Fox spirit in Japanese mythology. Kitsune is a fox with supernatural powers. Japanese mythology. Bypass the kitsune side - avoid deception
This type of mythological character, like magic foxes, is typical for all of East Asia. In contrast to the traditional ideas of European and Central Asian peoples about werewolves as originally anthropomorphic creatures that turn into zoomorphic demons, a completely different type prevails in the beliefs of China, borrowed later by the Japanese. These are animals that have lived for hundreds of years, capable of taking on human form, as well as inducing illusions and conjuring. These beliefs are based on the concept of jing: "in Chinese mythology, the substance contained in every living being.
According to the Taoist concept, at the moment of a person's birth, a spirit (shen) is formed, which is, as it were, a soul, by connecting the vital breath coming from the outside with the jing substance. When a person dies, the ching disappears." The ching energy of all beings steadily increases with age; animals finally become able to transform into humans and persecute them.
This Chinese concept resonates with the Slavic idea of the danger emanating from a creature that "has lived in the world", "jamming someone else's eyelid" and because of this even capable of becoming a vampire. It is noteworthy that almost all Japanese werewolf animals (with the exception of the raccoon dog - tanuki) show a tendency to vampirism.
O magic foxes ah, the Japanese remembered most often when it came to some strange and mysterious phenomena. Especially interesting are the examples when the antics of foxes are opposed to the belief in ghosts. For example, in Ueda Akinari's story "A Night in the Reeds" (collection "The Moon in the Fog", 1768), we are talking about ghosts.
However, the idea that he met a ghost did not immediately occur to the protagonist when he woke up the next day to find that his wife had disappeared, and the house he returned to after a seven-year absence looked abandoned: "The wife has disappeared somewhere. Maybe all this is the tricks of the fox?" Katsushiro thought. However, the house he was in was undoubtedly his own house, although it had fallen into extreme desolation..
In the story "Kibitsu Temple Cauldron" from the same collection, a friend of the protagonist, who saw the ghost of his dead wife, consoles him: "Of course, the fox deceived you"3. There is an even more eloquent legend called "The Road of the Spirits of the Dead", where main character, a skeptic, also did not believe in ghosts: "They say that these are spirits, but in fact it was just someone dreaming, that's all. Foxes are, who else!".
The main features of the beliefs about magical foxes were borrowed by the Japanese from China. W.A. Casal writes about it this way: "Faith in the magic of foxes, as well as in their ability to turn around, did not originate in Japan, but came from China, where these fearsome animals that can take on human form and fool people were described as early as in the literature of the Han Dynasty, 202 BC - 221 AD Since animism has always been inherent in the Japanese, the belief in magical foxes was relatively easily accepted.
The beliefs associated with the fox are also among the Ainu. So, A. B. Spevakovsky reports: "The black fox (shitumbe kamuy) was almost always considered by the Ainami as a "good", kind animal. At the same time, the red fox was considered unreliable kamuy, capable of harming a person".
It is about the red fox as a character of lower mythology that we find a lot of information. Tironnup is a skilled werewolf who can take the form of both male and female.
There is a legend about how tironnup turned into a young guy in order to find a bride for himself. At competitions, he amazed everyone with his jumping skills, and the bride would already be his, if someone did not notice the tip of the tail, visible from under his clothes. The red fox was killed.
The legends about the fox taking the form of a beautiful girl also most often end with someone seeing their tail. The Ainu believe that contact between a man and a fox, especially sexual contact, is very dangerous and leads to the death of a person. Ethnographic data from the beginning of the 20th century. show that among the Ainu there is also a belief in a man's obsession with a fox. Most often this happens to women (the same can be seen in the Japanese material, we will discuss this below), this condition is called tusu.
However, all borrowings should fall on the base prepared for this: there is no doubt that the Japanese themselves had a certain layer of beliefs associated with foxes. Separate evidence of this is the cult of the Shinto deity Inari. Inari can also appear in human form, but most often appears in the form of a heavenly snow-white fox.
Fox statues are an integral part of temples in his honor, Inari is usually accompanied by two white nine-tailed foxes. Inari is the patron saint of rice, in all its forms: ine (rice in ears), kome (threshed rice) and gohan (boiled rice; designation of food in general). The name Inari itself means "rice man" (to the root "ine" is added "ri" - "man"), and ears of rice are still associated among older Japanese with little green men. This all leads us to the idea that the deity Inari is one of the variants of the "rye wolf", about which, among others, J. Fraser wrote.
Lafcadio Hearn points out that Inari was often worshiped as a healing deity; but more often he was considered a god bringing wealth (perhaps because the entire fortune in Old Japan was considered in koku rice). Therefore, his foxes are often depicted holding keys in their mouths. M. V. de Fisser, in his book The Fox and the Badger in Japanese Folklore, notes that the deity Inari is often associated with the bodhisattva Dakini-Ten, one of the patronesses of the Shingon Order.
However, there is a significant difference between the foxes of the deity Inari and the werefoxes, which the Japanese ethnologist Kiyoshi Nozaki points out: "It should be noted that the foxes in the service of Inari have nothing to do with the witchcraft of other foxes, which are often called nogitsune, or "wild foxes" One of the duties of the servants of the Inari Shrine in the Fushimi quarter in Kyoto was precisely the expulsion and punishment of these nogitsune." Nogitsune are werefoxes. It was believed that Inari could control them, however, not in all cases. The conflict between the deity Inari and the wild nogitsune foxes is shown in the feature film Gegege no Kitaro (2007; dir. Motoki Katsuhide), where Inari acts under the name of Tenko and appears as a beautiful celestial maiden with many fox tails. Nogitsune foxes are presented there as the main antagonists: they seek to harm people in every possible way, which is opposed by Tenko, who wants everyone to live in peace.
The main magical ability of foxes is the ability to turn into a person. In Asai Ryoi's Otogi-boko collection, there is a story called "The Story of the Fox That Absorbed the Daimyo's Energy". It describes in detail the process of turning a fox into a man: "Walking along the banks of the Shinohara River in the dim light of a foggy autumn evening, he(protagonist of the story) I saw a fox praying frantically, facing north, standing on its hind legs, with a human skull on its head. Every time the fox bowed in prayer, the skull would fall from its head. However, the fox put it back and continued to pray, facing north, as before. The skull rolled off many times, but in the end, it was firmly fixed on the head. The fox read the prayer about a hundred times". After that, the fox turns into a young girl of seventeen or eighteen years.
Not all foxes could turn into humans. U. A. Kasal writes the following: "The older the fox, the greater its strength. The most dangerous are those who have reached the age of eighty or a hundred years. Those who have crossed this threshold are already admitted to heaven, they become" heavenly foxes ". one tail grows nine. They serve in the halls of the Sun and the Moon and know all the secrets of nature".
