The dog is traditionally the mortal enemy of the fox, but this excerpt shows some intriguing parallels between dogs. The folklore of the japanese fox and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. If you enjoy this site, please consider supporting the artist by buying the books. Kitsune mythology and meaning of japanese kitsune mask. In 2005 they were first used as a fictional race by chaosium for the call of cthulhu rpg. There are two very common kitsune classifications in the japanese folklore of the kitsune spirit. They can be found as statues around ancient shrines for inari, on calligraphy scrolls by japan s finest artists, and of course, in thousands of folktales. The shadow of the fox is the first book in julie kagawas shadow of the fox series. Many legendary creatures have this ability, which is represented in a full body transformation.
There are foxes all over the world but only certain japanese foxes are divine. Japanese monsters and the culture of yokai and numerous articles on japanese folklore, literature, and media. Kitsune touhou wiki characters, games, locations, and more. He is regarded in shinto lore as the messenger who ensures that farmers pay their offerings to the rice god. Every 100 years, a kitsune will gain a new tail, up to nine at 800 years. An interest in japanese culture and enthusiasm for sharing their traditions with other countries led to the publication of several books in the earlier 20th century, including green willow and other japanese fairy tales by grace james and childlife in japan by matilda chaplin ayrton.
In kitsunetsuki, tsurugu no kiyomori has been hired by the daimyou, naka no yoritomo, to protect his new bride from a kitsune, a fox spirit. They might save your life or help enrich it in some way although if a fox offers you coins or some kind of material goods, you should avoid it because it is probably a trick and is actually a leaf. No one is really quite sure how inari became associated with these creatures, but its said because foxes eat rats which eat rice which is inaris principal protection. Stories and studies of strange things by lafcadio hearn, shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, tales of moonlig. Japan has been known to contain some of the most whimsical and even eerie tales of mythology, intriguing audiences on an international scale.
The supernatural world of almostjapan is vividly brought to life in the kitsune books. I would like to learn more about japanese mythical creatures. Bill tsutsui, president of hendrix college and author of godzilla on. They are available from in paperback and kindle formats the night parade of one hundred demons, written and illustrated by matthew meyer, is a 224page fullcolor yokai encyclopedia containing over 100 creatures from japanese folklore. Jan 14, 2015 the book of yokai provides a lively excursion into japanese folklore and its everexpanding influence on global popular culture.
The imagery of transformation and the transformation of imagery in japanese religion and folklore. Smashwords kitsunetsuki a book by laura vanarendonk baugh. Kitsune is a japanese fox spirit, similar to the korean kumiho and chinese huli jing. Read tale of the kitsune fox from the story japans folklore stories by iloveaoi24 with 1,123 reads. Welcome to, the illustrated database of japanese folklore. I have to say though, i would picture a japanese kitsune fighting in the guise of a clever old samurai or a supernaturally agile swordswoman, rather than nipping at heels as a fox. One of the more notable features of the kitsune are their numerous tails. Kitsune and foxes in fiction and childrens books other books of interest bangu the flying fox jillian taylor. They can have as many as nine, and the more tails a kitsune has, the older, wiser.
I would recommend this for anyone that loves the kitsune, or fox, or is interested in japan. Japans folklore stories tale of the kitsune fox wattpad. Fox is a messenger of the god inari, who is the protector of rice, agriculture, and fertility. Noh, kyogen, bunraku, and kabuki plays derived from folk tales feature them, as do contemporary works such as anime, manga and video games. 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. Within these pages youll find an evergrowing collection of yokai and legends from all parts of japan and all periods of japanese history. When he isntwriting about japanese folklore, he enjoys painting and.
Overflowing with great stories of japan s fantastical monsters, spirits, and other creatures of the collective imagination, the book of yokai is filled with solid information, a variety of new perspectives, and the kind of richness of detail that will enhance any reader s enjoyment of japan s monstrous folk traditions. Throughout history many murder sprees have been attributed to the. Anyone who loves that period, japan, and its folklore will love these two. The book of yokai mysterious creatures of japanese folklore. Beware the kitsune, the shapeshifting fox of japanese folklore. Michael dylan foster is associate professor in the department of folklore and ethnomusicology and the department of east asian languages and cultures at indiana university. These zenko are truly a benevolent, celestial foxes that are associated with the god inari. A kitsune japanese fox spirit the kitsune is the mythical fox in japanese folklore, they are very intelligent magical beings blessed with wisdom and magical abilities which became more powerful with age. In kitsune folklore, stories often say that if you help a fox, the fox will go out of its way to reward you many times over. Japanese fox stories kitsune, kumiho, huli jing, fox.
