Kitsune (Japanese: 狐)- Japanese name for fox. There are two subspecies of foxes in Japan: the Japanese red fox (Hondo kitsune, native to Honshu; Vulpes japonica) and the Hokkaido fox (kita kitsune, native to Hokkaido; Vulpes schrencki).
The image of a werewolf fox is characteristic only of Far Eastern mythology. Originating in China in ancient times, it was borrowed by the Koreans and 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 person; the fox, according to legend, learns to do this after reaching a certain age (usually a hundred years, although in some legends it is fifty). Kitsune usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they also turn into old men.
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”) and Chinese, which considered foxes to be werewolves, a race close to demons.
Other powers commonly attributed to kitsune include the ability to inhabit other people's bodies, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in others' dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality.
Some of the tales go further, speaking of kitsune with the ability to bend space and time, drive people mad, 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 force or spiritual force of people they come into contact with.
Sometimes kitsune are described as guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama, that is, “star ball”); it is stated that whoever takes possession of this ball can force the kitsune to help himself; one theory states that kitsune “store” part of their magic in this ball after transformation. Kitsune are required to keep their promises or face punishment by reducing 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. Foxes were originally the messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them has become so blurred that Inari himself is sometimes depicted as a fox. In Buddhism, they became famous thanks to the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, popular in the 9th-10th centuries in Japan, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox.
In folklore, a kitsune is a type 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 creatures or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that lives 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, having malice.
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 claim that kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found 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 fox's weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes.
TWO TAILS ==
THREE TAILS ===
FIVE TAILS =====
NINE TAILS =========
When kitsune receive nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi 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 either benevolent or malevolent. Chinese folklore also features "fox spirits" (Huli jing) with many similarities 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 path in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but in the case of attachment to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This is a rare type of kitsune that rewards a lucky few with its presence and assistance.
The Japanese have a twofold attitude towards charming and intelligent creatures from another world. It's a mixture of adoration and fear. Kitsune has a complex character that can make a demon either man's best friend or a mortal enemy. Depending on who the fox is with
In Japanese folklore, kitsune are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones. Trickster kitsune use their magical powers to play pranks: those shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful people, while more cruel kitsune seek to torment poor merchants, farmers, and Buddhist monks.
It is believed that red foxes can set fire to homes, carrying 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 humanity. Very lucky will be those people who, by chance, suddenly settle on land sacred to kitsune. Such happy families are called “kitsune-mochi”: the foxes are obliged to follow them everywhere, protect them from all sorts of harm, and anyone who offends the kitsune-mochi will face serious illness.
By the way, foxes also suffered a lot from people. For a long time, the Japanese believed that a person who tasted kitsune meat became 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 throughout the entire area were mercilessly exterminated.
Kitsune are also often described as lovers. Such stories usually involve a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes the kitsune is assigned the role of a seductress, but often such stories are rather romantic. In such stories, a young man usually marries a beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and gives great value her devotion. Many such stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of a fox entity, after which the kitsune must leave her husband.
And at the same time, there is no sweeter bride and wife than a kitsune. Having fallen in love, they are ready to make any sacrifice for their chosen one.
The oldest known story of fox wives, which provides the folk etymology of 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 afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. Kitsune prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for several years and you have given me several children, I cannot simply 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 the next morning in the form of a fox. After that, she began to be 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 attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have such extraordinary powers is the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei, who was a han'yō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.
Rain falling out of 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- "stalking fox", a type of Reiko.
Cuco or Cuyuco(in the sense of “u” with the sound “yu”) - “air fox”, extremely bad and harmful. Has 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 fox messenger from Inari and "Nogitsune" - foxes that commit mischief and trick people. However, this is not a real demon, but rather a mischief-maker, prankster and trickster. Their behavior is reminiscent of Loki from Scandinavian mythology.
Reiko- "ghost fox", sometimes not on the side of Evil, but definitely not good.
Tenko- "divine fox". Kitsune who reached the age of 1000 years. They usually have 9 tails (and sometimes a golden skin), but each of them is either very “bad” or benevolent and wise, like Inari’s messenger.
Shakko- "red fox". 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 do not in any way appropriate them.
I just wanted to illustrate interesting articles.
I've included sources where possible, but I found most of them through Google.
If there are any complaints, write to me in a personal message, I will fix everything.
http://ru.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://isismashiro.deviantart.com/
http://www.vokrugsveta.ru/telegraph/theory/1164/
And finally, this kawaii cutie ^_____^ 
So, who are kitsune? What are they? What do they own and where did they come from? In search of an answer to these questions, I scoured many sources of information and my labors were not in vain. And now you can evaluate the results of my labors.
Kitsune (狐) is the Japanese name for fox. In folklore, a kitsune is a type 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 creatures or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that lives 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, having malicious intent. These creatures are found in different folklore works peoples of the East. For example, in Japan there are two subspecies of foxes: the Japanese red fox (Hondo kitsune, native to Honshu; Vulpes vulpes japonica) and the Hokkaido fox (Kita kitsune, native to Hokkaido; Vulpes vulpes schrencki). The image of the werewolf fox, the spirit fox, is very common in Asia. In China and Korea, the fox is usually only interested in human blood. In the Land of the Rising Sun, the image of the werewolf fox is much more multifaceted, although even here they sometimes indulge in vampirism. Kiyoshi Nozaki, a famous researcher of legends about kitsune, proves in his works the autochthonous nature of Japanese legends about were-foxes. Whereas similar stories from the continent, in his opinion, only superimposed on top of those that had existed since time immemorial - and gave the “original Japanese friends of man” sinister features. Whether this is true or not is up to you to judge - I find kitsune attractive and interesting exactly as they are. In all their contradictions, with a rather harmful, but deep and noble character. After all, Japanese culture, unlike the continental one, since the Heian era, it places a person higher, the more facets and contradictions he has. Integrity is good in battle, but in everyday life it is a sign of primitivism, the Japanese believe.
Now, I would like to tell you where the kitsuns came from.
