has a small light hovering at the nose, supported by her breath. According to the little story from the Issyo-wa collection (1811), fire comes out of the fox's mouth when it jumps and frolics, and it exists only at the moment when the fox exhales air.

Another common motif is that foxes have a small stone, white and round, with which they produce fox fire. In "Konjaku monogatari" in "The story of the fox who thanked the samurai for returning the precious ball to her," a white stone is described, for the return of which the fox not only left the woman she had moved into before, but also saved the life of the one who returned the stone.

An interesting phenomenon is "kitsune no yomeiri" - "fox wedding". This is the weather when it rains and the sun shines at the same time. It is believed that at this moment you can see a certain procession in the distance, brightly lit by torches. Having reached a certain place, she disappears without a trace.
In the tale "The Fox Wedding" (1741), a richly dressed samurai comes to the ferryman and tells him that the daughter of the master, whom the samurai himself serves, is getting married tonight.
Therefore, he asks to leave all the boats on this shore so that with their help the entire wedding procession can cross to the other shore. The samurai gives the ferryman a koban, who, surprised by the generosity of the guest, readily agrees. The wedding procession arrives around midnight, all illuminated by lights. She dives into boats, each with several torchbearers. However, soon they all disappear into the darkness of the night without a trace, never reaching the shore. The next morning the owner saw a dry leaf in place of the coin.

Foxes were also credited with the ability to move into people. This state was usually called "kitsune-tsuki", or "kitsune-tai" - "fox possession". B. H. Chamberlain writes the following about this: “Fox possession (kitsune-tsuki) is a form of nervous breakdown or mania, quite often observed in Japan. Penetrating into a person, sometimes through the chest, but more often through the gap between the finger and the nail, the fox lives its own life, separate from the personality of the one into whom it has moved in. The result is a double being of a person and his double consciousness. The possessed hears and understands everything that the fox says or thinks from the inside; they often enter into loud and fierce disputes, and the fox speaks in a voice completely different from normal voice this person".

Lafcadio Hearn describes fox-possessed people like this: "The madness of those who have been possessed by a fox is mysterious. Sometimes they run naked through the streets, screaming desperately. Sometimes they fall on their backs and yelp like foxes, foaming at the mouth. his own life. Poke it with a needle - and it will immediately move. And even with force it is impossible to squeeze it so that it does not slip between the fingers. Possessed people are said to often speak and even write in languages ​​they knew nothing about before they were possessed by foxes. They only eat what foxes are said to love: tofu (bean curd), aburaage(fried tofu) azuki meshi(red adzuki beans boiled with rice) etc. - and all this they absorb with great pleasure, claiming that it is not they who are hungry, but the foxes that have settled in them ".

The story about the introduction of a fox into a person is found in "Nihon ryo:iki" (scroll 3rd, second story). A sick man comes to the monk Eigo and asks him to be cured. For many days, Eigo tried to exorcise the disease, but the patient did not get better. And then, "vowing to cure him at all costs, [Eigo] continued to cast spells. Then the spirit took possession of the sick, and he said:" I am a fox and will not yield to you. Monk, stop fighting me." [Eigo] asked: "What is the matter?" [The Spirit] replied: "This man killed me in my last birth, and I am taking revenge on him. When he dies, he will be reborn as a dog and bite me to death. "The amazed monk tried to guide [the spirit] on the true path, but he did not give in and tortured [the patient] to death."

