Ono, an inhabitant of Mino (says an ancient Japanese legend of A.D. 545), spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. I love reading anything on Kitsune! Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. They can make decadent mansions and dreamy gardens out of a graveyard. Kitsune keep their promises and strive to repay any favor. Families kept foxes as pets, believing the foxes would bring them wealth and success. Their powers are limited only by their imaginations, which, considering the Kitsune’s lively imagination, means that they are hardly limited at all! Fox and Tanuki Netsuke by Sukenaga, early 19th Century, V&A Museum. I love Japanese mythology and I was trying to find info on kitsune but I only saw Wikipedia sits and that is an unreliable source, but then I saw this and I was like: YAYYY! In the Persona series, a spinoff of the larger Megami Tensei video game series, Inari is a persona of Yusuke Kitagawa, who appears in a fox mask and tail. No two Kitsune are exactly alike, and all of them are complex characters! The most ancient one goes like this: (From the tale It comes back and sleeps written by monk Kyoukai in late VIII s. Or in the beginning of IX s.) Japanese tradition holds that fox possession can cause illiterate victims to temporarily gain the ability to read. The world Kitsune does not literally mean ‘Fox’. And throughout, they are attributed with great spiritual and supernatural significance. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. Hokuseido Press, Japan. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore and are akin to European faeries; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. In one case, the 16th-century leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi wrote a letter to the kami Inari:[61]. Kitsune: Japan's fox of mystery, romance and humor. And they can spend years in a human-shape, without ever being identified as a fox. Rain falling from a clear sky – a sunshower – is called kitsune no yomeiri or the kitsune's wedding, in reference to a folktale describing a wedding ceremony between the creatures being held during such conditions. They are cunning, sneaky, enigmatic and unpredictable. As yōkai, however, kitsune do not share human morality, and a kitsune who has adopted a house in this manner may, for example, bring its host money or items that it has stolen from the neighbors. Kitsune (Japanese Mythology) By Faid-Eyren Watch. Their high intelligence and boundless creativity make them hard to predict. Kitsune (狐, キツネ, IPA: [ki̥tsɯꜜne] (listen)) in the literal sense is the Japanese word for fox. If a kitsune offers a payment or reward that includes money or material wealth, part or all of the sum will consist of old paper, leaves, twigs, stones, or similar valueless items under a magical illusion. These legendary foxes have been delighting Japanese people for centuries, whether by celebrating a wedding with “foxfire” lanterns or making the village jerk run through the streets naked and give all his money away. ‘Kitsune’ is included in a large group of creatures known as Yokai (yōkai – demons, goblins, spirits, apparitions, leprechauns,) that are feared, admired, and worshiped almost as deities. [37] Symptoms include cravings for rice or sweet adzuki beans, listlessness, restlessness, and aversion to eye contact. See more ideas about Kitsune, Japanese mythology, Kitsune mask. 1961. She held orgies in the palace gardens. Folktales of China tell of fox spirits called húli jīng (Chinese: 狐狸精) that may have up to nine tails; these were adopted into Japanese culture as kyūbi no kitsune ('nine-tailed fox') which is covered in more detail below). For other uses, see, duplicate the appearance of a specific person, "Foxes in Japanese culture: beautiful or beastly? See more ideas about kitsune, kitsune fox, japanese folklore. [23] Kitsune can also be exposed while in human form by their fear and hatred of dogs, and some become so rattled by their presence that they revert to the form of a fox and flee. [12] Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful Kitsune; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. [73], Stephen Turnbull, in "Nagashino 1575", relates the tale of the Takeda clan's involvement with a fox-woman. [35] The superstition has lost favor, but stories of fox possession still occur, such as allegations that members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult had been possessed. Into grass in the Japanese word for fox.Foxes are a common symbol of Inari and representations of Inari... 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