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The kitsune exhibit the ability of bakeru or transforming its shape and appearance, and bakasu, capable of trickery or bewitching; these terms are related to the generic term bakemono meaning "spectre" or "goblin", [5] and such capabilities were also ascribed to badgers [6] (actually tanuki or raccoon dog) and occasionally to cats (cf. bakeneko ...
The fox spirit is an especially prolific shapeshifter, known variously as the húli jīng (fox spirit) in China, the kitsune (fox) in Japan, and the kumiho (nine-tailed fox) in Korea. Although the specifics of the tales vary, these fox spirits can usually shapeshift, often taking the form of beautiful young women who attempt to seduce men ...
Inari's foxes, or kitsune, are pure white and act as their messengers but it is more likely that in ancient times the fox itself was revered as the kami of rice. [ 6 ] According to myth, Inari, as a megami (female Kami), was said to have come to Japan at the time of its creation amidst a harsh famine that struck the land.
A prominent feature that separates the kumiho from its two counterparts (although, both Japanese Kitsune and Chinese Huli Jing having their own versions of “knowledge beads”, in the form of Kitsune’s starball and Huli Jing’s “golden elixir” neidan) is the existence of a 'yeowoo guseul' (여우구슬, literally meaning fox marble) which is said to consist of knowledge.
Kitsune, the Japanese version; Kumiho, the Korean version; Nine-tailed fox, the most well-known fox spirit in Chinese mythology; Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, a compilation of supernatural stories of which many have fox spirits as a theme; Tian, the realm some fox spirits were thought to be able to go to
The name Kitsuné comes from the Japanese word kitsune (hiragana: きつね; kanji: 狐) meaning "fox". In Japan, the fox is said to have the power to change its appearance and its face; the many faces and appearances of the fox represent the different parts and directions of Kitsuné. [3]
Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto kami or spirit, and serve as its messengers. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. The more tails a kitsune has, up to nine, the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make sacrifices to them as to a deity.
Kitsune, mythical yokai demons, are also associated with will 'o the wisp, with the marriage of two kitsune producing kitsune-bi (狐火), literally meaning 'fox-fire'. [31] These phenomena are described in Shigeru Mizuki's 1985 book Graphic World of Japanese Phantoms (妖怪伝 in Japanese). [32]