The Mytholarium - Kitsune

Name: Kitsune, or Fox-Spirit
Country(s) of Origin: Japan, arguably influenced by Chinese and Korean fox-myths
Earliest Stories: 4th Century A.D.
Kitsune Links: The Kitsune Page, Kitsune in Folktales, Kitsune Lore

Image: Woodblock carving by Yoshitoshi, featured in the series "100 Views of the Moon."


The kitsune today is an occasional character in anime and manga, but it has very deep roots in the rich folklore of ancient Japan. The kitsune are fox spirits, creatures of many guises - seductive lovers, michevious tricksters, wanderers disguised among humans. Although they are know for being somewhat impish, even malignant in some stories, the kitsune are just as often featured as dedicated lovers and spouses or as sages.

The exact origin of kitsune stories is debateable. While it is agreed that the Japanese kitsune was influenced by Korean and Chinese fox folklore, there is still argument on how much. Some historians say the kitsune are part of a Japanese myth concept that dates back to the 5th century B.C.; this theory argues that the original kitsune of Japan was benevolent and that the Asian mainland influences only introduced the negative traits of the fox spirit. On the other side are those who say that the kitsune concept was delivered wholoesale from the mainland to Japan. It is hard to say for certain. What is sure is that by the 11th Century the kitsune had been thoroughly embraced into Japanese folklore, where they flourished.

There is no hard distinction between kitsune (simply, the Japanese word for fox) and kitsune the clever fox spirits - foxes are the chosen animal of the god Inari, and all foxes become supernatural beings if they live long enough. The power of an individual kitsune depends mostly on its age, with the creature gaining power as it grows older. Even young Kitsune, for example, can make themselves disappear and sometimes fly. At 100 years old, a kitsune gains the ability to shapeshift and take on human form, which they do frequently. At 1,000 years old, the kitsune gains a second tail, and gains another tail every thousand years thereafter until it reaches 8,000 years old. At this time it reaches the peak of its supernatual power, growing a ninth tail and turning gold or white. This is why white foxes are treated with particular reverence in Japanese mythology. Many stories credit the kitsune with other magical abilities, in particular the ability to generate a burst of kitsune-bi, or fox-fire, from their mouths or tails, and the ability to craft illusions or dazzling complexity that are often impossible to distinguish from reality.

The kitsune wer not shy creatures and meddled heavily in the affairs of humans; most stories invlove the fox spirits in human form, roving among the populace. Though the foxes can take on and shape the choose, the most popular forms were those of an old man, or a young women. Since kitsune are noted for their physical beauty, their human female form was thought to be equally beautiful - women with thin, arched features were called fox-faced and considered very attractive. What's more, men of medival Japan were wise to be politely cautious to any woman alone on the roads after dark, as she could well be a fox in disguise. Though the stunning human forms of foxes are featured in many bawdy cautionary tales, there are also many sotires of the kitsune marrying humans and even having children with them. Past ancestors of those lovely, fox-faced women? Perhaps, and the idea was certainly considered valid in ancient Japan. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, another common trait of the kitsune was that some part of their foxy nature remained apparent when they were in human form. Most often it was their tails. There is a story of a young man who noticed that the woman he was speaking with had a tail peeking from under her skirt. He politely said that her skirt had a snag and turned away so that she might smooth it - and for his manners, the kitsune rewarded him with good fortune.

The moral of the story? Always be courteous to foxes - because you never know with kitsune.

~Blue Nephelim Out