Some kitsune even spend most of their lives in human form, adopting human names and customs, taking human jobs, and even raising families. On more than one occasion this has resulted in the marriage with an unwitting human. They are skilled enough to even transform into exact likenesses of individual people, often appearing in the guise of beautiful human women in order to play tricks young men.
They frequently harass humans by transforming into giants or other fearsome monsters, sometimes just for pranks, and sometimes for other nefarious purposes. Kitsune are extremely intelligent and very powerful shape-shifters. Their magic takes on a fiery effect, and in some stories is much like actual fire. Kitsune often have powerful magic, and are specially known for their charm abilities, Illusions, Possession, and Mind Manipulation. Mysterious illusory fires and strange lights in the sky are said to be caused by their magic, and are known as kitsunebi, or “fox fire.” Certain mental disorders have been attributed to possession by kitsune (known as kitsune-tsuki). They do this by confusing their targets by creating phantom sounds and sights, stealing from them, or otherwise humiliating them publicly through trickery or even possession. Most tales of kitsune are about foxes punishing wicked priests, greedy merchants, and boastful drunkards. Because of their potential power and influence, some people make sacrifices to them as to a deity.Ĭonversely foxes were often seen as "witch animals", especially during the superstitious Edo period (1603–1867), and were thought of as goblins who could not be trusted (similar to some badgers and cats).
The more tails a kitsune has – they may have as many as nine – the older, wiser, and more powerful it is. This role has reinforced the fox's supernatural significance. Kitsune have become closely associated with Inari, a Shinto " kami," or " spirit," and serve as its messengers. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others – as foxes in folklore often do – other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives.įoxes and humans lived close together in ancient Japan this companionship gave rise to legends about the creatures. According to Yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. Stories depict legendary foxes as intelligent beings and as possessing paranormal abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Kitsune (狐, キツネ, IPA: ) in the literal sense is the Japanese word for "fox". Continued abuse of our services will cause your IP address to be blocked indefinitely.Sionnach Sidhe (Foxes of the Fairy Mounds) Please fill out the CAPTCHA below and then click the button to indicate that you agree to these terms. If you wish to be unblocked, you must agree that you will take immediate steps to rectify this issue. If you do not understand what is causing this behavior, please contact us here. If you promise to stop (by clicking the Agree button below), we'll unblock your connection for now, but we will immediately re-block it if we detect additional bad behavior.