Most sources agree that some people who led a righteous, secretive and obscure lifestyle become kitsune after death. After the kitsune is born, it grows and gains strength. A young kitsune, as a rule, engages in mischief among people, and also enters into romantic relationships with them of varying degrees of seriousness - in such stories, one-tailed foxes are almost always involved. A kitsune reaches adulthood at the age of 50-100, at which time he acquires the ability to change shape. Level The strength of a werefox depends on age and rank - which is determined by the number of tails and the color of the skin. In addition, very young kitsune often betray themselves by their inability to hide their tail - apparently, they are still learning transformations, often even more so. high level gives a shadow or reflection. This is how, for example, Kuzunoha, the mother of Abe no Seimei, discovered herself.
You can also consider the abilities of a kitsune. As it turned out, the main ability of a kitsune is the adoption of a human form; according to legend, a kitsune improves its ability to transform after living for 100 years (some sources say that after 50 years)... Kitsune usually take on the form seductive beauty, pretty young girl, but sometimes they turn into old men. 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 ( good example Legend - “Fox-weight”) and the Chinese, who considered foxes to be werewolves, a family close to demons. In general, kitsune in Japanese mysticism are divided into two categories: those in the service of Inari “Tenko” (Heavenly Foxes), and “Nogitsune” ( Free Foxes). However, it seems that the line between them is very thin and arbitrary.
But transformation is not their only talent; in Japanese folklore, these animals have great knowledge, long life and magical abilities. Kitsune also have the ability to inhabit other people's bodies, breathe out or otherwise create fire, appear in other people's dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, speaking of kitsune with the ability to bend space and time, drive people mad, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky. Interestingly, kitsune are not tied to the phases of the moon; they are capable of much deeper transformations than ordinary werewolves. Occasionally, kitsune are attributed characteristics characteristic of vampires: they feed on the life force or spiritual force of people with whom they come into contact. Sometimes kitsune are described as guarding a round or pear-shaped object (hoshi no tama, that is, “star ball”); it is stated that whoever takes possession of this ball can force the kitsune to help himself; one theory states that kitsune “store” part of their magic in this ball after transformation. Kitsune are required to keep their promises or face punishment by reducing their rank or power level. It is worth paying attention to the representation of kitsune in the form of vampires. One of the legends says that kitsune is very similar to a vampire, they also drink human blood and kill people. However, fairy-elves also sin with this - and, as a rule, both take harsh measures in order to take revenge for an intentional or accidental insult. Although sometimes they do this, as they say, out of love for art. Sometimes, however, foxes limit themselves to energy vampirism - feeding vital forces those around you.
Let's talk about the kitsune's tail.
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 claim that kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails. Five and seven-tailed kitsune, often black, usually appear in front of a person when they need it, without hiding their essence. The Nine-Tails are the elite kitsune, at least 1000 years old. Nine-tailed foxes typically have silver, white, or gold coats and a ton of high magical abilities. They are part of Inari no Kami's retinue, serve as her 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. According to legend, Koan, another famous mystic, turned to the nine-tailed kitsune at the end of his earthly life.
When kitsune receive nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi 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 either benevolent or malevolent. Chinese folklore also has "fox spirits" (Huli jing) similar to kitsune in many ways, 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 fox's weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox that has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes... By the way, according to some legends, kitsune are capable of changing gender and age if necessary...
Now I would like to talk about some representatives of kitsune.
One of the famous Kitsune is the great guardian spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian spirit and protector who helps young “lost” souls on their path in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but in the case of attachment to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This is a rare type of kitsune that rewards a lucky few with its presence and assistance.
By the way, I would like to note that most often in folklore, kitsune are often described as deceivers, sometimes very evil ones. Trickster kitsune use their magical powers to play pranks: those shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful people, while more cruel kitsune seek to torment poor merchants, farmers, and Buddhist monks.
The most interesting thing is that very often kitsune are described as lovers. Such stories usually involve a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes the kitsune is assigned the role of a seductress, but often such stories are rather romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries the beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many such stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of a fox entity, after which the kitsune must leave her husband.
The oldest known story of fox wives, which provides the folk etymology of 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 afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. Kitsune prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for several years and you have given me several children, I cannot simply 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 the next morning in the form of a fox. After that, she began to be 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 attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have such extraordinary powers is the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei, who was a hanyō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.
Rain falling out of a clear sky is sometimes called kitsune no yomeiri or “kitsune wedding.”
The names of Japanese kitsune are well represented
1) Bakemono-Kitsune - they, in turn, are magical or demonic foxes. Example: Reiko, Kiko or Koryo, that is, those foxes that do not have a tangible form.
2) Byakko - means “white fox”. Meeting her is a kind of very good omen, since it is believed that this particular fox serves the god Inari and acts as a kind of messenger of the Gods. It is worth immediately noting that the spelling of the name Byakko, which refers to a fox, and the same name, but which refers to the Divine Tiger, who is the ruler of the West, are different, so they should not be confused and associated.
3) Genko - translated means “black fox”. Meeting her is also usually good sign, just like with Byakko.
4) Yako or Yakan - almost any kind of fox, in its own way the same as Kitsune.
5) Kiko - a ghostly fox, is a type of Reiko.
6) Koryo - “fox-stalker”, also a type of Reiko.
7) Cuco - also called the “air fox”, this animal is very angry and loves intrigues. In Japanese mythology it is placed on a par with Tengu (which is a Japanese type of troll)
8) Nogitsune - “wild fox”. This word is also used to distinguish between “good” and “bad” foxes. Sometimes the Japanese use “Kitsune” to denote the “good” fox that is the messenger of Inari and “Nogitsune” - foxes that commit mischief and deceive people. But they are not demons, but rather just mischief-makers and jokers.
9) Reiko - “ghost fox”. It is impossible to definitely attribute this fox to the forces of evil, but at the same time it is definitely a bad spirit. Simply put, in the middle between good and evil, and at the same time has a tendency towards bad things. As for me - gray mediocrity.
10) Tenko or Amagitsune is a kind of “divine fox”. This is our Kitsune, who has reached 1000 years of age. The main distinguishing feature of Tenko is its nine tails (and sometimes there is also a golden skin).
11) Tamamo-No-Mae is a demonic version of Tenko. This fox is deceptively beautiful, a very aggressive and powerful demon. This is also one of the most famous demon foxes in Japanese folklore. (Reminder: Kyuubi is a guardian spirit, he is kind among the Japanese.)