The best fantastical japanese mythology books anime. They are really interesting and the art of them is beautiful. The stories of the japanese kitsune were actually inspired by the folklore and mythology of china, where tales of supernatural foxes abounded thousands of years ago. It can be benevolent good or malevolent evil depending on the situation. Jun 02, 2019 in japanese folklore a kitsune may have up to nine tails. Throughout history many murder sprees have been attributed to the presence of these. Stories depict legendary foxes as intelligent beings and as possessing paranormal abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Japanese folklore hitobashira kitsune konakijiji lafcadio hearn list of legendary creatures from japan menreiki nekomata sankai tsukumogami ubume yokai. Mount inari is said to be the place where the kami inari first descended to earth from the heavens. Said to be a protective creature and the guardian of the metal element. Does anyone have any books or websites to suggest with some, or perhaps just tell me about a couple you know of. In his book glimpses of unfamiliar japan lafcadio hearn provides a detailed insight into these kitsune legends in izumo, a city in shimane prefecture on the west coast of japan. Some appear to be a large fox in a murderous rampage.
Similar to the folklore of germany and france, japanese folk tales began in the oral tradition and were eventually penned down for posterity. Come and sleep is an easytoread and surprisingly farreaching summary of kitsune folklore, ranging from the silly pranks in some stories to the almost selkielike tale of a female fox who learned to shift for love of a human man but was unable to. At every inari shrine you will see at least two statues of them around the entrance to the main worship hall. Embedded in japanese folklore as they are, kitsune appear in numerous japanese works. The fox and the badger in japanese folklore marinus willem devisser. In het oude japan leefden vossen en mensen dicht bij elkaar, waardoor er daar veel legendes over deze dieren ontstonden. Yokaiyoukai a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in japanese folklore. As for the foxes, in japanese folklore the kitsune japanese word for fox, but also the name given to mythical fox spirits is one of the most notorious creatures. Its complex folkloric history is also the story of the uneasy and unreconciled relationship in japan between modernity and nature, progress and.
This story follows yumeko, a girl who is half kitsune and half human. Red winter by annette marie, shadow of the fox by julie kagawa, the fox woman by kij johnson, soul of the sword by julie kagawa. In japanese folklore a kitsune may have up to nine tails. The oldest known chronicle from japan is the kojiki. A kitsune can take on human form once it reaches 100 years old, some legend state that this can be less.
Yokai can embody everything from a simple talking fox to something as odd as women with extra mouths on the back of their heads. It is said to hold some reserves of the kitsune s power. That impressed me greatly as i already knew quite a bit. Kitsune first debuted in japanese literature in the eighth century, and their legend has never faded since. They are elemental spirits from an alien planet that due to the. However, when used in japanese folklore, the kitsune is a type of youkai, and is believed to possess great intelligence, long life, and magical powers. In japanese folklore, foxes that have lived for very long lifespans develop aboveaverage human intelligence and supernatural powers. The kitsune first appeared in china and over time migrated to korea and then japan.
Most of the time, kitsune look like regular foxes, until they reach a hundred years old or so, then they start to grow more tails. Kirin the japanese version of the qilin of china, which is part dragon and part deer with antlers, fish scales and an oxs tail. Monsters, ghosts, fantastic beings, and supernatural phenomena of all sorts haunt the folklore and popular culture of japan. The best fantastical japanese mythology books anime impulse. Kitsune can perform fox magic, which includes such abilities as fire conjuring, size manipulation, and, most notably, shapeshifting, which. Broadly labeled yokai, these creatures come in infinite shapes and sizes, from tengu mountain goblins and kappa water spirits to shapeshifting foxes and longtongued ceilinglickers. They are basically the same creature but with a few differences based on region.
Japans kitsune is a trickster fox renowned for his mischievous metamorphic abilities. Both were authored by women who werent native citizens of. In japanese folktales, a kitsune like the coyote spirit in native american myths. The classic exposition on japans folkloric fox details all appearances of t. This is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Inari is known as the god of foxes, called kitsune, in japanese mythology.
