Origin
As is the case with many other folk beliefs, it is impossible to reliably determine when people first began to perceive foxes as something supernatural. But the first mentions of this date back to the period of the Chinese Han Dynasty (3rd century BC). Then legends about werefoxes began to spread en masse in the Celestial Empire.
Interestingly, China is not the birthplace of these stories. With a high degree of probability, they were brought here from India, where there were many stories about foxes and snakes that could turn into beautiful women. Such werewolves could become good wives, but with one condition - the husband should not violate a certain prohibition. If the man stumbled, then the werewolf wife turned back into an animal and left him forever.
Were-foxes definitely came to Japan from China. Once upon a time, Chinese culture had a tremendous influence on Japanese culture and, in fact, shaped it. Suffice it to say that at that time Chinese was the main language for science and literature in Japan.
Did the Japanese bring something of their own to the primary image of the kitsune? Yes, it was in the Land of the Rising Sun that the werewolf fox turned into a symbol of the goddess Inari.
Types of kitsune
All kitsune are foxes. Only their characteristics change depending on their color, the number of tails, the time of day in which they are found, as well as their gender and the degree of danger to people. Eastern peoples have many types of kitsune. We can say that Kitsune is a collective name for foxes with paranormal abilities. Here are the main types of kitsune:
Byakko
Kitsune-byakko - “white fox”. Considered the most powerful creature among all werefoxes. The person who meets her will find prosperity and good luck. This is where the tradition of giving emperors foxes with white fur came from. Byakko are very friendly towards people. According to legend, it was the byakko, “heavenly foxes,” that accompanied the goddess Inari. In the main temple of the goddess Inari, located in Kyoto, the Byakko altar was erected. Infertile women constantly come there to ask for offspring. Prostitutes are more lovers. Peasants, pray for a good harvest. Byakko only appears during the day.
Current
Byakko's "night" sister, Toka, appears only after sunset, which is considered a good sign. Toka, like Byakko, is considered a messenger of Inari. Her name translates to “bringer of rice.”
Reiko
Reiko-kitsune is much less common and means a spirit that inhabits a person. Literally translated as “ghost fox.”
Nogitsune
Meeting the Nogitsune, the “wild fox,” is a bad omen for a person. Because this type of kitsune is considered the most dangerous for people. Nogitsune is an evil, vengeful, bloodthirsty creature.
Jinko
Jinko is a werewolf fox. He appears before people in the form of a young, handsome man. According to another version, jinko is a man who was turned into a fox by witchcraft.
Description and abilities
The most important skill of a kitsune is the ability to change its appearance. Moreover, foxes are not something unique in this. In different regions, similar abilities are attributed to: wolves, frogs, badgers, snakes and other animals.
According to popular belief, not every fox can turn into a human. She must first live for a certain period of time. This belief originated in China, where it was first found in books in the 4th century AD. The Japanese developed the idea and introduced the term "tsukumogami". This was the name given to ancient inanimate objects that supposedly could take the form of living beings.
How long does it take for a fox to live to learn to change its appearance? There is no clear answer to this question. But one of the Chinese works says that after 50 years a fox can become a woman, and after 100 years a young girl. If the fox lives 1000 years, it becomes a celestial fox and ascends to heaven.
It is the concept of the celestial fox that is the only thing on which almost all sources agree. It is believed that after 1000 years of life, the fox ceases to exist in our world and stops annoying people.
How does the transformation process occur? Here everything is again very ambiguous. In the oldest of the sources, the fox is required to go to the cemetery to perform the ritual. There she must place a human skull on her head and turn to the constellation Ursa Major.
In Japan, it was believed that the fox did not worship the Big Dipper, but only the North Star. In addition, she often does not require any skulls to transform - just swallow a few petals of certain plants and/or cast a spell.
The fox can transform into more than just people. For example, in the book “A Collection of Stories from the Past,” written in the 11th century, there is a story about two shepherds who were looking for their horse in the mountains. They came across a giant tree, remembering that it had not been here before. Then they decided that some deity was deliberately making them wander and shot at the tree with a bow. As soon as the arrows touched the bark, the tree disappeared. The arrows fled, and in the morning, when they returned, an old face was found in the place of the tree with a branch in its mouth and two arrows sticking out of its stomach.