12) Shakko - “red fox”. They are considered both forces of good and forces of evil. It is believed that this is the same as Kitsune. Or, more simply put, another name for Kitsune.
Foxes in Chinese mythology.
China is the main source of the spread of fox spirits to other countries (Korea, Japan) and also the place where these animals spread and settled most in the culture. Chinese foxes are: libertines, great scholars, faithful lovers, professional seducers, poltergeists, tricksters, avengers and drinking companions. This is their difference from Japanese fox spirits - they are always inseparably present and live with people, which contributes to their moralizing function. Also, Chinese foxes can transform into any person they want, which is beyond the control of Japanese Kitsune. But on the other hand, they cannot turn into anyone other than people. And Chinese philosophy explains this by saying that only people know the achievement of immortality and the comprehension of wisdom, which foxes strive for. Therefore, there is no point in turning into something other than a person.
1)-Hu – actually, the fox in person.
2) - Khujin is a fox spirit, literally translated as “beautiful fox.”
3) - Khushian - they call immortal foxes.
4) - Jingwei Hu (Jiuweihu) - a fox with nine tails. It was believed that a person who ate its meat may not be afraid of poisons.
5) - Long Zhi is their nine-headed and nine-tailed cannibal fox. (The snake Gorynych can’t compete with her here in terms of the number of heads and tails - definitely, only maybe Hydra from Greece)
6) -Laohu is an old fox. In China, formally, all fox spirits are old, since the ability to transform into a person depends on their age. Laohu is even older than the other foxes. In addition, Laohu is the only fox species that does not have a sexual function, and this is most likely due to their age. There are theories about the absence of gender in Laohu.
Foxes in Korean mythology.
Here we will look at one species that interests us the most - the thousand-year-old nine-tailed fox - Kumiho. This werefox in Korean mythology is always female and a demon. Their gumiho is a seductress, a cunning wife, and even at times a succubus (the main goal of succubi is to turn the male population into slaves and feed on their energy until their death) or a vampire. In short, a bloodthirsty creature whose ultimate goal is to kill the victim. And such a bloodthirsty werewolf fox is the only representative who kills with his own hands among the countries of the rising sun.
This is what they are, these creatures, subjects of the goddess Inari. Cheerful and angry, romantic and cynical, prone to both terrible crimes and sublime self-sacrifice. Possessing enormous magical capabilities, but sometimes suffering defeat due to purely human weaknesses. Drinking human blood and energy - and becoming the most devoted of friends and spouses...
Fox charms
“The heavenly fox has nine tails and golden fur; she can penetrate into the secrets of the universe, based on the alternation of male and female principles.”
The fox envelops the person who loves her with an evil obsession, not allowing him to live peacefully in his own home and ordering him to sacrifice the most pressing issues of conscience. She seduces the unfortunate man with her inhuman beauty and, taking advantage of his love, drinks the juices of his life, and then throws him as a victim of death and goes to hunt for another. The Fox turns him into a soulless executor of his orders, orders him to act as if in a dream, losing the feeling of true life.
But by interfering in a person’s life in this way, the fox does not always act evil. It is true that she fools stupid people, mocks the greedy and rude, hunting for happiness that was not written in their race. It is true that she cruelly punishes for debauchery, and most importantly, for treachery and meanness in relation mainly to herself - but how can all this be compared with those inhuman joys that are created by the appearance in the gray and wretched life of a person of a seductive beauty who immerses into true happiness, for which man walking to everything, even to his obvious death.
The fox comes to the person herself, becomes a delightful lover and faithful friend, good genius protecting his friend from evil people. She appears in the life of a scientist even more subtle than he himself, and delights him with an indescribable charm, which is especially dear to a man married to an illiterate, half-animal woman who guards his hearth and does not at all claim inexhaustible loving attention and which unfolds all his complexity. personality, resurrects it. With a light heart he rushes towards his death.
Lisa is not only a woman. She can also appear to a person in the form of a man. This will be a finely educated scientist, a conversation with whom will inspire the spirit; he will be a comrade and friend, selflessly and sincerely devoted, looking for an answer in the depths of someone else's soul, but indignant and executing his comrade for any attempt to use his divine power to please his rude appetite. The fox lives with a person, is no different except for his characteristic oddities, but sometimes he is invisible and sends his charms only to his chosen one, whose heart is not chained by philistine fear and blind tales. The invisible fox is still the same devoted friend, sometimes, however, incomprehensible in his actions, more like the actions of an enemy, but then he really turns out to be genuine gold.
Bringing a fatal charm to a person, leading him to the borders of death, the fox itself brings him healing, helping like nothing in the world. She keeps the pill eternal life, burning in the eternal radiance of the pale witch of the moon and capable of reviving even a decomposed corpse. And before becoming the immortal genius of the above-ground spheres, she once again intervenes in a person’s life and brings him peace and happiness.
From the foreword by Academician V.A. Alekseev to the collection of stories by Pu Songling “Fox Charms”
The very first Japanese legend about foxes was set out in three books of the 8th and 12th centuries. And it sounds like this:
During the reign of Emperor Kimmei (540–571), a man from the Ono region of Mino Province went in search of a good wife. Much time had passed since he met in the field beautiful woman and asked her: “Will you become my wife?” She agreed; he married her and took her into his home. After some time, they had a child. But then there was a puppy in the house who constantly barked at the owner. She asked her husband to kill the animal, because she was very afraid of dogs, but he, although he loved his wife very much, did not agree. One day the woman felt as if a dog was biting her, but the puppy jumped away barking, because suddenly the frightened woman turned into a fox, climbed the fence and sat there. Then the husband, looking at his wife who had turned into a fox, said: “We lived together for a long time, and we had a child, so I cannot forget you. Always come to this house at least for the night.” She acted in accordance with her husband’s words and came to the house each time only to spend the night. Therefore, she was given the name “Ki-tsune” (岐都禰), “always coming.”
There is another famous story about were-foxes described in the famous
“Notes on the Search for Spirits” (Sou Shen Tzu) by the great Gan Bao - Juan XIX, story 425. It was from her that Pelevin started in “The Sacred Book of the Werewolf.” Although, in my opinion, the theme of were-foxes is not completely explored in him, the ancient legends sound more interesting and convincing, although they are small in volume. Late Han is 6-189 AD. ne.