In the Kabuki play "Yoshitsune and a Thousand Cherry Blossoms", the main character, a magical fox, says that her parents were white foxes, each of which was a thousand years old. In Ogita Ansei's story "About the Werecat" (collection "Tales of the Night Watch"), it says: "The sacred books say that a thousand-year-old fox can turn into a beauty, a hundred-year-old mouse into a witch. An old cat can become a werewolf with a forked tail".
Can younger foxes take on human form? Yes, but they are not always good at it. In "Notes from Boredom" by Kenko-hoshi, there is a story about a young fox who entered the Gojo Imperial Palace and watched a game of Go through a bamboo curtain: “A fox in the form of a man peeked out from behind the curtain. “Ah! It’s a fox!” Everyone made a noise, and the fox fled in confusion..
This aspect directly echoes Chinese beliefs: "In the minds of the Chinese, there were several, so to speak, age categories of magical foxes. The lowest - young foxes capable of magic, but limited in transformations; further - foxes capable of a wider range of transformations: they can become an ordinary woman, and a beautiful maiden, or maybe even a man.In human form, a fox can enter into relationships with real people, seduce them, fool them so that they forget about everything<...>the fox, as a result, can significantly increase its magical abilities, which allows it to achieve longevity, and perhaps even immortality, and thereby fall into the last, highest category - thousand-year-old foxes, become a saint, approach the heavenly world (often just about such the fox is said to be white or nine-tailed), leaving the vain world of people".
The Chinese tradition as a whole is characterized by the idea that the vital spirit (ching) of all beings steadily increases with age, and the increasing power of foxes with age is another manifestation of this.
Recognizing a fox that has turned into a man is quite simple: it most often has a fox tail. In the legend of the fox named Kuzunoha, the mother of the famous magician Abe no Seimei, the fox, transformed into a young beautiful woman, admired the flowers, but with admiration did not follow the fact that her tail became visible through the skirts of the kimono. He was noticed by her son, Abe no Seimei, who was then seven years old. After that, his mother leaves a farewell poem and goes back into the forest, assuming her true form. In Izumi, there is now a Kuzunoha-Inari Shrine, built, according to legend, on the very spot where Kuzunoha left her farewell poem.
But there are even more reliable ways to identify a fox. In a short story from Konjaku Monogatari called "The Fox Turned His Wife," the protagonist unexpectedly meets not one, but two wives at home. He realizes that one of them is a fox. He begins to threaten both of them, the women burst into tears, but only when he grabs the fox tightly by the hand, as if he wants to tie it, does it break free, assume its true form and run away.
The author himself gives advice: "The samurai was angry at the fox for fooling him. But it was too late. It was necessary to guess right away, so it was his own fault. First of all, he had to tie both women, and the fox would eventually take on its real form".
Foxes are immediately recognized by dogs. For the first time this idea sounds in the story from "Nihon ryo:iki" - "The Tale of the Fox and Her Son": the fox wife, frightened by the dog, assumes her true form and runs into the forest. In the otogizoshi "Fox of Kovato", the fox Kisyu Gozen leaves the house where she was a wife and mother, as her son was given a dog. Davis Headland notes that the word "dog" written on the child's forehead was a defense against the witchcraft of foxes and badgers. He also points out another way to identify a fox: "If the shadow of a fox-woman accidentally falls on the water, the fox will be reflected in it, and not the beautiful woman".
An interesting way to identify a fox is indicated by Lafcadio Hearn: "the fox cannot pronounce the whole word, only part of it: for example, "Nishi ... Sa ..." instead of "Nishida-san", "de goza ..." instead of "de gozaimas or "uchi...de" instead of "uchi de ka?". U. A. Kasal reports on the evolution of this method of recognizing a fox in modern society: according to popular beliefs, a fox cannot say the word "mosi-mosi".
The fox says "mosi" once, and then something incomprehensible, or else says the next "mosi" after a while. According to popular explanation, the habit of saying "mosi-mosi" at the beginning of a telephone conversation is just a way to make sure that your interlocutor is not a fox.
What is the reason why foxes take on human form? In the already mentioned story by Asai Ryoi, "The Story of the Fox that Absorbed the Energy of the Daimyo," it is said that the fox was expelled by the priest, who noticed that the samurai in love with the transformed fox did not look good.
He tells him the following: "You've been under a spell. Your energy is being consumed by a monster, and your life is in danger if we don't do something right away. I'm never wrong about such matters.". The priest later denounces the fake girl, and she turns into a fox with a skull on her head, appearing in the same form in which she was transformed into a man many years ago.
It can be seen that foxes are not alien to vampirism. The same motif can be traced in Chinese beliefs about foxes. I. A. Alimov writes: "It is the marital relationship with a person that is ultimate goal foxes, because in the process of sexual relations she receives from a man his vital energy what she needs to improve magical abilities<...>Outwardly, this is expressed in a sharp weight loss ("skin and bones") and in general weakness. Ultimately, a person dies from exhaustion of vital forces.
However, it is believed that children endowed with miraculous abilities are born from a marriage with a fox. In addition, despite the vampiric tendency of Japanese fairy foxes, their husbands often genuinely feel sadness for their beloved, whom they have abandoned, and this sadness is due to human causes, and by no means bewitchment.
In addition, the fox can turn into different things, into animals and plants. The story of the fox that was killed pretending to be a tree from Konjaku Monogatari tells how the nephew of the high Shinto priest Nakadai and his servant saw a huge cedar tree during a walk, which had not been there before. They decide to check if it is a real cedar or not, and shoot it with a bow. In the next moment, the tree disappears, and in its place after they find a dead fox with two arrows in its side. B. H. Chamberlain recounts a widely publicized case in 1889.
It was a story about a fox that took the form of a train on the Tokyo-Yokohama line. The ghost train was moving towards the present and seemed to be about to collide with it. The driver of the real train, seeing that all his signals were useless, increased the speed, and at the moment of the collision the phantom suddenly disappeared, and a downed fox appeared in its place.
A very famous legend in Japan tells of a fox named Tamamo no Mae. This legend is also mentioned in The Tale of the House of Taira, where it is told by Prince Taira no Shigemori.
Originally a white fox with nine tails lived in India. Turning into a beautiful girl, she called herself Hua-Yang and was able to bewitch the king of India, Pan-Tsu. He made her his wife. Being naturally evil and cruel, she enjoyed killing thousands of innocent people. When she was exposed, the fox flew to China.
