{"id":10322,"date":"2026-06-15T12:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/kitsune-2\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T12:51:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T12:51:32","slug":"kitsune","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/en\/kitsune\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitsune"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"10322\" class=\"elementor elementor-10322 elementor-10287\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-10fdade e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"10fdade\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herohlft0 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herohlft0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c3ceb64 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"c3ceb64\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-96ae5e1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"96ae5e1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kitsune, spirit of the Japanese tradition<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e45238a elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e45238a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Kitsune is a <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"An incorporeal being to which effects in the world are attributed.\" tabindex=\"0\">spirit<\/span> of the Japanese tradition.<\/p><p><strong>The fox that changes shape and truth.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klsbdg01 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"klsbdg01\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-klshtm01 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"klshtm01\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"iwg-pill-row\"><span class=\"iwg-klasse-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Spirit: incorporeal or semi-corporeal entity, the deceased, nature beings, household spirits or threshold guardians. Acts within everyday life, often bound to places or families.\">Spirit<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/japan\/\" class=\"iwg-kultur-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese religion of gods, spirits and folk belief: Shint\u014d, Buddhism and local popular faith.\">Japan<\/a><a href=\"\/en\/shapeshifters\/\" class=\"iwg-tradition-badge\" tabindex=\"0\" data-tooltip=\"Animal-human beings with the ability to transform, werewolf-like, fox-, bird- or serpent-shaped.\">Shapeshifter<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f74855 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3f74855\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1c30362 elementor-toc--minimized-on-tablet elementor-widget elementor-widget-table-of-contents\" data-id=\"1c30362\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" 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9.317-33.901-.04l-22.667-22.667c-9.373-9.373-9.373-24.569 0-33.941L207.03 130.525c9.372-9.373 24.568-9.373 33.941-.001z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"elementor-toc__1c30362\" class=\"elementor-toc__body\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-toc__spinner-container\">\n\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"elementor-toc__spinner eicon-animation-spin e-font-icon-svg e-eicon-loading\" aria-hidden=\"true\" viewBox=\"0 0 1000 1000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M500 975V858C696 858 858 696 858 500S696 142 500 142 142 304 142 500H25C25 237 238 25 500 25S975 237 975 500 763 975 500 975Z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-herorght0 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"herorght0\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-heroimg00 iwg-hero-image elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"heroimg00\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/geister_japan_kitsune-683x1024.webp\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-10323\" alt=\"Kitsune, japanischer Fuchsgeist als Fuchs-Frau mit neun Schw\u00e4nzen und Sternjuwel vor einem Inari-Schrein\" srcset=\"https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/geister_japan_kitsune-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/geister_japan_kitsune-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/geister_japan_kitsune-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/iwell-guard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/geister_japan_kitsune.webp 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-32917199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"32917199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26e916cb e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"26e916cb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-253a40d4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"253a40d4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1200c304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1200c304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kitsune<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-11758e7f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"11758e7f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <strong>Kitsune<\/strong> (Japanese \u72d0, &#8220;fox&#8221;) is the fox spirit of Japanese tradition and one of the best-known beings of that mythology. In folk belief the fox is far more than an animal: with age it gains cleverness, magical power and the gift of transformation. Once it reaches a great age, in many tales a hundred years, it can take on human form, usually that of a beautiful woman. The Kitsune is therefore not a born spirit being, but an animal that develops into a spirit over a long time.<\/p><p>Its nature is regarded as ambivalent. As a benevolent messenger of the deity <a href=\"\/en\/inari\/\">Inari<\/a> it is protective and almost celestial; as a wild field fox, by contrast, it fools and deceives people and at times even takes possession of them. The older and wiser a Kitsune becomes, the more tails it bears, up to the nine-tailed form, the most powerful rank of its kind. Hardly any other being embodies the Japanese idea of the permeable boundary between animal, human and spirit as fully as the fox.