The next example of the fox's possession can be found in Kond-jaku monogatari. The legend is called "The story of the warlord Toshihito, who hired a fox for his guest, using his power over it." It tells how Toshihito, on the way to his own estate, catches a fox and demands that she bring news of the arrival of him and a guest. When they arrive at the manor, the astonished servants tell them the following: "At about eight in the evening, your wife felt sharp pain in the chest. We didn't know what happened to her. Some time later, she spoke: "I am none other than a fox. I met your master today at the Mitsu-no-Hama River. He decided to suddenly return home from the capital, a guest is traveling with him. I wanted to run away from him, but in vain - he he caught me. He rides a horse much faster than I run. He told me to find the estate and hand it over to people to bring two saddled horses to Takashima by ten in the morning the next day. If I don’t tell this, then I will be punished " ".
In the story "The Fox-Matchmaker" from the collection "Mimi-bukuro" (compiled by Negishi Shizue, 18th century), there is a story about a fox moving into a dishonest person who promised the girl to marry her, but he left and no longer answered her letters . The girl began to pray to the deity Inari, and in response to her prayers, he sends a fox that moves into her lover-deceiver, tells the whole story to his father and demands a receipt from him that he will definitely organize the wedding ceremony.

In the Heian era (794 - 1185), fox possession was seen as a kind of disease. Even then it was believed that foxes come in different ranks, depending on their strength. When a person is possessed by a lower-ranking fox, he simply starts shouting something like: "I am Inari-kami-sama!" or "Give me the adzuki meshi!".
When a person is possessed by a high-ranking fox, it is very difficult to understand. The person looks sick and lethargic, most of the time he spends in oblivion, sometimes only coming to his senses. Despite this, the possessed cannot sleep at night, and he needs constant supervision, as the victim of the fox will attempt to commit suicide.

Almost unchanged, the belief about the possession of a fox reached the beginning of the 20th century. If a person fell ill with something and had symptoms such as delirium, hallucinations and a morbid interest in something, then such a disease was attributed to the obsession with a fox. Moreover, as Kiyoshi Nozaki notes, any disease that was difficult to cure was considered "kitsune-tai" and monks were invited instead of doctors38. Some people with mental disorders they just started pretending to be obsessed with the fox, only when they heard that they might have one.
Such a phenomenon is not at all surprising if we recall that in Japanese society, almost all inexplicable phenomena were considered the tricks of a fox. Consequently, with a mysterious illness, the fox was also remembered in the first place.

T. W. Johnson in his article "Far Eastern Folklore about Foxes" notes that the fox most often moved into women. When a young wife was possessed by a fox, she could say whatever she liked about her mother-in-law and other relatives on her husband's side without risking their wrath.
It also gave her a break from everyday duties. We can note here the similarity between the obsession with foxes and the hysteria in Russian women. We also find information about the obsession with a fox in the Ainu tradition.
Beliefs about magical foxes have survived to this day. The theme of the introduction of a fox into a person is also popular in modern popular culture. In the Naruto animated series, the main character, teenager Uzumaki Naruto, is possessed by a nine-tailed fox that has been sealed within his body. The fox, according to classical concepts, tries to take over the hero's body, but also gives Naruto his great strength in battles with enemies.

In addition, magical foxes appear in the animated series Triplexaholic. The protagonist of the series, Watanuki Kimihiro, one day finds a traditional oden diner in the city, which is run by two foxes - father and son. They both walk on their hind legs and wear human clothing. Papa Fox tells Kimihiro that normally a human can't see them, and they've never been visited by people as young as him (a hint that humans, like foxes, develop magical abilities with age!).

Of course, the number of animated and feature films, in which we are talking about magic foxes, is not limited to the above examples. Currently, werefoxes have firmly taken the place of mythological characters associated with nostalgia for old Japan.

It would be appropriate to note that the image of a werewolf fox in our time has moved from the sphere of folklore to the sphere of folklorism, now it can only be found in children's fairy tales, cartoons and legends, stylized "antique". Due to the movement of the bulk of the population from the village to the city, the lower mythology becomes predominantly urbanistic, and new characters from urban legends replace the traditional demonological images.
In the beliefs of the Japanese, magical foxes have several pronounced features. Speaking of appearance, it is worth noting that werewolf animals are always somehow different from their ordinary relatives. In foxes, this is expressed through predominantly White color and many-tailed, however, these signs are characteristic only of old, "experienced" foxes in reincarnation.
Transformation into a human is the second distinguishing feature of magical foxes. There are many motives for this, ranging from mischief to vampirism. The third characteristic feature is the ability of foxes to induce illusions.

