For the first time, mention of kitsune is found in Chinese legends. The mystical belief in these creatures came to Japan later. Over time, the character was supplemented with specific details and became an independent folklore element. In Japanese mythology, kitsune is called a fox that possesses supernatural skills for transforming or invading a person.
Once in the form of a fox whiter than snow, the deity Inari descended from heaven with the gift of prosperity and fertility for people. Before a person, a creature can appear in the guise of a gray-haired old man, and a charming young girl.
Heavenly Servants
The deity was accompanied to earth by subordinates, magical foxes with a mischievous character, in Japanese "kitsune". In myths, there are two types of these mysterious and unusual creatures. The first is called Hokkaido fox, the second is Kitsune.
They are endowed with magical gifts, they live for a very long time. Over time, they are transformed into more advanced species. They have incredibly fine hearing. Foxes see the past and the future.
The fox has the ability to read minds. Therefore, she tries to fool the people she met without fail. Japanese mythology also presents kitsune in the form of evil demons. Still, cunning werewolves spend their time creating traps for gullible travelers.
According to another classification, Mebu foxes support people. Nogitsune has an evil disposition. These foxes terrorize the whole district with bloodlust, turning into animals. Among the talents of Kitsune are incredible hypnotic abilities. Foxes put on real theatrical performances.
Always coming
There is a sad legend in Japan. Her character is a mysterious fox woman. A young man, Ono, who lives in the Mino area, was trying to find a girl of incredible beauty.
He asked all his friends and neighbors about her, looked closely at the local beauties, but there were no results. The legs themselves led the yearning for love guy to the abandoned wasteland.
Amidst the milky white mist of It, an incredible sight opened up. Enveloped in a cloud of reddish hair, a most charming girl appeared before him with a spark of mischief splashing in her almond-shaped eyes.
The wedding was played very soon. A baby appeared in a young family. At the same time the owner's dog was whelping. Her cub hated its mistress. He pounced on her. She, to everyone's amazement, became a fox and rushed to the wasteland.
In despair, her husband rushed after her, begging her to return. He agreed that she remained in the guise of an animal, saying that the doors of the house were always open for her. He begged to return his wife to him and his son. The hostess came every night.
At home, she again took on a human form, but in the morning she again turned into a fox. Therefore, "kitsu-ne" is translated as "always coming."
"Kitsunetsuki" is called Obsession Syndrome. In the mythology of the Land of the Rising Sun, there are two categories of foxes. Free or "nogitsune" and "tenko", servants of Inari. Sometimes the spirit of a fox can enter a person. So he restores the strength lost due to injury.
Medical practice interprets the introduction as "kitsunetsuki", obsession. It is easy to recognize the syndrome by a sharp change in tastes. The spirit bearer has an incredible addiction to tofu, poultry, rice. Also becomes nervous and exhibits increased sensory activity.
Magical abilities
Suspected of transforming people with a special type. Distinguished by a tailed pseudo-human with thick hair, almond-shaped close-set eyes, a slightly snub-nosed and slightly elongated nose.
Kitsune are recognized by their specular reflection or the shadow they cast. Kitsune's magical abilities increase over time. The youngest are distinguished by a single tail. When teaching the art of reincarnation, it is difficult for them to hide it under their clothes. Over time, the fox develops from three to nine tails, the ability to hypnotize, create illusions, become invisible, and change appearance develops.
Young mystical foxes tend to be mischievous, they adore various tricks. A romantic relationship is possible between one-tailed werewolves and humans. Five- and seven-tailed creatures have black hair.
Dark foxes have no fear of appearing in real life. The elite are the nine-tailed kitsune. Such creatures are a thousand or more years old. They have reached an incredible level of development of magical abilities. The nine-tailed kitsune has a skin with a golden, white or silver tint.
The higher ones live on their own or are part of the retinue of Inari no Kami. Their power over space and time has no boundaries. They are able to transform into any creature. At a venerable age, kitsune can transform into a giant tree or become a second moon in the sky, reincarnate into a fire-breathing dragon. They subdue crowds of people to their will.
Awards and punishments
A legend has been known since antiquity that a werewolf fox causes a flame by striking the ground with its tail. These creatures are able to make a fire that does no harm to anyone. However, real disasters can happen from their actions.
One day, a monk became alarmed after dreams of yokai and decided to start building a pagoda with seven floors. Immediately after the completion of the construction, a fire broke out. Not only the building burned down, but many people were injured.
The places where kitsune have fun are recognized by the wandering bog lights. The red cheats breathe out bluish flames. Before the coming of the New Year, the fox fires are lit at the foot of the ancient kitsune tree. The Japanese believe that a bright flame seen from afar promises prosperity with a rich harvest in the field.
Foxes can create incredible illusions endlessly. They love to put a haze on a person. The hallucinations they induce briefly deprive people of the reality of perception. Once such a fox found out about the greed of an old villager and decided to play a trick on him. Having seen a huge field of spring chrysanthemums, a man rushed to tear them in armfuls.
He dreamed of a considerable income after selling rare flowers on the market. Imagine his disappointment when the field and flowers in his hands melted like smoke.
Another fox wanted to entertain an old woman who loved to go to the theater. When she returned home, she found herself in a real theater, where she was shown a touching love story of a courageous samurai and a snow-white fox. The grandmother did not feel disappointed.
How to deal with kitsune
You take revenge on the offenders. The yokai, who harbored a grudge against the samurai who offended him, used his entire arsenal of magical abilities. One evening, messengers from the master arrived at the man's home and ordered to immediately commit ritual suicide. He was about to follow the order when the deception was revealed.
Bypassing the fox means avoiding its traps. Although folklore treats the antics of mythical creatures with indulgence, it is better not to get foxes on the road. If the meeting is inevitable, it is better to appease the kitsune.
To get rid of the sent hallucinations, sprinkle salt around the confused one, begging the werewolf to leave. The essence can be identified with the help of fire. If you bring it to the youkai, it takes on its true form.
The presence of werewolves is given out by night music or by flickering lights on the wastelands. If a person interested in unusual phenomena goes to find out what is happening, nothing guarantees his safety.
The sources of the lights are star pearls, endowed with magical properties. They are worn by kitsune in the form of a fox. If someone manages to take possession of the artifact, the fox will fulfill any desire for the return of the value. The werewolf can call friends for help.
In this case, the kidnapper should not expect a reward, but a punishment. However, the fulfillment of the desire to abolish the Japanese youkai is not strong enough: a demotion in status and position is inevitable.
For a pearl, the fox bestows gifts on many. But asking her for material goods is unreasonable: foxes are too fond of tricks. As a result, precious stones will turn into pebbles, and gold will turn into bark. The most valuable gifts are longevity, luck and health.
Patrons of trade
For millennia, the goddess Inari has been associated with kitsune in Japanese culture. There are about thirty thousand sanctuaries of the deity in the country. It can be recognized from a distance by the red-painted gate. Cinnabar is a talisman against evil forces. Previously, the face was also painted with it.
Scarlet is also used to create a fox mask. The Japanese love to buy kitsune masks for home decoration. In modern anime, the fox is also a popular hero.
To create a traditional mask, white is also used, which symbolizes nothingness. Red means sun and fire. As the flame appears in two forms, so the kitsune brings either blessing or destruction.
Whole families, residents of the Land of the Rising Sun go to the temple to ask the deity for prosperity. At the entrance sit "fiery" foxes with open or closed mouths.
Some of the youkai have keys to grain barns, a ball, a symbol of wish fulfillment, or spikelets in their teeth. Foxes are patrons of trade, thanks to the red color, a symbol of prosperity and wealth.