During the Later Han, during the Jian-an years, a native of Peiguo County named Chen Xian was the military governor of Xihai. Buqu, from his personal guard Wang Ling-Xiao, fled for an unknown reason. Xian even wanted to execute him. After some time, Xiao ran away a second time. Xian could not find him for a long time and therefore put his wife in prison. But when his wife answered all the questions without concealment, Xian realized: “Everything is clear, he was taken away evil spirits. We need to find him."
And so the governor, with several dozen foot and horsemen, having captured hunting dogs, began to scour the walls of the city, tracking down the fugitive. And in fact, Xiao was discovered in an empty tomb. The werewolf, hearing the voices of people and dogs, disappeared. The people sent by Xian brought Xiao back. In appearance he was completely like a fox; there was almost nothing human left in him. I could only mutter: “A-Tzu!” About ten days later he gradually began to come to his senses and then said:
“When the fox came for the first time, a beautiful woman appeared in the far corner of the house between the chicken roosts. Calling herself A-Tzu, she began to beckon me to her. And this happened more than once, until I, without expecting it, followed her call. She immediately became my wife, and that same evening we ended up in her house... I don’t remember the meeting with the dogs, but I was glad as never before.
“This is mountain evil,” the Taoist fortuneteller determined.
The Notes on the Illustrious Mountains says: “In ancient times, the fox was a depraved woman, and her name was A-Tzu. Then she turned into a fox.”
This is why werewolves of this kind mostly call themselves A-Tzu.
A-Tzu may look something like this, her look is appropriate.
At the end of the article I would like to say that it is a pleasure to write about such interesting creatures...
Mythology: Kitsune (狐) Nine-tailed demon fox
Kyuubi (actually a kitsune). They are considered smart, cunning creatures that can transform into people. They obey Inari, the goddess of cereal plants. These animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical abilities. Chief among them, I repeat, 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 it is fifty). Kitsune usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they also turn into old men. Other powers commonly attributed to kitsune include the ability to inhabit other people's bodies, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in others' dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, speaking of kitsune with the ability to bend space and time, drive people mad, or take on such inhuman or fantastic forms as trees of indescribable height or a second moon in the sky.
Kitsune are associated with both Shinto and Buddhist beliefs. In Shinto, kitsune are associated with Inari, the patron deity of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Foxes were originally the messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them has become so blurred that Inari himself is sometimes depicted as a fox. In Buddhism, they became famous thanks to the Shingon school of secret Buddhism, popular in the 9th-10th centuries in Japan, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox.
In folklore, a kitsune is a type 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 creatures or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that lives 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.
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 claim that kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found in fairy tales almost always have one, five, or nine tails.
When kitsune receive nine tails, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi 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 gumiho (literally "nine-tailed fox"), but the Korean fox is always depicted as evil, unlike the Japanese fox, which can be either benevolent or malevolent. Chinese folklore also features "fox spirits" with many similarities 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 fox's weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes.
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 path in the current incarnation. Kyuubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but in the case of attachment to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This is a rare type of kitsune that rewards a lucky few with its presence and assistance.
In Japanese folklore, kitsune are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones. Trickster kitsune use their magical powers to play pranks: those shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful people, while more cruel kitsune seek to torment poor merchants, farmers, and Buddhist monks.
Kitsune are also often described as lovers. Such stories usually involve a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes the kitsune is assigned the role of a seductress, but often such stories are rather romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries the beauty (not knowing that she is a fox) and attaches great importance to her devotion. Many such stories have a tragic element: they end with the discovery of a fox entity, after which the kitsune must leave her husband.
The oldest known story about fox wives, which provides the folk etymology of 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 afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. Kitsune prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for several years and you have given me several children, I cannot simply 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 the next morning in the form of a fox. After that, she began to be 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 attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have such extraordinary powers is the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei, who was a han'yō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.
Rain falling out of a clear sky is sometimes called kitsune no yomeiri or “kitsune wedding.”
Many people believe that kitsune came to Japan from China.
This type of mythological character, like magic foxes, is characteristic of all of East Asia. In contrast to the traditional ideas among European and Central Asian peoples about werewolves as originally anthropomorphic creatures that turn into zoomorphic demons, a completely different type prevails in the beliefs of China, which were later borrowed by the Japanese. These are animals that have lived for hundreds of years, capable of taking on human form, as well as casting illusions and casting spells. These beliefs are based on the concept of jing: “in Chinese mythology, the substance contained in every living creature.
According to the Taoist concept, at the moment of a person’s birth, a spirit (shen), which is like a soul, is formed by combining the vital breath coming from outside with the substance jing. With the death of a person, the jing disappears." The jing energy of all creatures steadily increases with age; animals finally become able to turn into people and chase them.
This Chinese concept echoes the Slavic idea of the danger emanating from a creature that has “lived in the world,” “eating someone else’s century,” 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 towards vampirism.
The Japanese most often remembered magical foxes when talking about some strange and mysterious phenomena. Particularly interesting are the examples where the tricks of foxes are contrasted with belief in ghosts. For example, in Ueda Akinari's story "A Night in the Reeds" (collection "Moon in the Fog", 1768) we are talking about ghosts.
However, the idea that he had met a ghost did not immediately occur to the protagonist when he woke up the next day and found that his wife had disappeared, and the house to which he had returned 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 in which he was was undoubtedly his own home, although it fell into extreme desolation".
In the story “The Cauldron of the Kibitsu Temple” from the same collection, the friend of the protagonist, who saw the ghost of his dead wife, consoles him: “It was, of course, the fox who deceived you.”3 There is an even more eloquent legend called “The Road of the Spirits of the Dead,” where the main character, a skeptic, also did not believe in ghosts: “They say it’s perfume, but in fact it was just someone’s dream, that’s all. It’s foxes, who else!”.
The main features of beliefs about magical foxes were borrowed by the Japanese from China. W. A. Kasal writes about it this way: “Belief 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, capable of taking on a human form and fooling people, were described in the literature of the Han Dynasty, 202 BC - 221 AD Since animism was always inherent in the Japanese, the belief in magical foxes was relatively easily accepted."