Magic foxes are considered masters of illusions, they are able not only to completely transform the space around a person, but also to create a completely independent flow of time there.

Kitsune (狐)

Kitsune (狐) are werefoxes in Japanese mythology. These animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical powers. Chief among them is the ability to take the form of a human being; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends - fifty).

Kitsune usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes turn into old people. It should be noted that in mythology there was a mixture of indigenous Japanese beliefs that characterized the fox as an attribute of the goddess Inari (稲荷) and Chinese beliefs that the fox was a werewolf, a kind close to demons.

Other abilities commonly attributed to kitsune include the ability to possess other people's bodies, exhale or otherwise create fire, appear in other people's dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex as to be almost indistinguishable from reality.

Some of the tales go further, talking about kitsune with the ability to bend space and time, drive people crazy, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky. Rarely, kitsune are credited with characteristics reminiscent of vampires: they feed on the life or spirit of the people they come into contact with.

Sometimes kitsune are depicted guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama "star ball"). It is said that whoever possesses this orb can force the kitsune to help him. One theory states that kitsune "store" some of their magic in this orb after they transform. Kitsune must keep their promises or face the penalty of lowering their rank or power level.

There are two subspecies of foxes: the Japanese red fox (hondo kitsune, found on Honshū (本州), Vulpes Japonica) and the northern fox (kita kitsune (北狐), found on Hokkaidō (北海道), Vulpes Schrencki).

Since ancient times, birds and animals have been the incarnations of the Gods, or even considered Gods themselves. One of these animals was the fox. The foxes did not allow the population of mice to grow too much. Protecting the rice growing in the fields, they began to be revered as gods.

Their patroness is the Goddess Inari, in the temples of which there are certainly images of foxes. People's attitude towards kitsune is a mixture of respect, fear and sympathy.

Kitsune are associated with both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. In shintō (神道), kitsune is associated with Inari, the patron deity of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Initially, foxes were messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them is so blurred that Inari is sometimes depicted as a fox. In Buddhism, they gained fame thanks to the Shingon (真言宗) school of secret Buddhism, popular in Japan in the 9th-10th centuries, one of whose main deities, Dakini (空行母), was depicted riding a fox riding through the sky.

In folklore, kitsune is a type of yōkai (妖怪), meaning demon. In this context, the word "kitsune" is often translated as "fox spirit". However, this does not necessarily mean that they are not living beings or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting the state of knowledge or insight.

Any fox that has lived long enough can thus become a "fox spirit". There are two main types of kitsune: myōbu (命婦) or divine fox, often associated with Inari, and nogitsune (野狐) or wild fox (literally "field fox"). The wild fox is often, but not always, described as evil, with malicious intent.

Kitsune can have up to nine tails. In general, it is believed that the older and stronger the fox, the more tails it has. Some sources even state that the kitsune grows an extra tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, the foxes seen in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails.

When kitsune get nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. This Kyūbi no Kitsune (九尾の狐 , Nine-Tailed Foxes) gains the power of infinite insight. Similarly, it is said in Korea that a fox that has lived for a thousand years turns into Kumiho (literally "Nine-Tailed Fox"), but the Korean fox is always portrayed as evil, unlike the Japanese fox, which can be either benevolent or malevolent.

Chinese folklore also has "Fox Spirits" (Huli jing) in many ways similar to kitsune, including the possibility of nine tails.

In some stories, kitsune have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of the weakness and inexperience of the fox). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox that has turned into a man by looking through her clothes through her tail.

One of the famous kitsune is also the great Guardian Spirit Kyūbi. This is the Guardian Spirit and protector, helping young "lost" souls on their way in the current incarnation. Kyūbi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but if attached to one soul, can accompany her for years. This is a rare type of kitsune, rewarding a few lucky ones with their presence and help.