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-159dcf9a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"159dcf9a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-48cee66f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"48cee66f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">At a glance: Kitsune<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3f50d82c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"3f50d82c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Type:<\/strong> fox spirit, Y\u014dkai with shapeshifting<br>Origin: fox through great age and maturity<br>Stages of development: a hundred years (transformation), nine tails (Ky\u016bbi, highest power), a thousand years (celestial fox, Tenko)<br>Texts: Nihon Ry\u014diki, Konjaku Monogatari, tales of the Edo period<br>Period: 9th century to the present<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-18613602 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"18613602\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-262b8a9f elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"262b8a9f\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Kontext<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-46dcb7d e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"46dcb7d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-61d3ab3 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"61d3ab3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-117c166 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"117c166\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Period of the Texts<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-73997a0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"73997a0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>First attested in the early 9th century (<em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em>), richly elaborated in the <em>Konjaku Monogatari<\/em> (12th century), and in its densest form in the Edo period (17th to 19th century), when theatre, printmaking and folk narrative made the fox one of the most familiar figures.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d47b156 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d47b156\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ff38c2b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"ff38c2b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Area of Diffusion<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4e49fcc elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4e49fcc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>All of Japan, with regional concentrations. Belief in &#8220;fox families&#8221; was especially strong in the west (San&#8217;in region, Izumo). Related fox spirits are known throughout the East Asian region: the <a href=\"\/en\/huli-jing\/\">Huli Jing<\/a> in China and the Kumiho in Korea.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db03c39 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"db03c39\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-229a87b e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"229a87b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1f471fc elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"1f471fc\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">State of the Sources<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36b1201 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"36b1201\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em>, <em>Konjaku Monogatari<\/em>, N\u014d and Kabuki dramas, collections of the Edo period as well as folkloristic records of the 19th and 20th centuries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3ae0637c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"3ae0637c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-31d07739 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"31d07739\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Name and variants<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b7642947 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"b7642947\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a086266 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a086266\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Japanese:<\/strong> \u72d0 (<em>kitsune<\/em>), &#8220;fox&#8221;. <strong>Ranks and types:<\/strong> <em>Zenko<\/em>, benevolent foxes in the service of Inari, also called <em>My\u014dbu<\/em>; <em>Yako<\/em> or <em>Nogitsune<\/em>, wild field foxes; <em>Byakko<\/em>, the white, luck-bringing fox; <em>Tenko<\/em>, the celestial fox after a thousand years. The nine-tailed form is called <em>Ky\u016bbi no Kitsune<\/em>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-709a44a8 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"709a44a8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f585873 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f585873\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Charakteristika<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-70621c12 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"70621c12\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4296eb49 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"4296eb49\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Appearance<\/h3><p>In animal form the Kitsune is barely distinguishable from an ordinary fox; its true nature is revealed only through its behaviour or by subtle signs. In human form it usually appears as a beautiful young woman, occasionally as a priest, an old man or a wanderer. Tell-tale traces escape the disguise: a shadow that keeps the fox shape, a reflection in the water that shows the tail, a tail that involuntarily emerges when the Kitsune is exhausted, inattentive or intoxicated. Dogs are regarded as infallible revealers, for before them the fox loses its composure. Tradition also records the <em>Kitsune no mado<\/em>, the &#8220;fox window&#8221;: a hand position in which the fingers are interlaced to form a diamond-shaped opening through which one is said to be able to recognise the true form behind a disguise.<\/p><h3>Behaviour<\/h3><p>The nature of the Kitsune stands between protection and harm. The <em>Zenko<\/em> serve <a href=\"\/en\/inari\/\">Inari<\/a> and are regarded as benevolent, whereas the <em>Yako<\/em> fool people, lead them astray and haunt them. Between these poles stands a whole group of tales in which the fox shows gratitude: if it is freed from a trap or saved from hunters, it repays the deed with wealth, a warning of misfortune or a rare remedy. The relationship with humans was therefore never only one of terror, but could be marked by reciprocity.<\/p><h3>Powers<\/h3><p>At the centre stands shapeshifting; the Kitsune also creates whole illusions, magnificent houses, banquets and landscapes that dissolve into withered leaves at the first crow of the cock. A recurring motif is transformed money that turns to wilted foliage in the morning. Famous is the <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ghostly will-o'-the-wisps that appear at night over fields and are attributed to the foxes.\" tabindex=\"0\">foxfire<\/span> (<em>Kitsunebi<\/em>), and its gifts reach further still, into sleep, which the Kitsune can enter. With age and the number of tails the power grows up to the almost all-knowing nine-tailed form.