The Ainu also have beliefs associated with the fox. Thus, A. B. Spevakovsky reports: “The silver fox (shitumbe kamuy) was almost always considered by the Ainu as a “good”, kind animal. At the same time, the red fox was considered an unreliable kamuy, capable of causing harm to humans.”.
It is about the red fox as a character in lower mythology that we find a lot of information. Tironnup is a skilled werewolf who can take the form of both a man and a woman.
There is a legend about how Tironnup turned into a young man to find a bride. At the competition, he amazed everyone with his jumping skill, and the bride would have already been his if someone had not noticed the tip of his tail visible from under his clothes. The red fox was killed.
Legends about a fox taking the form of a beautiful girl also most often end with someone seeing their tail. The Ainu believe that contact between a person 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 human possession by a fox. Most often this happens to women (the same can be seen in Japanese material, this will be discussed below), this condition is called tusu.
However, all borrowings must fall on a base prepared for this: there is no doubt that the Japanese themselves had a certain layer of beliefs associated with foxes. A 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 celestial snow-white fox.
Fox statues are an integral part of shrines in his honor, and 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 (cooked rice; designation of food in general). The name Inari itself means "rice man" (the root "ine" is supplemented with "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”, which, among others, was written about by J. Frazer.
Lafcadio Hearn points out that Inari was often worshiped as a healing deity; but more often he was considered a god who brought wealth (perhaps because all wealth in Old Japan was counted in koku rice). That is why his foxes are often depicted holding keys in their mouths. M. W. de Visser in the 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 were-foxes, which is pointed out by the Japanese ethnologist Kiyoshi Nozaki: “It should be noted that foxes in the service of Inari have nothing in common 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 of Kyoto was precisely the expulsion and punishment of these nogitsune." Nogitsune are were-foxes. 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 appears under the name Tenko and appears in the form of a beautiful celestial maiden with many fox tails. Nogitsune foxes are presented there as the main antagonists: they strive 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 the collection "Otogi-boko" by Asai Ryoi there is a story called "The Story of the Fox that Absorbed the Energy of the Daimyo." The process of turning a fox into a human is described in detail there: "Walking along the banks of the Shinohara River in the dim light of a foggy autumn evening, he(the main character of the story) saw a fox who was praying furiously, turning to the north, standing on hind legs, with a human skull on his head. Every time the fox bowed in prayer, the skull fell 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 attached to the head. The fox read the prayer about a hundred times.". After this, the fox turns into a young girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old.
Not all foxes could turn into humans. W. 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 one hundred years. Those who have crossed this threshold are already admitted to heaven, they become “heavenly foxes.” Their fur takes on a golden hue, and instead nine tails grow. They serve in the halls of the Sun and Moon and know all the secrets of nature.".
In the Kabuki theater play "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Sakura" 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 "Stories 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 don't always do it well. In Kenko-hoshi's Notes from Boredom, 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. “Oh! It’s a fox!” everyone made a noise, and the fox ran away in confusion. It must have been an inexperienced fox, and it didn’t succeed in transforming itself properly.”.
This aspect directly resonates with Chinese beliefs: "In the minds of the Chinese, there were several, so to speak, age categories magical foxes. The lowest are young foxes, capable of magic, but limited in transformations; then there are foxes, capable of a wider range of transformations: they can become an ordinary woman, a beautiful maiden, or a man. In human form, a fox can enter into relationships with real people, seduce them, fool them so that they forget about everything<...>as a result, the fox can significantly increase its magical capabilities, 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, get closer to the heavenly world (often just about this the fox is said to be white or nine-tailed), having left the vain world of people".
The Chinese tradition as a whole is characterized by the idea that the vital spirit (jing) of all creatures steadily strengthens with age, and the increasing strength of foxes with age is another manifestation of this.
It is quite simple to recognize a fox that has turned into a human: it most often remains with a fox tail. In the legend about a fox named Kuzunoha, the mother of the famous wizard Abe no Seimei, the fox, transformed into a young beautiful woman, admired the flowers, but in her admiration did not notice that her tail became visible through the hem of her kimono. He was noticed by her son, Abe no Seimei, who was then seven years old. After this, his mother leaves a farewell poem and goes back into the forest, taking on 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 story from Konjaku Monogatari called “The Fox Who Turned into a Wife,” the main character unexpectedly meets not one, but two wives at home. He realizes that one of them is a fox. He begins to threaten them both, the women burst into tears, but only when he tightly grabs the fox’s hand, as if he wants to tie it, does it break free, take on its true form and run away.
The author of the work himself gives advice: "The samurai was angry at the fox for fooling him. But it was too late. He should have known right away, so it was his own fault. First of all, he should have tied up both women, and the fox would have eventually taken his true form.".
Foxes are immediately recognized by dogs. This idea is first heard in a story from “Nihon ryoiki” - “The Lay of the Fox and Her Son”: the fox wife, frightened by the dog, takes on her true form and runs away into the forest. In the otogijoshi "The Fox of Kowato", the fox Kishiu Gozen leaves the home where she was a wife and mother because her son was given a dog. Davis Headland notes that the word "dog" written on a child's forehead was protection against the witchcraft of foxes and badgers. He also points out another way to identify a fox: “If the shadow of a female fox accidentally falls on the water, it will reflect a fox, not a 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 "uti...de" instead of "uti des ka?" U. A. Kasal reports on the evolution of this method of recognizing a fox in modern society: according to popular belief, a fox cannot say the word “moshi-moshi.”
The fox says “moshi” once, and then says something incomprehensible, or says the next “moshi” 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 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 driven out by a priest who noticed that the samurai in love with the transformed fox looked bad.
He tells him the following: "You are under a spell. Your energy is being consumed by a monster, and your life is in danger unless we do something immediately. I am 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 transformed into a human many years ago.
It can be noted that foxes are no strangers to vampirism. The same motif can be seen in Chinese beliefs about foxes. I. A. Alimov writes: “It is a marital relationship with a person that is the fox’s ultimate goal, since in the process of sexual relations she receives from a man his vital energy, which she needs to improve her magical capabilities<...>outwardly this is expressed in a sharp loss of weight (“skin and bones”) and general weakness. Ultimately, the person dies from exhaustion of vitality."
