In Japanese folklore, a kitsune is a fox with magical powers. The myth of the kitsune holds that foxes grow wiser and more powerful as they age, gaining extra tails until the oldest and strongest have nine, and that they can take human form, often as a beautiful woman. Some kitsune are faithful messengers of the kami Inari; others are mischievous tricksters that deceive or possess people.
Kitsune stories are still part of everyday Japanese culture, from the fox statues at Inari shrines to folk tales, theatre and anime. Here is what the legend says and where it comes from.
What Is a Kitsune?
Kitsune is simply the Japanese word for fox, but in folklore it also means a fox spirit, a kind of yōkai. Foxes lived close to rice farmers in old Japan, and their cleverness and habit of appearing at dusk made them natural figures of legend. Many ideas about magical foxes, including the nine tails, come straight from Chinese classics, and Korea has its own nine-tailed fox, the kumiho.
What Kitsune Can Do: Powers and Nine Tails
- More tails with age: kitsune have as many as nine tails, and a greater number of tails generally means an older and more powerful fox. Inari’s foxes are white, a colour of good omen, and the most famous nine-tailed fox, Tamamo-no-Mae, is golden-furred.
- Shape-shifting: kitsune take human form, most often as young women, but sometimes as old men or even objects. In many stories the disguise slips, revealing a tail or a fox’s shadow.
- Fox fire: kitsunebi, ghostly lights seen at night, were blamed on foxes.
- Possession: kitsunetsuki, possession by a fox, was a superstition once widespread throughout Japan, used to explain illness and strange behaviour.
- The fox’s jewel: kitsune are often shown with a jewel, called hoshi no tama (“star jewel”) in some regions, which is sometimes needed for the fox to transform or work other magic.
Why Some Kitsune Are Good and Others Bad: Zenko and Yako
Writers of the Edo period divided kitsune into two broad kinds. Zenko, the “good foxes”, are linked with Inari and act as protectors and messengers. Yako, the “wild foxes”, are mischievous, playing tricks on travellers, stealing or leading people astray. Even a trickster kitsune may keep a promise or repay a kindness, which is part of what makes these stories so lasting.
Kitsune and Inari
Inari is the Shinto kami of rice, and kitsune were originally Inari’s messengers; today the line between the two is so blurred that Inari Ōkami may be depicted as a fox. Fox statues guard Inari shrines across Japan, and the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto features numerous kitsune statues. Foxes are said to love fried tofu (abura-age), which is why soup noodles topped with a slice of it are called kitsune udon and kitsune soba.
Famous Legends: the Story of Kitsune Wives and Tamamo-no-Mae
Kuzunoha, the Fox Mother
In this tale a vixen named Kuzunoha takes the form of a woman, marries a man and gives birth to a son, the astrologer and magician Abe no Seimei. When her true nature is discovered she has to leave her family, a pattern shared by many fox wife stories.
Tamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-Tailed Fox
In the Muromachi-period telling, Tamamo-no-Mae was a courtesan of Emperor Konoe, the most beautiful and intelligent woman at court, able to answer any question. The emperor fell gravely ill, and the astrologer Abe no Yasuchika exposed her as a fox spirit. The emperor sent warriors to hunt the fox on the plains of Nasu, and later versions say her spirit entered the Sesshō-seki, the “killing stone”, which released poisonous gas that killed anything that touched it.
The Fox Wife
The “fox wife” is a recognised folktale type of its own: a man marries a beautiful stranger who turns out to be a fox. Kuzunoha’s story is the most famous example.
Where Kitsune Appear Today
Kitsune appear in Noh, kyogen, bunraku and kabuki plays drawn from folk tales, and today in anime, manga, video games and music, where nine-tailed foxes are often powerful characters.
Kitsune FAQ
- Are kitsune good or evil? Both. Inari’s foxes are benevolent, while wild foxes may be tricksters, and many tales show a mix of the two.
- How many tails can a kitsune have? Up to nine. The number of tails shows the fox’s age and power.
- Is a kitsune a god? Kitsune are not usually gods themselves; they are spirits and messengers of the kami Inari. For Japan’s highest deities, see who is the god of gods in Japan and the Japanese god of thunder.
- What is the difference between a kitsune and a kumiho? The kumiho is the Korean nine-tailed fox, generally seen as an evil or devilish being, while Japanese kitsune can be helpful as well as tricky.
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