Turning into a beautiful girl again, under the name of Bao Si, she entered the harem of Emperor Yu-wang of the Zhou Dynasty. Soon she became a queen, still cold-hearted and treacherous. “There was only one thing that was not to Yu-wang’s heart: Bao Si never laughed, nothing made her smile. And in that foreign country there was a custom: if a rebellion broke out somewhere, bonfires were lit and big drums were beaten, calling warriors. Bonfires these were called "feng ho" - signal lights.One day an armed riot broke out, and the signal lights lit up. "How many lights! How beautiful!" - Bao Si exclaimed, seeing these lights, and smiled for the first time. And in her smile there was an infinite charm...".
The emperor, for the pleasure of his wife, ordered to burn signal fires day and night, although there was no need for that. Soon, the soldiers stopped gathering, seeing these lights, and then it happened that the capital was besieged by enemies, but no one came to defend it. The emperor himself died, and the fox, having assumed its real form, flew to Japan (according to another version, it died along with the emperor, and was reborn already in Japan).
In Japan, the fox was named after Tamamo no Mae. She took the form of a dazzlingly beautiful girl and became a court lady. One day at midnight, when a festival was held in the palace, a mysterious wind rose and blew out all the lamps. At that moment, everyone saw that a bright glow began to emanate from Tamamo no Mae.
Kikukawa Eizan. Geisha playing kitsune-ken (fox-ken), an early Japanese rock-paper-scissor or sansukumi-ken game.
Then Tamamo no Mae turned into a fox and fled to the Nasu plain. She killed people in her path. By order of the emperor, two courtiers went after her. But the fox turned into a Sessho-Seki stone, which killed everyone who approached him. Even the birds dropped dead as they flew over him. Only in the XIII century. a Buddhist monk named Genno destroyed it with the power of his prayers. T. W. Johnson remarks that this Japanese legend looks as if it had been transformed from a Chinese legend, which in turn may have been based on an Indian one.
In addition to transformations, foxes also know how to fool and bewitch people and animals. As Kiyoshi Nozaki notes, "it is believed that when a fox bewitches people, the number of its victims is limited to one or two". However, this rule does not always work. Ihara Saikaku's story "Fox's Faithful Vassals" tells how a rice merchant named Monbyoe, walking along a mountain path in a deserted place, saw a whole bunch of white fox cubs. Without much thought, he threw a pebble at them and hit one fox right in the head - he died on the spot.
After that, the foxes for a long time took revenge on Monbye himself and his family members, presenting themselves to them either as guards of the steward, or depicting a funeral ceremony. In the end, the foxes shaved their heads and that was it. The story of a fox cutting off her hair was quite common. The tale "The Fox Named Genkuro" speaks of a fox whose main pastimes were to cut off women's hair and break clay pots. When in Edo at the end of the XVIII century. a maniac appeared who cut off the hair of women, he was called "The Fox that cuts off the hair."
However, usually the fox bewitches only one person. A frequent plot of stories is when a fox, having turned into a beautiful girl, drags a man with him to his "home". "The Story of a Man Maddened by a Fox and Saved by the Goddess of Mercy" from Konjaku Monogatari tells the story of a man who lived for 13 days in his own basement, thinking that he had been living in the rich house of a beautiful princess for three years.
In a story from Asai Ryoi's Otogiboko entitled "The Story of a Samurai Hosted by Foxes", the protagonist was found in a fox hole, and he himself believed that he was in a magnificent estate and was playing sugoroku with the aunt of the princess he had saved before . Creating illusions with a fox also involves time management.
In the legend of "Adventures of Visu" the protagonist sees two women playing go in a forest clearing: “After sitting in the clearing for three hundred years, which seemed to Vis only a few noon hours, he saw that one of the women playing had made a wrong move. “Wrong, beautiful lady!” Visu exclaimed excitedly. Immediately, both strangers turned into foxes and ran away ".
Foxes, despite their animal nature, are still characters from underworld. Therefore, it is not surprising that their time also flows according to the laws of another world. On the other hand, perhaps there is some hint here that games in Go do sometimes take a very long time - they can last for months.
Fox charms have become a proverb in Japan. In Genji Monogatari, there is a scene in which Prince Genji is mistaken for a werefox due to the fact that he wears an ordinary hunting dress, but acts too courteous for a person of his rank. Genji himself calls himself a fox in a loving conversation with a lady: "Indeed," Genji smiled, "which of us is a werewolf fox? Don't resist my charms," he said affectionately, and the woman obeyed him, thinking: "Well, apparently, so be it.".
The fox bewitches people by waving its tail. This motif is central to the story told by a resident of the city of Kobe, Miyagi Prefecture.
The narrator sees a man sitting under a large tree in a deserted place. He behaves like a madman: bowing to someone, laughing merrily and as if drinking sake from a cup. The fox sitting behind him stretched out its tail to its full length and with its tip it seems to draw a circle on the ground. The narrator throws a stone at the fox, it runs away, and the enchanted man suddenly comes to his senses and cannot understand where he is.
It turns out that he was on his way to a wedding in a neighboring village and was carrying salted salmon as a gift. Apparently, the fox was flattered by him. In addition to humans, foxes can also cast illusions on animals.
In the book "Kitsune. Japanese fox: mysterious, romantic and funny, "among others, there are tales about how a fox bewitches a horse, a rooster and a crow. It is noteworthy that when the fox tried to enchant a rooster, she "stood on her hind legs and beckoned the rooster to her with her front paw like a maneki-neko".
Beliefs about fox witchcraft sometimes turned into grotesque situations. Lafcadio Hearn tells the story of a farmer who saw the massive eruption of the Bandai-san volcano in 1881. The huge volcano was literally torn apart, all life in the space of 27 square miles around was destroyed. The eruption razed forests to the ground, forced rivers to flow backwards, entire villages, along with their inhabitants, were buried alive.
However, the old peasant, who was watching all this, standing on the top of a neighboring mountain, looked at the catastrophe with indifference, as if at a theatrical performance.
He saw a black plume of ash that shot up to a height of 20,000 pounds, and then fell off, taking the form of a giant umbrella and blocking the sun. He felt a strange rain come down, scalding like water in a hot spring.
Everything went black after that; the mountain shook beneath him, thunder rang out, so terrible, as if the whole world had broken in half. However, the peasant remained imperturbable until everything was over. He decided not to be afraid of anything, because he was sure that everything he sees, hears and feels is just fox witchcraft.
An interesting phenomenon is also the so-called "kitsune-bi", or "fox fire". It was the tricks of the fox that the Japanese explained the well-known phenomenon of "stray lights", which is widespread throughout the world. It is worth immediately clarifying that he was given other explanations, which will be discussed below. Kiyoshi Nozaki identifies four types of kitsune-bi: a cluster of small lights; one or two large fireballs; the moment when all the windows in several large buildings standing side by side are lit; fox wedding.