And in 1889, Japan was flooded with rumors that a fox had turned into a train on the highway connecting Yokohama and Tokyo. People were talking about a ghost train that was heading straight towards the real train without getting close to it. The driver gave signals, but the ghostly train did not react to them. As a result, at some point the real train finally caught up with the ghost, after which a fox appeared on the rails, which immediately fell under the wheels.
Subsequently, kitsune was credited with several more transformations into trains. In addition, foxes were credited with the ability to take the shape of cars. There are even stories in which these creatures turned into teapots, frying pans and other kitchen utensils.
The kitsune's tail or tails deserve special attention. Often in descriptions there are foxes with nine tails. It is assumed that these nine tails are branches of a normal tail and grow in a tuft from one place. In Chinese legends, nine-tailed foxes have been considered harbingers of good things for many centuries. In Japan, the presence of nine tails on a fox indicates that it is capable of deceiving people, cleverly ingratiating itself into their trust and playing on feelings.
The Legend of the Kitsune
A young man met a young girl of extraordinary beauty in Kyoto and fell in love with her at first sight. The beauty did not take the courtship seriously and avoided him, saying that after the night of their love he would have to die. But after time, she also fell in love with him and said that she was ready to die in his place. Before their first night together, the girl made the young man promise that he would bury her according to all the necessary canons. At dawn she left the house and the sleeping man, leaving a note. It told him where he could find her body.
On the same day, at the place indicated in the note, the man found a dead fox. Remembering this communication and touched to the depths of his soul by her sacrifice, he fulfilled his beloved’s request. A few nights later, the girl came to her beloved in the form of a kitsune spirit. She thanked him for keeping his promise and said that now, thanks to him, she had received rebirth in heaven.
But there are exceptions, when kitsune fell in love with an earthly man and became exemplary wives.
The story of the fox wife
The most famous story about the fox wife reveals the etymology of the word "kitsune". The story tells of a kitsune fox who fell in love with a man and gave birth to two wonderful children. But one day, frightened by a pack of dogs, the female fox could not hide her origin and showed her tail. After which, unable to bear the shame, she prepared to leave her family. Her husband stopped her with the words “we lived so many wonderful years together, you gave me two children, I can’t just forget you. Please, let’s go and just sleep.”
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The wife agreed and after that began to come to her husband at night, taking on the guise of a woman. And with the first rays of the sun the fox already left the house. After this, people began to call her “kitsu-ne”, which translates as “let’s go and sleep.” But “ki-tsune” in classical Japanese means “always coming.”
According to legend, kitsune children born from humans have physical strength unusual for an ordinary person and various mystical abilities. Thus, it is believed that the famous Onmyoji (ancient Japanese esotericist and cosmologist) Abe no Seimei was born from the marriage of the kitsune Kuzunoha and the man Abe no Yasuna.
However, if a kitsune girl never forces a man to be intimate with her (although she can with the help of her charms), then in the story with kitsune men and earthly women everything is different. Most often, the werewolf fox very persistently, and often in an aggressive manner, harasses the girl he likes. And if he doesn’t get what he wants, he can even kill the rebellious beauty.
Kitsune ranks
As mentioned earlier, foxes in Japan were called messengers of the goddess Inari. But not everyone knows that the Japanese believed that the goddess endows her foxes with various titles (ranks).
The text that describes this in as much detail and accessibility as possible dates back to the early 19th century. In it, the author tells about a fox who lived in a Buddhist temple in the province of Omi. She guarded her home and the human shrine, but remained invisible to parishioners, communicating only with the main priest.
It was to him that the kitsune told him that all foxes are divided into three categories:
- Suryo - bosses.
- Yorikata - assistants.
- Yako - field foxes.
It is interesting that the suryo, although they occupy the highest position in the hierarchy, can only control their own foxes. They have no right to order others.
How to become a kitsune
How can a simple fox become a kitsune? There is a legend in Japan that animals who have lived for more than a hundred years become werewolves. After which they become a “Fox Spirit” and gain the gift of taking the form of a person. But not every fox will be able to receive such a gift. According to legend, in order to become a kitsune and gain the ability to turn into a human, a fox must:
- Pray to the North Star.
- Weave a wreath of leaves (usually juniper leaves).
- Perform a triple somersault.
It turns out that ordinary foxes who have absolutely nothing to do with the goddess Inari can become kitsune. But even among foxes of divine origin, there may be exiles who have betrayed their Creator.
All about werewolves
The Japanese believe that werefoxes, who came to our world along with the goddess Inari, have their own divine goal - to return to the world of spirits by helping people. But foxes born on earth are more frivolous creatures who love fun and various pranks. Hence all the stories about cunning kitsune harming the human race and seducing men. And sometimes they kill people for their own amusement...