The goblin fox and badger and other witch animals of japan. Japanese dog folklore is an excerpt of the goblin fox and badger and other witch animals of japan hosted on the wereweb. Jul 23, 2012 in kitsune tsuki, tsurugu no kiyomori has been hired by the daimyou, naka no yoritomo, to protect his new bride from a kitsune, a fox spirit. Today dani will be taking a look at the kitsune japanese word for fox. Smashwords kitsunetsuki a book by laura vanarendonk. It also invites readers to examine how people create, transmit, and collect folklore, and how they make sense of the mysteries in the world around them. Kitsune in the literal sense is the japanese word for fox. Read it online that rarest of rare things, a book of japanese folklore written by an actual japanese scholar, and not a western nihonophile. Jan 19, 2018 today dani will be taking a look at the kitsune japanese word for fox. A captivating guide to japanese folklore, myths, fairy tales, yokai, heroes and heroines explore captivating myths of japanese deities, yokai, heroes and heroines the study of mythology and folklore is a peculiar one to the ext. Sep 04, 20 the kitsune is the mythical fox in japanese folklore, they are very intelligent magical beings blessed with wisdom and magical abilities which became more powerful with age. The book of yokai provides a lively excursion into japanese folklore and its everexpanding influence on global popular culture. Jump to navigation jump to search this article needs additional.
Some of them have never appeared in english before, while others will be intimately familiar to fans of japanese folklore. Noh, kyogen, bunraku, and kabuki plays derived from folk tales feature them, 47 48 as do contemporary works such as anime, manga and video games. Kitsune, the japanese foxspirit, is also known as the kumiho in korea and the huli jing in china. It enables the creature to trick, deceive, hunt, and kill humans. Folklore tidbitsthe kitsune japanese fox spirit the. Fox fox spirits in asia, and asian fox spirits in the west an extensive bibliography of foxspirit books. As a librarian, he gets toindulge his love for books and research on a daily basis. The kitsune multitailed fox spirits are part of chinese and japanese folklore, with the japanese version kitsune being the most well known in the west. The kitsune is the mythical fox in japanese folklore, they are very intelligent magical beings blessed with wisdom and magical abilities which became more powerful with age.
Japanese folktales speak of the kitsune who trick others by portraying themselves as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives. What are the best books in english about japanese mythology. As yokai they are infamous for being mischievous tricksters. T he japanese raccoon dog or tanuki, a shapeshifting, hedonistic and jovial trickster, has always lived in the borderlands between human settlement and the wilderness liminal, shared spaces not quite of this world, and not quite of the other. The word kitsune translates to fox, and it is believed in japanese lore that foxes can transform into people. Western authors of fiction have begun to make use of the kitsune legends. The foxy side of japanese mythology tokyo creative. Japan has been known to contain some of the most whimsical and even eerie tales of mythology, intriguing. The folklore of the japanese fox paperback april 29, 2016. Buddhist stories, however, cast the fox as an evil agent of possession. Foxes are the messenger of inari and are usually pure white. Somewhere over the centuries they came to be known as inaris messengers. It was the stories of these paranormal foxes known in china as the huli jing that soon became adapted and expanded on by the japanese. I recently learned about the kitsune, magical beings that resemble foxes with multiple tails and can take human form.
And if you want a quick summary before diving in deep into fox lore, check out our. An annotated bibliography of references to kitsune, japanese fox spirits. These foxes are sometimes called simply the inari foxes. Many tales originate from this collection of myths, which was published around 711 a. The best fantastical japanese mythology books every culture has their individual myths and folklore that contain an array of whimsical beasts and heroes alike. Kitsune is the japanese word for fox, so its not surprising that this mythological creatures origins are in japanese folklore. In japanese culture, fox has contradictory behavior. Izumo already boasts a rich folkloric heritage, being home to izumotaisha which is believed to be the oldest shinto shrine and the site of numerous events in japanese mythology. They are the most notorious yokai in japanese folklore and when you watch this video, youll also learn about japanese culture. Entire books have been written on the varied meaning and. Before the term was used for every other fox species around the world, the term kitsune would likely be used for vulpes vulpes japonica japanese fox and vulpes vulpes schrencki hokkaido fox, two subspecies of the red fox in japanese folklore, youkai kitsune, youko are believed to possess great intelligence, long life, and magical powers.
637 693 1234 1412 160 139 929 1266 996 239 1300 744 1141 631 1134 837 151 294 768 1153 359 412 103 478 969 1048 599 745 895