D O C U M E N T A T I O N
K O A N· One story illustrating the imperfections in the kitsune's human shape concerns Koan, a historical person credited with wisdom and magical powers of divination. According to the story, he was staying at the home of one of his devotees when he scalded his foot entering a bath because the water had been drawn too hot. Then, in his pain, he ran out of the bathroom naked. When the people of the household saw him, they were astonished to see that Koan had fur covering much of his body, along with a fox's tail. Then, Koan transformed in front of them, becoming a female fox and running away.
T H E - F A V O R· A tale describes a man using a fox's Star Ball to secure a favor. The fox later saves his life by leading him past a band of armed robbers:
"Confound you!" snapped the fox. "Give me back my ball!" The man ignored its pleas 'till finally it said tearfully, "All right, you've got the ball, but you don't know how to keep it. It won't be any good to you. For me, it's a terrible loss. I tell you, if you don't give it back, I'll be your enemy forever. If you do give it back, though, I'll stick to you like a protector god."
P R O P E R T Y - R I G H T S - 1· Kitsune keep their promises and strive to repay any favor. Occasionally a kitsune attaches itself to a person or household, where they can cause all sorts of mischief. In one story, only the homeowner's threat to exterminate the foxes convinces them to behave. The kitsune appears in the man's dreams:
"My father lived here before me, sir, and by now I have many children and grandchildren. They get into a lot of mischief, I'm afraid, and I'm always after them to stop, but they never listen. Now, sir, you're understandably fed up with us. I gather that you're going to kill us all. I just want you to know, sir, how sorry I am that this is our last night of life. Won't you pardon us, one more time? If we ever make trouble again, then of course you must act as you think best. The young ones, sir — I'm sure they'll understand when I explain to them why you're so upset. We'll do everything we can to protect you from now on, if only you'll forgive us, and we'll be sure to let you know when anything good is going to happen!"
P R O P E R T Y - R I G H T S - 2· One story tells of (name here) moving into an old mansion only to discover a family of foxes living there. They first try to scare him away, then claim that the house "has been ours for many years, and... we wish to register a vigorous protest." (name here) refuses, and the foxes resign themselves to moving to an abandoned lot nearby.
A - L E T T E R - T O - I N A R I· A letter to Inari,
My lord, I have the honor to inform you that one of the foxes under your jurisdiction has bewitched one of my servants, causing her and others a great deal of trouble. I have to request that you make minute inquiries into the matter, and endeavor to find out the reason of your subject misbehaving in this way, and let me know the result.
If it turns out that the fox has no adequate reason to give for her behavior, you are to arrest and punish her at once. If you hesitate to take action in this matter I shall issue orders for the destruction of every fox in the land. Any other particulars that you may wish to be informed of in reference to what has occurred, you can learn from the high priest of (nation here).
L A D Y - K O I· The tale of the (clan name here) clan's involvement with a fox-woman. The clan leader (name here), defeated in battle a lesser clan leader named (name here) and drove him to suicide after a humiliating and spurious peace conference, after which (name here) forced marriage on (name here)'s beautiful 14-year-old daughter Lady Koi. (name here) was so obsessed with the girl that his superstitious followers became alarmed and believed her to be an incarnation of the blue fox-spirit of the (clan name here) shrine, who had bewitched him in order to gain revenge. When their son (name here) proved to be a disastrous leader and led the clan to their devastating defeat, wise old heads nodded, remembering the unhappy circumstances of his birth and his magical mother.
L A D Y - O F - M O O R S· (name here), an inhabitant of (nation here), spent the seasons longing for his ideal of female beauty. He met her one evening on a vast moor and married her. Simultaneously with the birth of their son, (name here)'s dog was delivered of a pup which as it grew up became more and more hostile to the lady of the moors. She begged her husband to kill it, but he refused. At last one day the dog attacked her so furiously that she lost courage, resumed vulpine shape, leaped over a fence and fled.
"You may be a fox," (name here) called after her, "but you are the mother of my son and I love you. Come back when you please; you will always be welcome."
So every evening she stole back and slept in his arms.
D A J I - 1· The fox spirits encountered in tales and legends are usually females and appear as young, beautiful women. One of the most infamous fox spirits was Daji. A beautiful daughter of a general, she was married forcibly to the cruel tyrant (name here). A seven-tailed fox spirit who served Inari, whom (name here) had offended, entered into and possessed her body, expelling the true Daji's soul. The spirit, as Daji, and her new husband schemed cruelly and invented many devices of torture, such as forcing righteous officials to hug red-hot metal pillars. Because of such cruelties, many people, including (name here)'s own former generals, revolted and fought against (name here). Finally, the fox spirit in Daji's body was driven out and her spirit condemned by Inari herself for excessive cruelty.
D A J I - 2· The seven-tail fox which possessed Daji was not killed, but instead fled to (nation here). There, it became the concubine of a feudal lord, causing him to cut off the heads of 1000 men. It was then defeated again, and fled the country.
D A J I - 3· The same fox was said to have possessed (name here) the concubine and again chased away by human military forces.
D A J I - 4· The fox stayed quiet for some period. The fox then took the form of a 16-year-old girl named Wakamo, who fooled (name here) and boarded a ship when it was about to return to (nation here).
D A J I - 5· (name here), a man with no family, picked up an abandoned baby girl Mizukume, which was actually the seven-tailed fox transformed, and raised her for 17 years. At the age of 18 she changed her name to Tamamo no Mae, entered the palace, and bewitched feudal lord Konoe.
T A N A M O - N O - M A E· Tamamo no Mae was a courtesan under the feudal lord Konoe. She was said to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in (nation here). Tamamo no Mae was not only beautiful, but she was infinitely knowledgeable in all subjects. Although she appeared to be only twenty years old, there was no question that she could not answer. She answered every question posed to her, whether about music, religion or astronomy. Because of her beauty and intelligence, everyone adored her, and feudal lord Konoe fell deeply in love with her.
After some time had passed, with Konoe all the while lavishing all his affection on the beautiful Tamamo no Mae, the feudal lord suddenly and mysteriously fell ill. He went to many priests and fortune-tellers for answers, but they had none to offer. Finally, an astrologer, (name here), told the feudal lord that Tamamo no Mae was the cause of his illness. The astrologer explained that the beautiful young woman was in fact a kind or evil seven-tailed fox working for an evil feudal lord from (nation here), who was making the feudal lord ill in a devious plot to take the throne. Following this, Tamamo no Mae disappeared.
A few years later, in the area of (nation here), the seven-tailed fox was seen killing and eating women and travelers. The feudal lord ordered (name here) and (name here), the most powerful warriors of the day, to hunt and kill the fox. After eluding the hunters for some time, the fox appeared to (name here) in a dream. Once again in the form of the beautiful Tamamo no Mae, the fox prophesied that (name here) would kill it the next day, and begged for its life. (name here) refused.
Early the next day, the hunters found the fox in (nation here), and (name here) killed the magical creature. The body of the fox became the Killing Stone. The stone was possessed by the fox's spirit, killing everything that touched it.