However, it is believed that marriage with a fox produces children endowed with miraculous abilities. In addition, despite the tendency towards vampirism of Japanese magic foxes, their husbands are often sincerely sad about their beloved ones, whom they left, and this sadness is explained by human reasons, and not at all by bewitchment.
In addition, the fox can transform into different things, animals and plants. “The Story of the Fox Who Was Killed While Pretending to Be a Tree” from Konjaku Monogatari tells how the nephew of the high Shinto priest Nakadayu and his servant, while walking, saw a huge cedar tree that had not been there before. They decide to check whether it is a real cedar or not and shoot it with a bow. The next moment the tree disappears, and in its place a dead fox is found with two arrows in its side. B. H. Chamberlain recounts a highly publicized case in 1889.
It was a story about a fox who took the form of a train on the Tokyo-Yokohama line. The ghost train was moving towards the present and, it seemed, was about to collide with it. The driver of the real train, seeing that all his signals were useless, increased his speed, and at the moment of the collision the phantom suddenly disappeared, and in its place was a downed fox.
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, the 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.
Having again turned into a beautiful girl, under the name Bao Si, she entered the harem of Emperor Yu-wang of the Zhou dynasty. She soon became a queen, still heartless and treacherous. “There was only one thing that was not to Yu-wan’s heart: Bao Si never laughed, nothing made her smile. And in that foreign country there was a custom: if there was a rebellion somewhere, they lit bonfires and beat big drums, summoning the warriors. Bonfires These were called "feng huo" - signal lights. One day an armed riot began and the signal lights came on. "So many lights! How beautiful!" - Bao Si exclaimed when she saw these lights and smiled for the first time. And her smile alone contained endless charm...".
The emperor, for the sake of his wife’s pleasure, ordered signal fires to be burned day and night, although there was no need for this. Soon the warriors 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, taking on its real form, flew to Japan (according to another version, it died along with the emperor and was reborn in Japan).
In Japan, the fox was named Tamamo no Mae. She took on a dazzling appearance beautiful girl and became a court lady. One day at midnight, when a holiday was being 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.
Then Tamamo no Mae turned into a fox and fled to the Nasu Plain. She killed people on her way. By order of the emperor, two courtiers went after her. But the fox turned into the Sessho-Seki stone, which killed everyone who approached it. Even birds fell dead while flying over it. Only in the XIII century. a Buddhist monk named Genno destroyed it with the power of his prayers. T. W. Johnson notes that this Japanese legend looks as if it was transformed from a Chinese legend, which in turn may have had an Indian basis.
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 "Faithful Vassals of the Foxes" tells how a rice merchant named Monbye, passing 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 little fox right in the head - he died on the spot.
After this, the foxes took revenge on Monbøe himself and members of his family for a long time, introducing themselves to them either as guards of the steward or pretending to be a funeral ceremony. Eventually the foxes shaved their heads and that was the end of it. The story of a fox cutting off his hair was quite common. The story "The Fox Named Genkuro" talks about a fox whose main pastimes were cutting off women's hair and breaking clay pots. When in Edo at the end of the 18th century. a maniac appeared who cut off women's hair, he was called the "hair-cutting fox."
However, usually the fox only bewitches one person. A frequent plot of stories is when a fox, having turned into a beautiful girl, takes a man with her to her “home”. "The Story of a Man Driven Mad by a Fox and Saved by the Goddess of Mercy" from Konjaku Monogatari tells 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 the Samurai Hosted by Foxes," the main character was found in a fox hole, and he himself believed that he was in a magnificent estate and playing sugoroku with the aunt of the princess he had previously saved. . Creating illusions with a fox also involves time management.
In the legend "The Adventures of Visu" the main character 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 midday hours, he saw that one of the playing women had made the wrong move. “Wrong, beautiful lady!” Vis exclaimed excitedly. Immediately both strangers turned into foxes and ran away.”.
Foxes, despite their bestial nature, are still characters from the other world. Therefore, it is not surprising that their time flows according to the laws of another world. On the other hand, perhaps there is some hint here that games of Go do sometimes take a very long time - they can last for months.
Fox charms have become a proverb in Japan. There is an episode in Genji Monogatari where Prince Genji is mistaken for a werefox because he wears a regular hunting dress, but acts too polite for someone 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 submitted to him, thinking: “Well, apparently, so be it.”.
The fox bewitches people by wagging its tail. This motif is central to the story told by a resident of Kobe, Miyagi Prefecture.
The narrator sees a man sitting under a large tree in a deserted place. He behaves like a madman: he bows to someone, laughs cheerfully and seems to be drinking sake from a cup. The fox sitting behind him stretched out his tail to its full length and with its tip it seemed to be drawing 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 people, 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 leveled forests, caused rivers to flow backward, and entire villages and their inhabitants were buried alive.
However, the old peasant, who observed all this, standing on the top of a neighboring mountain, looked at the disaster indifferently, as if theatrical performance.
He saw a black column of ash that rose to a height of 20 thousand pounds and then fell, taking the shape of a giant umbrella and blocking the sun. He felt a strange rain begin to fall, burning like water in a hot spring.
After that everything went black; the mountain beneath him shook, thunder rang out, so terrible, as if the whole world had broken in half. However, the peasant remained unperturbed until it was all over. He decided not to be afraid of anything, because he was sure: 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 famous 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 nearby are illuminated; fox wedding
Ando Hiroshige's engraving "Fox Lights at the Iron Tree of Dressing in Oji" from the series "One Hundred Views of Edo" depicts a whole flock of white foxes, with a small light hovering at the nose of each of them, supported by its breath. According to a story from the collection “Issho-wa” (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 Her a Precious Ball,” a white stone is described, for the return of which the fox not only left the woman she had possessed before, but also saved the life of the one who returned the stone.
An interesting phenomenon is “kitsune no yomeiri” - “fox wedding”. This is what they call 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 story “The Fox's 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 that evening.