In Japanese folklore, kitsune are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil. Deceiver foxes use their magical powers for pranks: those that are shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai (武士, 侍), greedy merchants and boastful people, while the more cruel kitsune tend to torment poor merchants, farmers and Buddhist monks.

Kitsune are also often described as mistresses. In such stories, there is usually a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes kitsune is credited with the role of a seductress, but often such stories are more romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries a beautiful woman (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many of these stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of the fox essence, after which the kitsune must leave her husband.

The oldest known fox-wife story, which provides a folklore etymology for the word kitsune, is an exception in this sense. Here the fox takes the form of a woman and marries a man, after which the two, after spending several happy years together, have several children. Her fox essence is unexpectedly revealed when, in the presence of many witnesses, she is frightened by a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true form. Kitsune prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying, "Now that we've been together for several years and you've given me several children, I can't just forget you. Please go and sleep." The fox agrees, and since then returns to her husband every night in the form of a woman, leaving in the morning in the form of a fox. After that, she was called kitsune, because in classical Japanese "kitsu ne" means "let's go and sleep", while "ki tsune" means "always coming".

The offspring of marriages between humans and kitsune are usually credited with special physical and/or supernatural properties. The specific nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have similar extraordinary abilities is the famous onmyōji (陰陽師) Abeno Seimei (安倍晴明), who was a han "yō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.

During the Heian era (平安時代 Heian Jidai, 794-1185), a young samurai Abeno Yasuna decided to visit a temple in the Shinoda Forest in Settsu Province (摂津国, Ōsaka District (大阪)). On the way, he ran into a hunter who hunted foxes, using their livers as medicine. Yasuna entered into a fight with the hunter, got wounded, but freed the fox from the trap. Then a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha (葛の葉) comes and helps him return to his home. In reality, this fox woman, whom he saved, took on a human form. Yasuna falls in love with her and they marry. According to another version, the wounded Yasuna drinks water in a mountain stream. At this time, the girl Kuzunoha comes to the river and accidentally falls into the water, Yasuna saves her. In gratitude for her salvation, she asks to be allowed to take care of Yasuna.

Yasuna and Kuzunoha marry and soon have a boy, whom they will name Dōjimaru (adult name of Abeno Seimei). Their son inherited some of his mother's supernatural nature.

A few years later, Kuzunoha looked at her favorite chrysanthemums and forgot to transform from a fox back into a human. Five-year-old Dōjimaru, waking up from his midday nap, saw the tip of her tail and began to cry. She immediately turned into a woman, but realized that it was time to leave the house and return to life in wild nature.

In tears, she writes farewell poems to her husband and son on a sliding barred door lined with shoji (障子) paper. Kuzunoha regrets her fate, that she is not a human, but a fox.

Yasuna learns the truth, but doesn't want to leave Kuzunoha. He runs after his wife along with Dōjimaru, who calls his mother. Yasuna and son meet Kuzunoha again at Shinoda Grove. Kuzunoha explains that there is a law that a fox that has returned to the animal world cannot return to the human world again. She tells her husband: "Our son - unusual boy. He was born to help people and lead them, he will be the greatest man in the world when he grows up. I will protect him."

Dōjimaru has superhuman abilities, he can understand the language of birds and animals, resurrect the dead. One day, Dōjimaru heard the birds talking. They said that Mikado (帝), the emperor in the capital, was now seriously ill, and that it was because a snake and a frog were trapped alive under the stone foundations of the palaces. Yasuna hears this from her son and comes up with a plan to take the first step towards her son's elevation in the world. He changes his son's name from Dōjimaru to Seimei, and the son heals Mikado's illness. Thanks to Seimei's advice, Mikado is completely cured of his illness. He orders the appointment of 13-year-old Seimei as chief diviner.