Fox Tales
If you have read our article on Japanese rice, you may remember Inari, the Shinto kami associated with rice, fertility and prosperity. But Inari has another powerful association: the fox.
In Japan, the fox is a revered animal. People and foxes have lived alongside one another in Japan since ancient times, and due to this relationship, foxes have been believed to have mystical powers.
What are Kitsune?
There is a strong belief that foxes are messengers of Inari Ōkami, the Shinto deity of fertility, prosperity and rice. In Japanese yōkai folklore, kitsune are said to possess the ability to shapeshift into human form and back again. Some believe foxes use this ability to trick people, while others believe they use it to act as guardians and help those in need.
Kitsune are supernatural foxes of Japanese folklore, with some traditions closely associating benevolent kitsune with Inari. The kitsune’s wisdom and power are in many traditions, measured by how many tails it has, and the nine-tailed kitsune is seen as the most powerful. Some legends state that a kitsune only grows a new tail every 100 years.
In most folk stories, one, five, seven, or nine tails are the most commonly used. When a kitsune gains its ninth tail, its fur is said to become white or gold, and it is known as a kyūbi no kitsune (nine-tailed fox). The kyūbi no kitsune then gains extraordinary abilities, including supernatural hearing, sight and immense wisdom. People are even known to make offerings to the Kitsune.
what does the fox say
Generally, according to myths and legends, kitsune fall into two broad categories: zenko (Good Foxes) are the benevolent foxes associated with Inari. They are also called Inari Foxes. The other type is the yako (field foxes or nogitsune), and they are mischievous or sometimes malicious. There are other types as well like the ninko, which is an invisible fox spirit, only perceived when it possesses a person. Foxes are revered in Japan, and when one looks into the eye of the fox, what does the fox say?
…the world may never know.
Kitsune in Anime and Pop Culture
xxxHolic features a kuda-gitsune, or pipe fox, a type of fox spirit associated with objects such as pipes and flutes. It also features Kitsune in a few other episodes.
In Naruto, a kyūbi no kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, is sealed within Naruto Uzumaki.
Pokémon‘s Vulpix and Ninetales are inspired by the kitsune legend.
The Korean animated film Yobi, the Five-Tailed Fox follows a five-tailed fox who falls in love with a human boy.
In Kamisama Kiss (Kamisama Hajimemashita), Tomoe is a fox familiar who serves the land god.
The Korean drama My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho follows a young man who falls in love with a fox spirit.
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