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 guest's generosity, readily agrees. The wedding procession arrives around midnight, all lit up with lights. She boards 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 inhabit people. This state was usually called "kitsune-tsuki", or "kitsune-tai" - "obsession with a fox." B. H. Chamberlain writes about this: “Obsession with a fox (kitsune-tsuki) is a form of nervous disorder 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 in whom she has taken possession. The result is a double existence of a person and his double consciousness. The possessed person hears and understands everything that the fox says or thinks from within; they often enter into loud and fierce arguments, and the fox speaks in a voice completely different from the usual voice of this person. ".
Lafcadio Hearn describes those possessed by foxes: “The madness of those possessed by a fox is mysterious. Sometimes they run naked through the streets, screaming desperately. Sometimes they fall on their backs and yap like foxes, foaming at the mouth. Sometimes those possessed suddenly develop a strange tumor under their skin that seems to live Poke it with your own life and it will immediately move. And even with force it is impossible to squeeze it without slipping between your fingers. how foxes moved in. They only eat what foxes are believed to love: tofu (bean curd), aburaage.(fried tofu) azuki-mashi(red adzuki beans cooked with rice) etc. - and they consume all this with great eagerness, claiming that it is not they who are hungry, but the foxes that have taken possession of them.".
The story about the introduction of a fox into a person is found in “Nihon ryoiki” (scroll 3, story two). A sick man comes to the monk Eigo and asks him to cure him. For many days, Eigo tried to banish the disease, but the patient did not get better. And then, “swearing to cure him at all costs, [Eigo] continued to read spells. Then the spirit took possession of the sick man, and he said: “I am a fox and will not yield to you. Monk, stop fighting me." [Eigo] asked: "What's the matter?" [Spirit] replied: "This man killed me in my last birth, and I take revenge on him. When he dies, he will be reborn as a dog and will 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 fox obsession can be found in Kon-jaku Monogatari. The legend is called "The story of the warlord Toshihito, who hired a fox for his guest, using his power over her." It tells how Toshihito, on the way to his own estate, catches a fox and demands that it bring news of the arrival of him and his guest. When they arrive at the estate, the amazed servants tell them the following: "At about eight o'clock 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 can run. He told me to find the estate and hand it over to the people so that they would bring two saddled horses to Takashima by ten in the morning. If I don’t hand it over, then I will be punished." ".
In the story “The Fox the Matchmaker” from the collection “Mimi-bukuro” (compiled by Negishi Shizue, 18th century) there is a story about the introduction of a fox into a dishonest man who promised the girl to marry her, but he himself 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, which possesses her deceiving lover, tells the whole story to his father and demands a receipt from him that he will definitely organize the wedding ceremony.
During the Heian era (794 - 1185), fox possession was considered a kind of disease. Even then it was believed that foxes came in different ranks, depending on their strength. When a person is possessed by a low-ranking fox, he simply begins to shout something like: “I am Inari-kami-sama!” or “Give me azuki-mashi!”
When a person is possessed by a top-ranking fox, it is very difficult to understand. The person looks sick and lethargic, he spends most of his time in oblivion, sometimes only coming to his senses. Despite this, the possessed person cannot sleep at night, and he needs constant supervision, since the fox's victim will try to commit suicide.
The belief about fox possession survived virtually unchanged until the beginning of the 20th century. If a person fell ill with something and had symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations and a morbid interest in something, then such an illness was attributed to fox possession. 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 simply began to pretend to be possessed by a fox when they heard that they might have one.
This phenomenon is not at all surprising if we remember that in Japanese society almost all inexplicable phenomena were considered the tricks of a fox. Consequently, in case of a mysterious illness, the fox was also remembered first.
T. W. Johnson, in his article “Far Eastern Folklore about Foxes,” notes that the fox most often possessed women. When a young wife was possessed by a fox, she could say whatever she wanted about her mother-in-law and other in-laws without risking their wrath.
It also gave her a break from her daily responsibilities. We can note here the similarity between the obsession with foxes and hysteria among Russian women. We also find information about fox possession in the Ainu tradition.
Beliefs about magical foxes have survived to this day. The theme of introducing a fox into a person is also popular in modern popular culture. In the animated series Naruto, the main character, teenager Uzumaki Naruto, is possessed by a nine-tailed fox that was sealed within his body. The fox, according to classical ideas, tries to take over the hero's body, but also gives Naruto its enormous 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 humans usually cannot see them, and they have 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 that deal with magical foxes is not limited to the above examples. Currently, werefoxes have firmly taken their place mythological characters, which are associated with nostalgia for old Japan.
It would be appropriate to note that the image of the 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 in an antique style. Due to the movement of the bulk of the population from the village to the city, lower mythology becomes predominantly urban, and traditional demonological images are replaced by new characters from urban legends.
In Japanese beliefs, magical foxes have several distinct traits. Speaking of appearance, it is worth noting that werewolf animals are always somehow different from their ordinary relatives. In foxes, this is expressed through a predominantly white color and multiple tails, however, these signs are characteristic only of old, “experienced” foxes in transformation.
Transformation into a human is the second distinguishing feature magical foxes. There are many motives for this, ranging from mischief to vampirism. The third characteristic feature is the ability of foxes to create illusions.
Magic foxes are considered masters of illusion; they are capable of not only completely transforming the space around a person, but also creating a completely independent flow of time there.
Kyuubi (actually a kitsune). They are considered smart, cunning creatures that can transform into people. They obey Inari, the goddess of cereal plants. These animals have great knowledge, long life, and magical abilities. Chief among them, I repeat, 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 it is fifty). They usually take the form of a seductive beauty, a pretty young girl, but sometimes they also turn into old men. Other capabilities usually attributed kitsune, include the ability to inhabit other people's bodies, breathe or otherwise create fire, appear in other people's dreams, and the ability to create illusions so complex that they are almost indistinguishable from reality. Some of the tales go further, talking about having 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.
Associated with both and beliefs. IN kitsune associated with Inari, the patron deity of rice fields and entrepreneurship. Foxes were originally the messengers (tsukai) of this deity, but now the difference between them has become 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 the 9th-10th centuries in Japan, one of the main deities of which, Dakini, was depicted riding across the sky on a fox.