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-44e71476 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"44e71476\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3c1fc3f0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3c1fc3f0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Profile: Kitsune<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-84f33b8e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"84f33b8e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-hqkdc67p elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"hqkdc67p\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The most important aspects of the Kitsune at a glance.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c1 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-qh9oavvu iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"qh9oavvu\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-awzx8k2k elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"awzx8k2k\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Cultural Context<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-x6rowhv0 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"x6rowhv0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A fox that gains consciousness and magical power through great age. A doctrine of stages: at a hundred years transformation, at nine tails the highest power, at a thousand years ascent to the celestial fox. Embedded in <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"The idea of the structure and order of the world within a culture.\" tabindex=\"0\">cosmology<\/span>, Shint\u014d and local folk belief.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8e3o4kxs iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"8e3o4kxs\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08rkdgov elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08rkdgov\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Wirkungsgegenstand<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-uwjelx8s elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"uwjelx8s\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Travellers and the inattentive who are led astray; young men in tales of seduction; whole families in cases of possession (Kitsunetsuki).<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-jm2n74ec iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"jm2n74ec\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8vufse4c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"8vufse4c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Darstellung<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-mwb9u015 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"mwb9u015\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>A beautiful young woman in human form, with a tell-tale fox tail; a nine-tailed fox with white or golden fur; at Inari shrines as a stone fox statue.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-pemmx7c2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"pemmx7c2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37ss2yr6 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"37ss2yr6\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3v0wp3wx elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"3v0wp3wx\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Funktion<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-w3247g2m elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"w3247g2m\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Ambivalent: benevolent messenger of Inari (Zenko) or cunning seducer (Yako), a mediator between deity and human as well as a deceiver and one who takes possession.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0qpjal9w iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"0qpjal9w\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6ndoih0o elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6ndoih0o\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Abwehrformen<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6684tyh9 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6684tyh9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Dogs as natural adversaries, clear attentiveness against illusions, the &#8220;fox window&#8221; for revealing. In cases of possession, <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Ritual expulsion of a spirit or demon understood as harmful.\" tabindex=\"0\">exorcism<\/span> through prayer and ritual at the Inari shrine was sought. More in the <a href=\"\/en\/protection-compass\/\">Protection Compass<\/a>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-3lfi7x32 iwg-steckbrief-card e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"3lfi7x32\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0kg99ga1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"0kg99ga1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Vergleichbares<\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-n0fum6kp elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"n0fum6kp\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><a href=\"\/en\/huli-jing\/\">Huli Jing<\/a> (China), Kumiho (Korea) as well as <a href=\"\/en\/tengu\/\">Tengu<\/a> as another Y\u014dkai of Japan.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7533bc7a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7533bc7a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2447d18d elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2447d18d\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literary tradition and cult<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5d0260c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"d5d0260c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-341be2ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"341be2ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3>Early narrative sources<\/h3><p>The Buddhist-tinged <em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em> (9th c.) and the extensive <em>Konjaku Monogatari<\/em> (12th c.) gather the first stories of foxes that take on human form, enter into marriages, deceive travellers and confuse households. In the Edo period this condensed into a whole repertoire that shaped stage, printmaking and popular narrative alike.<\/p><h3>Kuzunoha<\/h3><p>A white vixen saves a man&#8217;s life, marries him in the form of a woman and bears him a son. When her true nature is revealed, she returns in tears to the forest of Shinoda and leaves behind a farewell poem. Her son, however, is said by tradition to become Abe no Seimei, the most famous court magician (<em>Onmy\u014dji<\/em>) of Japan, the benevolent, self-sacrificing side of the fox. Kuzunoha&#8217;s story occupies the N\u014d and Kabuki stage to this day.