Remedies against kitsune
Were-foxes are fought in a variety of ways. But first you need to identify the kitsune.
The easiest way to identify a fox that has turned into a person or inanimate object is to shoot it. As mentioned earlier, this is the most ordinary fox that can transform. That is, she has no protection from physical impact, and if you shoot at an object whose form the fox has taken, the animal will die.
There is also a belief that around each kitsune there is a haze that is barely visible to the eye, the contours of which resemble a fox. Therefore, in order to kill a werewolf, you need to aim and shoot precisely at this haze.
The Japanese Imperial Palace has a ban on small arms. And at one time they fought foxes here in other ways. Sometimes the animals were speared by guards, and sometimes they were confronted by specially trained dogs. Some politicians, by the way, did not try to exterminate foxes, but sought to live in harmony with them. It is known that Fujiwara Yorinaga, who served as Japan's Minister of Law in the 12th century, ordered food to be placed in areas where foxes might appear. These offerings regularly disappeared, and the foxes were never seen again.
Continuing the conversation about ways to identify kitsune, one cannot help but note the presence of less bloodthirsty options for detecting a werewolf. And the most common of them is smoke. According to legends, a fox that inhales smoke immediately loses its human form.
Plain water can also help. It is regularly mentioned in the chronicles that the real appearance of a kitsune is always visible in the reflection of water. You can also lightly pinch the suspect. A real person will immediately scream, while the fox will be absolutely calm.
More exotic ways of detecting a werewolf include fried rats. Yes, yes, it is claimed that kitsune adore this delicacy. And if you offer a fox in human form a taste of a fried rat, it will greedily pounce on it, demonstrating its bestial essence.
Don't have anything at hand? Then you will need to turn away from the suspect, bend over and look at him between your legs. If you do everything correctly and the suspicions are justified, you will see a fox.
Finally, dogs are always ready to help. Man's best friends sense a kitsune in any form and are immediately ready to attack. Therefore, by the way, it used to be customary to draw a hieroglyph meaning “dog” on the forehead of newborns in Japan. It was designed to protect the baby not only from werefoxes, but also from other evil creatures.
Kitsune lovers
Foxes are no strangers to pranks and fun. And carnal pleasures, of course, are included in the list of their “entertainment.” Such stories most often have one plot - a young man and a kitsune fox, who has taken the form of a beautiful girl. The men describe these one-night adventures as the best night of their lives, although they feel weakened. This is due to the belief that kitsune lovers steal some of the vital energy from their partner.
Other sources say that foxes organized such meetings in order to collect seed. It was necessary for subsequent promotion to a higher rank, so kitsune often brought their partners to physical exhaustion, and sometimes to death. The idea of rebirth originated from Buddhist legends, which stated that sacrificial death was necessary to achieve higher rank. It is possible that this legend was influenced by a story mentioned in a large number of collections of Japanese beliefs.
Demon fox
Most often, kitsune body choice falls on women. But sometimes obsession manifests itself in men of the lower classes. This is due to the fact that such people most often have a “gap” in their soul. This is what attracts the demon fox, seeking to fill the empty space.
Historical sources describe the penetration of a demon kitsune into the human body through the place where the skin connects to the nails. Less often - through the chest, between the armpit and shoulder. A person who has been influenced by the fox demon begins to behave unnaturally: his voice changes, his memory deteriorates greatly, and fox-like habits appear. He can jump as high as a real fox would. Becomes distrustful and avoids houses where dogs live.
One of the sources says that a man possessed by a fox demon began to speak fluently the ancient Chinese language, which he did not even know before.
In the ancient Japanese provinces, there was a belief that to determine possession, it was necessary to offer a person fried star anise leaves. If there is an evil kitsune inside a person, the person will never touch the “treat.”
There were a great variety of means of expelling the fox demon from the body. The most common thing is to simply give the spirit what it came for. Most often it was food - the well-fed spirit of a fox would never penetrate a person’s body without a good reason.
All Kitsune are very intolerant of the smells of burnt horse manure and sulfur. In newspapers dating back to the 19th century, researchers found an entry about failed exorcists. They tried to drive away the spirit of the kitsune demon from the mother and daughter by pouring sulfur into their eyes, ears and mouths. The “experiment” ended very disastrously - both “possessed” died.