Ando Hiroshige's engraving "Fox Lights at the Iron Tree of Oji Dressings" from the cycle "One Hundred Views of Edo" depicts a whole flock of white foxes, each of them has a small light hovering at the nose, supported by her breath. According to the little story from the Issyo-wa collection (1811), fire comes out of the fox's mouth when it jumps and frolics, and it exists only at the moment when the fox exhales air.
Another common motif is that foxes have a small stone, white and round, with which they produce fox fire. In "Konjaku monogatari" in "The story of the fox who thanked the samurai for returning the precious ball to her," a white stone is described, for the return of which the fox not only left the woman she had moved into before, but also saved the life of the one who returned the stone.
An interesting phenomenon is "kitsune no yomeiri" - "fox wedding". This is what the weather is called when it's raining and the sun is shining at the same time. It is believed that at this moment you can see a certain procession in the distance, brightly lit by torches. Having reached a certain place, she disappears without a trace.
In the tale "The Fox Wedding" (1741), a richly dressed samurai comes to the ferryman and tells him that the daughter of the master, whom the samurai himself serves, is getting married tonight.
Therefore, he asks to leave all the boats on this shore so that with their help the entire wedding procession can cross to the other shore. The samurai gives the ferryman a koban, who, surprised by the generosity of the guest, readily agrees. The wedding procession arrives around midnight, all illuminated by lights. She dives into boats, each with several torchbearers. However, soon they all disappear into the darkness of the night without a trace, never reaching the shore. The next morning the owner saw a dry leaf in place of the coin.
Foxes were also credited with the ability to move into people. This state was usually called "kitsune-tsuki", or "kitsune-tai" - "fox possession". B. H. Chamberlain writes the following about this: “Fox possession (kitsune-tsuki) is a form of nervous breakdown or mania, quite often observed in Japan. Penetrating into a person, sometimes through the chest, but more often through the gap between the finger and the nail, the fox lives its own life, separate from the personality of the one in whom it has possessed.The result is a double being of the person and his double consciousness.The possessed hears and understands everything that the fox says or thinks from the inside;they often enter into loud and fierce disputes, and the fox speaks in a voice completely different from the normal voice of this person ".
Lafcadio Hearn describes fox-possessed people like this: "The madness of those who have been possessed by a fox is mysterious. Sometimes they run naked through the streets, screaming desperately. Sometimes they fall on their backs and yelp like foxes, foaming at the mouth. with your own life. Poke it with a needle and it will immediately move. And even with force it is impossible to squeeze it so that it does not slip between your fingers. It is said that the possessed often speak and even write in those languages that they knew nothing about before, how foxes moved in. They only eat what foxes are said to love: tofu (bean curd), aburaage(fried tofu) azuki meshi(red adzuki beans boiled with rice) etc. - and all this they absorb with great pleasure, claiming that it is not they who are hungry, but the foxes that have settled in them ".
The story about the introduction of a fox into a person is found in "Nihon ryo:iki" (scroll 3rd, second story). A sick man comes to the monk Eigo and asks him to be cured. For many days, Eigo tried to exorcise the disease, but the patient did not get better. And then, "vowing to cure him at all costs, [Eigo] continued to cast spells. Then the spirit took possession of the sick, and he said:" I am a fox and will not yield to you. Monk, stop fighting me.” [Eigo] asked, “What is the matter?” [The Spirit] replied, “This man killed me in my last birth, and I am taking revenge on him. When he dies, he will be reborn as a dog and bite me to death. "The amazed monk tried to guide [the spirit] on the true path, but he did not give in and tortured [the patient] to death."
The next example of the fox's possession can be found in Kond-jaku monogatari. The legend is called "The story of the warlord Toshihito, who hired a fox for his guest, using his power over it." It tells how Toshihito, on the way to his own estate, catches a fox and demands that she bring news of the arrival of him and a guest. When they arrive at the manor, the astonished servants tell them the following: “At about eight in the evening, your wife felt a sharp pain in her chest. We did not know what happened to her. Some time later, she spoke: “I am none other than a fox. I met your master today at the Mitsu-no-Hama River. He decided to suddenly return home from the capital, a guest is traveling with him. I wanted to run away from him, but in vain - he caught me. He rides a horse much faster than I can run. He told me to find the estate and give it to the people to bring two saddled horses by ten in the morning the next day to Takashima. If I don't pass it on, I'll be punished.".
In the story "The Fox-Matchmaker" from the collection "Mimi-bukuro" (compiled by Negishi Shizue, 18th century), there is a story about a fox moving into a dishonest person who promised the girl to marry her, but he left and no longer answered her letters . The girl began to pray to the deity Inari, and in response to her prayers, he sends a fox that moves into her lover-deceiver, tells the whole story to his father and demands a receipt from him that he will definitely organize the wedding ceremony.
In the Heian era (794 - 1185), fox possession was seen as a kind of disease. Even then it was believed that foxes come in different ranks, depending on their strength. When a person is possessed by a lower-ranking fox, he simply starts shouting something like: "I am Inari-kami-sama!" or "Give me the adzuki meshi!".
When a person is possessed by a high-ranking fox, it is very difficult to understand. The person looks sick and lethargic, most of the time he spends in oblivion, sometimes only coming to his senses. Despite this, the possessed cannot sleep at night, and he needs constant supervision, as the victim of the fox will attempt to commit suicide.
Almost unchanged, the belief about the possession of a fox reached the beginning of the 20th century. If a person fell ill with something and had symptoms such as delirium, hallucinations and a morbid interest in something, then such a disease was attributed to the obsession with a fox. Moreover, as Kiyoshi Nozaki notes, any disease that was difficult to cure was considered "kitsune-tai" and monks were invited instead of doctors38. Some people with mental disorders they just started pretending to be obsessed with the fox, only when they heard that they might have one.
Such a phenomenon is not at all surprising if we recall that in Japanese society, almost all inexplicable phenomena were considered the tricks of a fox. Consequently, with a mysterious illness, the fox was also remembered in the first place.
T. W. Johnson in his article "Far Eastern Folklore about Foxes" notes that the fox most often moved into women. When a young wife was possessed by a fox, she could say whatever she liked about her mother-in-law and other relatives on her husband's side without risking their wrath.
It also gave her a break from everyday duties. We can note here the similarity between the obsession with foxes and the hysteria in Russian women. We also find information about the obsession with a fox in the Ainu tradition.