<\/p><h3>Tamamo-no-Mae<\/h3><p>She appears as a beautiful, highly educated court lady who wins the emperor&#8217;s favour, until a magician exposes behind her a nine-tailed vixen secretly draining the ruler. Once unmasked, she flees into the moor of Nasu, is cornered there and killed; her spirit, however, passes into a rock, the <em>Sessh\u014d-seki<\/em>, the &#8220;killing stone&#8221;, whose exhalations are said to suffocate every living thing nearby. Some versions link Tamamo-no-Mae with earlier fox figures in China and India, making her a being of calamity that wanders across realms and centuries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a584676 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5a584676\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d0757bf elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"6d0757bf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Reception and modern era<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-60563f68 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"60563f68\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5a93fdd6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5a93fdd6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><strong>Stage:<\/strong> The N\u014d play about the Sessh\u014d-seki brings Tamamo-no-Mae onto the stage; in Kabuki and puppet theatre the fox Genkur\u014d from <em>Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura<\/em> is among the most popular roles.<\/p><p><strong>Festival and image:<\/strong> The fox wedding (<em>Kitsune no yomeiri<\/em>) and the foxfire of \u014cji appear again and again in the printmaking of the Edo period.<\/p><p><strong>Present:<\/strong> The Kitsune has remained present right into film, anime and games, often reduced to the nine-tailed seductress, yet always recognisable as the old image of the fox that crosses the boundary between the worlds.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9a031aa e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp9a031aa\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9193514 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp9193514\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The fox spirit in the records: from Nihon Ry\u014diki to the Edo period<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp02ca0ee e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp02ca0ee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp444e0f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp444e0f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The written tradition of the fox spirit begins in the early 9th century. The <em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em> contains one of the oldest tales of the fox that takes on human form, marries a man and bears him a child, until its true nature comes to light. The <em>Konjaku Monogatari<\/em> of the 12th century already assembles a whole repertoire: foxes that appear as beautiful women, lead travellers astray, take revenge or show gratitude. The basis of all these stories is a single assumption, that a fox gains strength and consciousness with age and finally, often after a hundred years, awakens to the ability to transform. The Kitsune is therefore not a born spirit being, but an animal that develops into a spirit over a long time.<\/p><p>A distinct and socially consequential role was played by the <em>Kitsunetsuki<\/em>, possession by a fox. Right into modern times, striking changes of character and temperament, a sudden change of nature, strange-sounding speech, unusual cravings, especially for rice and fried tofu, were interpreted as the intrusion of a fox spirit into the body; it was often said that the fox entered beneath the fingernails. Affected families sought help at Inari shrines, where through prayer and ritual a release was requested.<\/p><p>From this grew the belief in <em>fox families<\/em> (<em>kitsune-mochi<\/em>): some households were said to keep invisible foxes that brought them wealth but could harm neighbours; marriage with them was feared, because the fox retinue was supposedly inherited. This belief was strongest in western Japan, in the San&#8217;in region around Izumo; in the east, related ideas such as the <em>Osaki<\/em> took its place. With the modernisation of the Meiji period, the interpretation as fox possession lost its official footing, as early Japanese psychiatry reclassified the cases, but in rural folk belief it persisted well into the 20th century.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp11de5b2 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp11de5b2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp8d35271 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cp8d35271\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">The ranks of the foxes and the path to the celestial fox<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp02f26b8 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp02f26b8\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp58c4390 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cp58c4390\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Tradition knows no single Kitsune, but a whole order of fox beings. The basic contrast is formed by the <em>Zenko<\/em>, the &#8220;good foxes&#8221; in the service of <a href=\"\/en\/inari\/\">Inari<\/a>, and the <em>Yako<\/em> or <em>Nogitsune<\/em>, the wild field foxes. The Zenko are regarded as benevolent, protective and almost celestial, and are sometimes called <em>My\u014dbu<\/em>, a title that raises them to the rank of Inari&#8217;s messengers. The Yako, by contrast, are wilful, often malicious beings. Beyond these, the white fox (<em>Byakko<\/em>) is considered especially auspicious, and above all stands the celestial fox (<em>Tenko<\/em>): a Kitsune that has reached an age of a thousand years and nine tails and ascends into the heavens.<\/p><p>The most striking feature is the number of tails. It grows with age and wisdom, and each stage stands for an increase in power. The nine-tailed Kitsune (<em>Ky\u016bbi no Kitsune<\/em>), often described with white or golden fur, possesses an almost all-knowing perception; it can, so it is said, see and hear everything that happens in the world. Associated with it is the <em>Hoshi no tama<\/em>, a glowing white sphere in which part of its life force rests. Whoever obtains this star jewel gains power over the fox, a motif that forms the turning point in many tales.<\/p><p>This graded order, from the wild field fox through the luck-bringing white fox to the celestial Tenko, shows that the Kitsune was not conceived as a fixed kind of being, but as a path: an ascent from animal through spirit up close to the divine. Therein lies its kinship with the wider East Asian image of the long-lived, self-perfecting fox.