Tanikawa Kotosuga in Wakun no Shiori (1777–1887) suggests that ki means 'yellow', tsu is a possessive particle, and ne is related to neko, the word for 'cat'.Arai Hakuseki in Tōga (1717) suggests that ki means 'stench', tsu is a possessive particle, and ne is related to inu, the word for 'dog'.The early Kamakura-period Mizukagami indicates that it means "came ( ki) to bedroom ( ne)", from a legend that a kitsune could take a human woman form, marry a man, and bear children.Myōgoki (1268) suggests that it is so called because it is "always ( tsune) yellow ( ki)".Many etymological suggestions have been made, though there is no general agreement: Following several diachronic phonological changes, this became kitsune. These old sources are written in Man'yōgana, which clearly identifies the historical form of the word (when rendered into a Latin-alphabet transliteration) as ki 1tune. Other old sources include Nihon Ryōiki (810–824) and Wamyō Ruijushō (c. The oldest known usage of the word is in the text Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki, dating to 794. Smyers (1999) notes that the idea of the fox as seductress and the connection of the fox myths to Buddhism were introduced into Japanese folklore through similar Chinese stories, but she maintains that some fox stories contain elements unique to Japan. Many of the earliest surviving stories are recorded in the Konjaku Monogatarishū, an 11th-century Japanese collection of Japanese, Chinese, and Indian literary narratives. These fox spirits were adopted to Japanese culture through merchants as kyūbi no kitsune ( 九尾の狐, lit. įolktales from China tell of fox spirits called húli jīng ( Chinese: 狐狸精) also named as nine tale fox ( Chinese: 九尾狐）that may have up to nine tails. In this way, it is assumed that people in Japan acquired the culture of respecting kitsune as messengers of Inari Okami. Because fox urine has a rat-repelling effect, Japanese people placed a stone with fox urine on a hokora of a Shinto shrine set up near a rice field. Īccording to Hiroshi Moriyama, a professor at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, foxes have come to be regarded as sacred by the Japanese because they are the natural enemies of rats that eat up rice or burrow into rice paddies. Also, their descendants are depicted as doing evil things by taking advantage of their power.
In this story, a man from Mino Province and a kitsune having a female personality get married and have a child, and the kitsune as the wife is described as a person who has a deep resentment against dogs. Various legends about foxes with human personalities were first described in Nihon Ryōiki which was compiled around 822. In Nihon Shoki, which was compiled in 720 and is one of the oldest history books in Japan, foxes appeared for the first time as supernatural beings that let people know good omens and bad omens. The oldest relationship between the Japanese people and the fox dates back to the Jomon period necklace made by piercing the canine teeth and jawbone of the fox. Origins A nine-tailed fox, from the Qing edition of the ancient text Classic of Mountains and Seas The moon on Musashi Plain (fox) by Yoshitoshi Because of their potential power and influence, some people make sacrifices to them as to a deity.Ĭonversely foxes were often seen as " witch animals", especially during theĮdo period (1603–1867), and were thought of as goblins who could not be trusted (similar to some badgers and cats). The more tails a kitsune has-they may have as many as nine-the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto kami or spirit, and serve as its messengers. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others-as foxes in folklore often do-other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers.įoxes and humans lived close together in ancient Japan this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. According to yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. In Japanese folklore, kitsune ( 狐, きつね, IPA: ( listen i)) are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. A nine-tailed fox spirit ( kyūbi no kitsune) scaring Prince Hanzoku print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Edo period, 19th century For other uses, see Kitsune (disambiguation). This article is about the Japanese word for the fox.
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