Beliefs about magical foxes have survived to this day. The theme of the introduction of a fox into a person is also popular in modern times. popular culture. AT animated series Naruto's protagonist, teenager Uzumaki Naruto, is a possessed nine-tailed fox that has been sealed within his body. Fox, according to classical ideas, tries to take over the hero's body, but also gives Naruto his great strength in battles with enemies.
In addition, magical foxes appear in the animated series Triplexaholic. The protagonist of the series, Watanuki Kimihiro, one day finds a traditional oden diner in the city, which is run by two foxes - father and son. They both walk on their hind legs and wear human clothes. Papa Fox tells Kimihiro that normally a human can't see them, and they've never been visited by people as young as him (a hint that humans, like foxes, develop magical abilities with age!).
Of course, the number of animated and feature films that deal with magic foxes is not limited to the above examples. Currently, werefoxes have firmly taken the place of mythological characters associated with nostalgia for old Japan.
It would be appropriate to note that the image of a werewolf fox in our time has moved from the sphere of folklore to the sphere of folklorism, now it can only be found in children's fairy tales, cartoons and legends, stylized "antique". Due to the movement of the bulk of the population from the village to the city, the lower mythology becomes predominantly urbanistic, and new characters from urban legends come to replace the traditional demonological images.
In the beliefs of the Japanese, magical foxes have several pronounced features. Speaking of appearance, it is worth noting that werewolf animals are always somehow different from their ordinary relatives. In foxes, this is expressed through predominantly White color and many-tailed, however, these signs are characteristic only of old, "experienced" foxes in reincarnation.
Transformation into a human is the second distinguishing feature magic foxes. There are many motives for this, ranging from mischief to vampirism. The third characteristic feature is the ability of foxes to induce illusions.
Magic foxes are considered masters of illusions, they are able not only to completely transform the space around a person, but also to create a completely independent flow of time there.
Hi all! "What is this magical creature called" kitsune "? Where does it live? And is it dangerous at all?" - these questions are asked by everyone who has ever encountered Japanese mythology or watched the anime "Naruto" (yes, yes , the famous nine-tailed fox is a kitsune! c:) That's why I came here to tell you who "kitsune" are, where they live and whether they are dangerous. Here is an explanation that is our answer to the above question: "who or what is a kitsune?"
Kitsune (Japanese Kitsune; Fox) are mysterious, unusual and very charming creatures that are endowed with a lot of knowledge, long life and magical abilities. One of the main characters of Japanese folklore and mythology. 
Main Feature of these creatures is the transformation into a human, ala Japanese werewolf. This process takes almost the entire life of a kitsune. If you take time, it takes from fifty to a hundred years! :o Not sickly so, wait ..
Kitsune, or as they are also called "demon foxes", are capable of both carrying evil and being messengers of divine forces. Therefore, many temples of the goddess Inari, who, just, is their patroness, have been built in Japan. Judging by the attitude of the Japanese towards this creature, they are somewhat similar to the Irish, who are also very respectful of their fairies, and also fear their wrath and sympathize with them.
The very origin of the name of this creature has two options. The first is according to Nonji, that is, the old onomatopoeia of the fox barking: "kitsu-kitsu", however, on modern language, it sounds, approximately, like this: "con-con". The second option is less scientific, but more romantic. It refers to the first documented legend dating back to the early period of Asuka-538-710 CE. And it sounds like this: Ono, a resident of the Mino region, searched for a long time and could not find his ideal of female beauty. But one foggy evening, near a large wasteland, he unexpectedly met his dream. They got married, she gave birth to a beautiful son. brought a puppy. The more the puppy grew, the more aggressive he became towards the "Lady" from the wasteland. She was frightened and asked her husband to kill the dog. But he refused. Once the dog rushed at the Lady. She threw off her human appearance in horror, turned into forest, and ran away. It began to look for and call her, and the Lady Fox heard It, and since then every night she came to him in the guise of a woman, and in the morning she ran away into the wasteland in the guise of a fox."
In addition to legends, there are also funny stories about these creatures, for example, the story of the Chinese poet Niu Jiao "Fox Document". And here is the story itself: "Officer Wang, being on a business trip to the capital, one evening saw two foxes near a tree. They stood on their hind legs and laughed merrily. One of them held a sheet of paper in its paw. Wang began to shout at the kitsune to leave, however kitsune ignored his indignation.Then the official threw at one of the foxes, and hit with a stone in the eye (Greenpeace was not on him. >: c) the one that held the paper. The fox dropped the paper, and both disappeared into the forest. Van took the document, but it turned out to be written in an unknown language (: D) After all, our hero decided to look into the tavern and tell about this case, but at the time of his story, a man with a bandage on his forehead entered the tavern and asked to see the document, but the innkeeper saw that the stranger's tail dangled from under the robe, asked him to leave the tavern. Several times the foxes tried to return their document while Wang was in the capital, but each time unsuccessfully. However, when the official went back to his county, he met his relatives along the way. they said that a letter had come from him about, which said that Wang received a high position in the capital and remains there. And in joy they sold all their property and went to him. But our hero was embarrassed and asked to show him this paper. Picking up the sheet, Wang was horrified, it was clean. Then the relatives and Wang, offended by the fate, began to return home, incurring great losses. Some time later, his brother returned to Van, who was considered dead in a distant province. They began to drink wine and tell various stories from life. When our hero reached the story of the fox document, the brother asked to show him this document. Seeing the paper, the brother grabbed it, and with the words "finally!" he turned into a fox and jumped out the window.
These are the creatures given to the goddess Inari. Cheerful and funny, romantic and cynical, prone to both terrible crime and lofty self-sacrifice. Possessing great magical abilities, but sometimes suffering defeats purely because of human weaknesses. Living in the beautiful country of Japan. Drinking human blood and energy - and becoming devoted friends and spouses. :3 On a positive note, I end my story. S: I hope you enjoy it. Everyone "kitsu-kitsu"! :D
If you mention the terms "imitator" and "metamorph", most people interested in the world of the paranormal will probably think of.
Regular "pop" werewolves are fairly limited in shape and size.
Japan has its own metamorph.
They call him Kitsune. This word means "fox".
Japanese legends say that every fox has the ability to turn into a person, whether it be a man or a woman.
And how many werewolves that can be found in world legends, Kitsune combines an evil being and a calm, helpful essence.
Basically, however, he acts like a classic trickster - manipulating people and playing endless mind games with them.
Those Kitsune who possess positive character, are known as Zenko, and those that are evil and dangerous are called Yako.
Harmless Zenkos often hide food and various items household items, which makes the "prank object" endlessly look for their things.
While dangerous Yako look for careless people and lead them to various dead places, such as swamps, waterfalls, cliffs.