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp406577c e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"cp406577c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpdd9c543 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"cpdd9c543\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Inari and the fox cult: veneration rather than mere warding off<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cp9e731bb e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cp9e731bb\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cpa7c898c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cpa7c898c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Unlike many figures of terror, the fox in Japan was as much an object of veneration as of fear. The reason is its close bond with <a href=\"\/en\/inari\/\">Inari \u014ckami<\/a>, the deity of rice, prosperity and commercial success. At the Inari shrines spread across the whole country, the most famous of which is the Fushimi Inari-Taisha near Ky\u014dto with its thousands of red <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Japanese shrine gate that marks the passage from the everyday to the sacred.\" tabindex=\"0\">Torii<\/span>, fox statues stand in pairs. They often carry a key, a jewel, a scroll or a sheaf of rice in their mouths: symbols of their tasks as guardians of the granary and messengers of the deity. The offering is fried tofu (<em>aburaage<\/em>); the <em>Inari-zushi<\/em> named after it recalls the connection to this day.<\/p><p>An impressive legend surrounds the \u014cji Inari shrine in old Edo: on New Year&#8217;s Eve, it was said, the foxes of the whole surrounding region gathered beneath a great tree, and from the number and brightness of their foxfires the farmers read the coming harvest. A more peaceful image is the <em>Kitsune no yomeiri<\/em>, the fox wedding: a sunshower, rain while the sun is shining, is taken in folk belief as a sign that the foxes are holding a wedding. In this image the fox loses its terror and becomes part of a poetic reading of the landscape.<\/p><p>Thus the Kitsune is not an unambiguously &#8220;evil&#8221; being, but an ambivalent one, capable of protection and blessing as well as of deception and harm. Tradition therefore knows no blanket banishment, but watchfulness and measure: dogs as natural adversaries, clear attentiveness against illusions and, in cases of possession, prayer and ritual at the Inari shrine. An overview of traditional protective means and their cultural classification is offered by the <a href=\"\/en\/protection-compass\/\">Protection Compass<\/a>. This does not mean a cure or defence in the medical sense; it is about the cultural practice of dealing with a being that Japanese tradition has both venerated and feared for centuries.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-36dd7469 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"36dd7469\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-13760ab4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"13760ab4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Further links<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-28c87796 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"28c87796\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5d6538df elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"5d6538df\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Recommended internal links:<\/p><ul><li><a href=\"\/en\/inari\/\">Inari \u014ckami<\/a>, the deity whose messengers the foxes are<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/huli-jing\/\">Huli Jing<\/a> (China), Kumiho (Korea), related fox spirits<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/tengu\/\">Tengu<\/a>, another Y\u014dkai of Japan<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/japan\/\">Japan<\/a>, all beings of the Japanese cultural sphere<\/li><li><a href=\"\/en\/protection-compass\/\">Protection Compass<\/a>, traditional protective means at a glance<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-grl4kl40 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"grl4kl40\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bzsbfrmh elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"bzsbfrmh\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Literature (selection)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2c13224a e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"2c13224a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0eymh9ub elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0eymh9ub\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"iwg-literatur\" data-nosnippet=\"true\"><p>A selection of central sources and studies:<\/p><ul><li><em>Nihon Ry\u014diki<\/em> (9th c.) and <em>Konjaku Monogatari<\/em> (12th c.), early narrative sources<\/li><li>Karen A. Smyers: <em>The Fox and the Jewel<\/em> (1999)<\/li><li>U. A. Casal: <em>The Goblin Fox and Badger and Other Witch Animals of Japan<\/em> (1959)<\/li><li>Michael Bathgate: <em>The Fox&#8217;s Craft in Japanese Religion and Folklore<\/em> (2004)<\/li><li>Carmen Blacker: <em>The Catalpa Bow<\/em> (1975)<\/li><li>Kiyoshi Nozaki: <em>Kitsun\u00e9<\/em> (1961)<\/li><\/ul><\/footer>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-hulijing e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-hulijing\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-iwgkw2-add-hulijing-t elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"iwgkw2-add-hulijing-t\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The <span class=\"iwg-fachbegriff\" data-tooltip=\"Fox spirit of Japanese tradition with the gift of shapeshifting.\" tabindex=\"0\">Kitsune fox spirit<\/span> combines several ideas: the <strong>nine-tailed fox<\/strong> as the highest stage of power, the <em>Kitsunetsuki<\/em> as a form of possession and the close bond with Inari. Anyone who wants to understand the <strong>meaning of the Kitsune<\/strong> must think this tension between veneration and fear together.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10288,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Kitsune","_yoast_wpseo_title":"Kitsune \u2013 fox spirit of Japanese mythology","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"The Kitsune, the Japanese fox spirit: shapeshifting, nine tails, Inari\u2019s messengers, Kitsunetsuki and famous legends. Nature, powers and protection.","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_angie_page":false,"gefaehrdungsstufe":"2","wesen_kultur":"japan","wesen_klasse":"geister","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"class_list":["post-10322","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Kitsune \u2013 fox spirit of Japanese mythology<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Kitsune, the Japanese fox spirit: shapeshifting, nine tails, Inari\u2019s messengers, Kitsunetsuki and famous legends. 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