In folklore kitsune is a type of youkai, 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 creatures or that they are anything other than foxes. The word "spirit" in this case is used in the Eastern sense, reflecting a state of knowledge or insight. Any fox that lives long enough can thus become a "fox spirit." There are two main types of kitsune: the myōbu, 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.
It 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 claim that kitsune grows an additional tail every hundred or thousand years of its life. However, foxes found almost always have one, five, or nine tails.
When nine tails are obtained, their fur turns silver, white, or gold. These kyubi no kitsune (“nine-tailed foxes”) receive the power of infinite insight. Similarly, in Korea it is said that a fox that lives 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" in many ways similar to , including the possibility of nine tails.
In some stories, they have difficulty hiding their tail in human form (usually foxes in such stories have only one tail, which may be an indication of the fox's weakness and inexperience). An attentive hero can expose a drunken or careless fox who has turned into a human by seeing its tail through its clothes.
One of the famous ones is also Great Guardian Spirit Kyuubi. This is a guardian spirit and protector who helps young “lost” souls on their path in the current incarnation. Kyubi usually stays for a short time, only a few days, but in the case of attachment to one soul, it can accompany it for years. This a rare type of kitsune that rewards a lucky few with its presence and assistance.
In Japanese folklore, they are often described as tricksters, sometimes very evil ones at that. Kitsune Tricksters use their magical powers to play pranks: those who are shown in a benevolent light tend to target overly proud samurai, greedy merchants and boastful people, while the more cruel kitsune seek to torture poor merchants, farmers and Buddhist monks.
They are also often described as mistresses. In such stories there is usually a young man and a kitsune disguised as a woman. Sometimes kitsune the role of a seductress is attributed, but often such stories are rather romantic. In such stories, the young man usually marries the beauty (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 a fox entity, after which she must leave her husband.
The oldest known story of fox wives, which provides the folk etymology of 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 afraid of a dog, and in order to hide, she takes on her true appearance. prepares to leave home, but her husband stops her, saying: “Now that we have been together for several years and you have given me several children, I cannot 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 the next 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 people and kitsune usually attributed special physical and/or supernatural properties. The exact nature of these properties, however, varies greatly from one source to another. Among those believed to have such extraordinary powers is the famous onmyoji Abe no Seimei, who was a han'yō (half-demon), the son of a human and a kitsune.
Rain falling from a clear sky is sometimes called kitsune no yomeiri or “kisune wedding.”
Many people believe that kitsune came to Japan from China.
Foxes in Japanese are called "kitsune", which means "child of 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 technology is closely intertwined with the world of the mysterious and unknown, here “houses” built for spirits coexist with highways, bus stops guarded by ancient stone idols, here at any moment, carelessly stepping to the side, you can get from the noisy metropolis to the kingdom of spirits. As a rule, the gates to the abode of spirits and demons are locked and are under strict guard, but there are no locks that cannot be opened. And often into the world of big cities and latest technologies guests who live “on the other side” drop by. If you meet a werewolf on the street, you can easily mistake him for a human. 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 some objects. Fox - Kitsune, perhaps the most known species such werewolves. They have been living next to humans for thousands of years, sometimes bringing with them troubles and sometimes happiness.
Kitsune is the same charming temptress fox about whom there are many legends. It is believed that many historical figures descended from kitsune, or were kitsune themselves. Such was the mystic and occultist Abe no Seimei, a spirit hunter of the Heian era - the son of the kitsune Kuzuha.
The nine-tailed fox was the famous Tamamao no Mae (or Mei), the amazingly beautiful concubine of Emperor Konoe. During her lifetime, Mei brought a lot of trouble to the East, and no one realized that she was a “kitsune” until the emperor ordered dogs to be set on her for some offense. Only then did the cunning fox reveal herself. Kitsune werewolves become either the foxes themselves after death, or the souls of people who were not pure before heaven. At the beginning of their afterlife, kitsune are content with a single tail and cannot take the form of a person. When they reach 50 or 100 years of age, 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 kitsunes have five or even seven tails, they already learn magic, can cause chaos, send madness, and become invisible.
Sometimes, on the contrary, they bring good luck. And only those werewolves whose age is equal to a thousand years receive nine tails, and their “fur coat” becomes white. The Japanese call these werewolves "kyubi", or sky foxes. Kyuubi can control natural phenomena, time and take people to other worlds, from where they soon return as very old people. But, as a rule, such foxes rarely harm people.
The Japanese have a twofold attitude towards charming and intelligent creatures from another world. It's a mixture of adoration and fear. Kitsune has a complex character that can make a demon either man's best friend or a mortal enemy. Depending on who exactly the fox is going to communicate with, she can take on any form - a beautiful girl, a pretty young man, a wise old man or an innocent child. They are able to maintain an intelligent conversation, they know a lot about almost any profession, in addition, kitsune are the best traders. 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 love to send pestilence or madness to people they don’t like; they can take over their bodies and even drive them to suicide. Japanese psychiatrists still call one form of mental illness “kitsune-tsuki” - a disease caused 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 a kitsune. Having fallen in love, they are ready to make 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 humanity. Very lucky will be those people who, by chance, suddenly settle on land sacred to kitsune. Such happy families are called “kitsune-mochi”: the foxes are obliged to follow them everywhere, protect them from all sorts of harm, and anyone who offends the kitsune-mochi will face serious illness.
By the way, foxes also suffered a lot from people. For a long time, the Japanese believed that a person who tasted kitsune meat became 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 throughout the entire area were mercilessly exterminated.
The Japanese believe that even 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 and art. They say that kitsune are brilliant poets and scientists. But how can you determine that this is a werefox and not a human? They say it's not difficult. 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, so girls who love wide, floor-length skirts may come under suspicion. It’s more difficult with more mature kitsune: they can fool anyone, but it’s usually the mirror that gives them away - they are reflected as they really are, in other words, mirrors convey their true essence. This is exactly how the mother of the above-mentioned mystic and occultist Abe no Seimei discovered 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 bares its teeth at him. Whether you believe the legends about werewolves or not is 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 in various parts of Japan are always excited to see the rare black fox in their area. Animals are often found on the island of Hokkaido. To local residents I even manage to film the animal on a video camera. Zoo officials say the animal may 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 ran wild. Now you understand why the residents of the Land of the Rising Sun are so excited... 