Stories Japanese Kitsune associated with the folklore and mythology of China, where legends of supernatural foxes had thousand years of history. These were stories about paranormal foxes, known in China as Huli Jing, which were soon adapted and supplemented by the Japanese.
Kitsune is considered a material entity. It is not a being that has returned from the grave in a ghostly form, but an entity nonetheless that has paranormal abilities and is spiritual in terms of its worldview.
As far as their physical form is concerned, Kitsune look like regular foxes. Except for one: they can have up to nine tails.
The forms that Kitsune can turn into are many and varied. Often they take the form of a beautiful woman, like the Scottish kelpies and succubi.
Women and teenage girls are among the most popular Kitsune disguises. Sometimes they take the form of a wrinkled old man.
As for how exactly the shape change occurs, everything is very strange here. To begin the transformation, the Kitsune must carefully place the bundle of cane on his head.
Japanese legend claims that in the case of turning into a woman or a girl, Kitsune also becomes the owner of their mind, such as, for example, capturing human body demonic entity.
All this points to the apparently bizarre nature of this incredible werewolf. Of course, there is no doubt that much of this is just myth, legend and folklore.
But maybe there is some truth in all this? We shouldn't completely discount the intriguing ancient stories of the mysterious mimic.
A fox's tail flickered.
Now I have no rest -
I look forward to every evening.Shurayuki Tamba, 18th century
Kitsune are mysterious, unusual, and very charming creatures. Integral characters of Japanese folklore and literature, they have the features of many at once. magical creatures. If we single out three main parallels in Western culture, this is a combination of the qualities of an elf-faerie, a werewolf, and a vampire. They can act both as carriers of pure evil and as messengers of divine powers. But they prefer romantic adventures of varying degrees of seriousness, or just jokes and pranks in relation to human beings - sometimes, however, not shunning vampirism. And sometimes their stories are filled with tragic sentimentality, so beloved by the Japanese. Their patroness is the goddess Inari, in whose temples statues of foxes are certainly present. The attitude of the Japanese to kitsune is very similar to the attitude of the Irish to their fairies - a mixture of respect, fear, and sympathy. And they definitely stand out from other okabe, that is, Japanese magical creatures. Even tanuki, rather kitsune-like werewolf badgers, are not treated as deeply. And the Japanese cat werewolves usually specialize in pure vampirism, with little interest in other aspects of communication with humanity.
The image of a werewolf fox, a spirit fox, is quite widespread in Asia. But outside the Japanese islands, they almost always act as sharply negative and unsympathetic characters. In China and Korea, the fox is usually only interested in human blood. In the Land of the Rising Sun, the image of the werewolf fox is much more multifaceted, although even here they sometimes indulge in vampirism. Kiyoshi Nozaki, a well-known researcher of kitsune legends, proves in his works the autochthonous nature of Japanese legends about werefoxes. Whereas similar stories from the continent, in his opinion, only superimposed on top of those that existed from time immemorial antiquity - and gave "originally Japanese friends of man" sinister features. Like it or not, you be the judge - to me, kitsune are cute and interesting just the way they are. In all their contradictions, with a rather harmful, but deep and noble character. After all, Japanese culture, in contrast to continental, since the Heian era puts a person the higher, the more facets and contradictions in him. Integrity is good in combat, but in ordinary life it is a sign of primitivism, the Japanese believe.
The origin of the word "kitsune" has two variants. The first - according to Nozaki, he brings him out of the ancient onomatopoeia of the barking of the fox "kitsu-kitsu". However, in modern language it is rendered as "con-con". Another option is less scientific, but more romantic. It goes back to the first documented legend of kitsune, dating back to the early Asuka period - 538-710 AD.
Ono, a resident of the Mino region, searched for a long time and could not find his ideal of female beauty. But one foggy evening, near a large wasteland (a common meeting place for fairies among the Celts), he unexpectedly met his dream. They got married and she bore him a son. But at the same time as the birth of his son, the dog Ono brought a puppy. The larger the puppy became, the more aggressively he treated the Lady from the Wasteland. She got scared and asked her husband to kill the dog. But he refused. One day the dog rushed at the Lady. She threw off her human form in horror, turned into a fox, and ran away. Ono, however, began to look for her and call: "You can be a fox - but I love you, and you are the mother of my son; you can come to me whenever you want." Lady Fox heard It, and since then every night she came to him in the form of a woman, and in the morning she fled into the wasteland in the form of a fox. Two versions of the translation of the word "kitsune" are derived from this legend. Either "kitsu ne", an invitation to spend the night together - Ono's call to his runaway wife; or "ki-tsune" - "always coming."
The heavenly patroness of kitsune is the goddess of rice, Inari. Their statues are an integral part of the temples in her honor. Moreover, some sources indicate that Inari herself is the highest kitsune. At the same time, in fact, the gender of Inari no Kami is not defined - as well as kitsune in general as such. Inari is able (a) to appear in the guise of a warrior or a wise old man, a young girl or beautiful woman. She is usually accompanied by two snow-white foxes with nine tails. Inari is often associated with the bodhisattva Dakini-Ten, one of the patronesses of the Shingon Order, one of the main bearers of the Vajrayana-Kongojo ideas in Japan. Of these, in particular, the shinobi schools of the provinces of Iga and Koga grew up - and the way of life and service of the ninja is very close to kitsune. Inari is especially popular in Kyushu, where an annual festival is held in her honor. At the festival, the main dish is fried tofu, bean curd (something like our cheesecakes) - it is in this form that both kitsune and quite ordinary Japanese foxes prefer it. There are temples and chapels dedicated to kitsune as such.
Like the elves of the British Isles, the "little people", kitsune live in the hills and wastelands, joke with people, sometimes take them to a magical land - from where they can return as deep old men in a few days - or, on the contrary, find themselves in the future, having spent decades in hours . Having taken human form, kitsune marry or marry people, have offspring from them. Moreover, children from marriages of foxes and people inherit magical abilities and many talents. In the Celtic world, this topic is also very popular - remember that the family legends of the McCloud clan trace their genealogy to the marriage of the founder of the clan with an elf girl; and the name of the oldest Scottish clan, the Fergusons, comes from the Old Gaelic "son of the Fae." Or the famous story about Thomas "The Rhymer" Lermont, who lived for several years in the country of fairies, who became the "Scottish Nostradamus". His descendant was, for example, M.Yu. Lermontov.
A characteristic feature that unites kitsune with elves is "kitsune-bi" (Fox Lights) - just like the Celtic fairies, foxes can accidentally or deliberately indicate their presence at night with mysterious lights and music in the wastelands and hills. Moreover, no one guarantees the safety of a person who dares to go to check their nature. Legends describe the source of these lights as "hoshi no tama" (Star Pearls), white balls that look like pearls or gems, possessing magic power. Kitsune always have such pearls with them, in fox form they keep them in their mouths, or wear them around their necks. Kitsune highly value these artifacts, and in exchange for returning them, they may agree to fulfill the desires of a person. But, again, it is difficult to guarantee the safety of the insolent after returning - and in case of refusal to return the pearl, the kitsune can enlist his friends to help. However, a promise given in such a situation to a person, like a fairy, must be fulfilled by the kitsune - otherwise it risks being demoted in position and status. Fox statues in Inari temples almost always have such balls on them.
Kitsune in gratitude, or in exchange for the return of their pearls, can give a person a lot. However, you should not ask them for material objects - after all, they are great masters of illusions. Money will turn into leaves, gold bars into pieces of bark, and gems into ordinary ones. But the intangible gifts of foxes are very valuable. First of all, Knowledge, of course - but this is not for everyone .. however, foxes may well bestow health, longevity, good luck in business and safety on the road.
Like werewolves, kitsune are able to change human and animal forms. However, they are not tied to the phases of the moon, and are capable of much deeper transformations than ordinary werewolves. If in the form of a fox it is difficult for a person to understand whether this form is the same or not, then the human form of a fox can take on a different one. Moreover, according to some legends, kitsune are able to change gender and age if necessary - presenting either a young girl or a gray-haired old man. But to take shape human being a young kitsune is capable only from 50-100 years old. Like vampires, kitsune sometimes drink human blood and kill people. Fairy elves, however, do the same thing - and, as a rule, both of them take harsh measures in order to take revenge for intentional or accidental insult. Although sometimes they do it and, as they say, out of love for art. Sometimes, however, foxes are limited to energy vampirism - feeding on the life forces of those around them.
To achieve their goals, kitsune are capable of much. For example, they can take the form of a specific person. For example, the kabuki theater play Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees tells about a kitsune named Genkuro. The mistress of the famous warlord Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Lady Shizuka, had a magic drum made in ancient times from the skins of kitsune - namely Genkuro's parents. He set himself the goal of returning the drum, and commit the remains of his parents to the ground. To do this, the fox turned into one of the commander's confidants - but the young kitsune made a mistake, and was revealed. Genkurō explained the reason for his entry into the castle, Yoshitsune and Shizuka returned the drum to him. In gratitude, he granted Yoshitsune his magical patronage.
Some kitsune are natural disasters for those around them. Thus, the heroine of the noo plays "Dead Stone" and kabuki "The Beautiful Fox Witch", Tamamo no Mae, leaves a trail of disasters and cruel tricks on her way from India to Japan through China. In the end, she dies when meeting with the Buddhist saint Gemmo - and is turned into a cursed stone. Kitsune like to arrange dirty tricks for those who deserve them - however, they may well arrange problems for a virtuous peasant, a noble samurai. They love to seduce ascetic monks, leading them astray to nirvana - however, on other paths they can provide help and support. Thus, the famous kitsune Kyubi helps seekers of truth in their search, helping them to realize the tasks of their incarnation.
The offspring of kitsune from marriages with people themselves usually become mystical personalities, walking reserved and dark paths. Such was Abe no Seimei, the famous occultist of the Heian era - whose image is similar both to the Breton Merlin, and to the images of two Irish Patricks - Saint and Dark (there is not so much difference between them, because the Celts, like the Japanese, are not disposed to the Manichaean opposition between good and evil). His mother was a kitsune Kuzunoha, who lived in a human family for a long time - but in the end was exposed and forced to go into the forest. If some sources claim that Seimei had no offspring, then others call his descendants a number of Japanese mystics of subsequent times.
For China, legends about the marriages of people and foxes are uncharacteristic, as well as stories about their understanding in general .. Moreover, if in Japan a meeting with a fox is generally considered a good sign, then in China it is definitely Bad sign. Apparently, the independence and individualism of foxes does not fit well with the Chinese ideal of collectivism and an egalitarian society. Whereas in Japan, the personal beginning began to be valued back in the Heian era, which is a unique phenomenon for non-European culture. Because of this, the Japanese civilization is no more similar to the Chinese than ancient Greece and Rome are to Egypt or Mesopotamia, from which they originally borrowed most of their culture. If a Chinese philosophy interested in the balance of interests of the family and the state, then characteristically Japanese has always been a conflict between the individual and the corporation-clan. Therefore, even ancient Japanese books are read in a very modern way - they clearly show a personality, complex and contradictory. Chinese literature has always dealt with social types and patterns of behavior. Therefore, perhaps, the foxes in it looked like an unequivocal evil - they denied community and collectivism with all their behavior. And at the same time, they were very fond of taking on the appearance of officials for their pranks.
A very funny and revealing story about a fox document, told by the Chinese poet Niu Jiao. Official Wang, being on a business trip to the capital, one evening saw two foxes near a tree. They stood on their hind legs and laughed merrily. One of them was holding a piece of paper in her paw. Wang started yelling at the foxes to leave - but the kitsune ignored his outrage. Then Wang threw a stone at one of the foxes, and hit the eye of the one holding the document. The fox dropped the paper, and both disappeared into the forest. Wang took the document, but it turned out to be written in a language unknown to him. Then Wang went to a tavern and began to tell everyone about the incident. During his story, a man with a bandage on his forehead entered and asked to see the paper. However, the owner of the inn noticed the tail peeking out from under the robe, and the fox hurried to retreat. A few more times the foxes tried to return the document while Wang was in the capital - but each time unsuccessfully. When he went back to his county, on the way, with no small surprise, he met a whole caravan of his relatives. They reported that he himself had sent them a letter stating that he had received a profitable appointment in the capital, and invited them to come there. In joy, they quickly sold all their property, and hit the road. Of course, when Van was shown the letter, it turned out to be a blank sheet of paper. Wang's family had to go back at great loss. Some time later, Wang returned to his brother, who was considered dead in a distant province. They began to drink wine and tell stories from their lives. When Wang got to the story of the fox document, his brother asked to see it. Seeing the paper, the brother grabbed it, saying "finally!" turned into a fox and jumped out the window.
The question of the origin of kitsune is complex and little defined. Most sources agree that some people become kitsune after death - those who did not lead the most righteous, secretive and incomprehensible way of life to others. After the birth of a kitsune, it grows and gains strength. Kitsune reaches adulthood from 50-100 years old, at the same time he acquires the ability to change shape. The power level of a werefox depends on age and rank - which is determined by the number of tails and the color of the skin.
A young kitsune, as a rule, engages in pranks among people, and also enters into romantic relationships with them of varying degrees of seriousness - in such stories, one-tailed foxes almost always act. In addition, very young kitsune often impersonate their inability to hide their tail - apparently, while still learning transformations, often they are even more high level produces a shadow or reflection. So, for example, Kuzunoha, the mother of Abe no Seimei, discovered herself.
With age, foxes acquire new ranks - with three, five, seven and nine tails. Interestingly, three-tailed foxes are especially rare - perhaps they are serving somewhere else during this period (or mastering the art of transformation to perfection .. :)). Five and seven-tailed kitsune, often black in color, usually appear in front of a person when they need it, without hiding their essence. The Nine-Tails are the elite kitsune, at least 1000 years old. Nine tailed foxes usually have a silver, white or gold skin, and a mass of tall magical abilities. They are part of the retinue of Inari no Kami, serve as its emissaries, or live on their own. However, some even at this level do not refrain from committing small and large dirty tricks - the famous Tamamo no Mae, who terrified Asia from India to Japan, was just a nine-tailed kitsune. Nine-tailed kitsune, according to legend, Koan, another famous mystic, turned at the end of his earthly life.
In general, kitsune in Japanese mysticism are divided into two categories: those in the service of Inari "Tenko" (Heavenly Foxes), and "Nogitsune" (Free Foxes). However, it seems that the line between them is very thin and conditional. Sometimes kitsune are believed to be able to inhabit the bodies of people - causing effects similar to the Christian "demonic possession". According to some reports, in this way foxes restore their strength after injuries or exhaustion. Sometimes the "fox invasion", Kitsunetsuki (a phenomenon recognized by medical science, but poorly explained and referred to as "nationally determined syndromes"), manifests itself more subtly - in a sudden love for rice, tofu and poultry, a desire to hide one's eyes from the interlocutor, increased sexual activity, nervousness and emotional coldness. However, other sources describe this phenomenon as a manifestation of "fox blood". In the old days, such people, according to the eternal human tradition, were dragged to the stake - especially if the exorcism did not help, and the fox was not expelled; and their relatives were obstructed and often forced to leave their homes. According to Japanese physiognomic ideas, "fox blood" can also be detected in appearance. Suspicion of incomplete human nature was caused by people with thick hair, close-set eyes, a narrow face, an elongated and snub-nosed ("fox") nose, and high cheekbones. Mirrors and shadows were considered the most reliable way to detect kitsune (however, they almost did not work in relation to higher kitsune and half-breeds). As well as the fundamental and mutual dislike of kitsune and their descendants for dogs.
The kitsune's magical abilities grow as they grow older and gain new levels in the hierarchy. If the capabilities of a one-tailed young kitsune are very limited, then they then acquire the capabilities of powerful hypnosis, creating complex illusions and entire illusory spaces. With the help of their magical pearls, kitsune are able to defend themselves with fire and lightning. Over time, the ability to fly, become invisible and take any form is acquired. Higher kitsune have power over space and time, are able to take on magical forms - dragons, giant trees up to the sky, the second moon in the sky; they know how to induce madness on people and massively subordinate them to their will.
Here they are, these creatures, subjects of the goddess Inari. Cheerful and vicious, romantic and cynical, prone to both terrible crimes and sublime self-sacrifice. Possessing great magical abilities, but sometimes failing due to purely human weaknesses. Drinking human blood and energy - and becoming the most devoted of friends and spouses.
Lucius C © 2007
Based on Wikipedia and other sources.
Japanese tattoos carry deep meaning and on them you can get to know the culture of the country, learn legends and ancient tales. From today's post, you will learn a lot of interesting things about the unusual nine-tailed fox and the divine animal Ki-rin.
The meaning of the nine-tailed fox tattoo
The nine-tailed fox is a unique creature that is both evil and sacred.
Legends say that an adult creature at the age of 50 can take on a human form. When she reaches the age of 100, she prefers to disguise herself as a femme fatale or an oracle. It can also become a man, but only in order to enter into an alliance with a woman.
This continues for quite a long time, and by the age of a thousand years, the fox receives the highest rank. At this point, she has nine tails growing, and the fur becomes golden. The howl of such a fox is similar to the cry of a baby, and it is an evil creature because it can prey on people. Despite this, the use of the flesh of such a fox allows you to protect yourself from adversity and curses. All this testifies to the sacred status of the animal.
AT ancient China the nine-tailed fox was embodied in a young and very beautiful woman, which was the entrance to the royal chambers. It was she who convinced the king of the need to organize wasteful feasts almost every day, which ultimately led to the overthrow of the Yin dynasty. After that, the cunning fox destroyed several more countries and only then ended up in the Land of the Rising Sun.
While in Japan, the face again turned into a woman of indescribable beauty and bewitched Emperor Toba, who eventually lost the ability to rule the country and spent the rest of his days in bed. The disguise was revealed by accident when they saw a bluish glow emanating from the body of the fox. The storyteller Yin-Yang killed her with a magic mirror and restored peace in the country.
These stories testify to the cunning of the Nine-Tailed Fox, but tattoos with her image have gained popularity. The thing is that 9 is the largest of the monosyllabic numbers, and nine tails are a symbol of future prosperity. This means that even in the darkest times, one should not forget that in the future, good luck and happiness can await a person.
The meaning of the tattoo Ki-rin (Ki-rin)
The divine animal Ki-rin is sacred to the people of Japan. It is a symbol of general well-being and prosperity. People greatly honor and love Ki-rin, it is treated better than other sacred animals.
It is comparable in size to a deer, but it has horse legs and an ox tail. The head of the animal looks longer than necessary, as if the skull of a wolf was crowned with horns. The body of the creature is covered with scales, like a dragon. According to legends, Ki-rin lives 1-2 thousand years, for this reason the animal has become a symbol of prosperity, well-being and peace.
Ki-rin has a good disposition and is also one of the wisest creatures. The animal never harms insects or even plants. Despite this, it can protect itself from enemies. If the Ki-rin is attacked by someone, the creature will use fire that it spit out directly from its mouth as self-defense.
The masculine is Ki and the feminine is Rin. Only males have a horn. By the way, the cries of male and female representatives of this animal can bring good luck and happiness. In the spring, Ki and Rin look for a mate in order to exchange feelings and give birth to new offspring. These animals do not need to physically mate, they only need to exchange ch’i with each other for fertilization.
Ki-Rin can only live in a country whose rulers are of a very good nature. These animals were first described many hundreds of years ago and are considered very ancient.
Tattoos with this creature are often surrounded by a pattern that repeats its colors and complements the overall picture. It is believed that Ki-Rin will bring happiness to its owner, and will also help in good deeds throughout life.
