![]() So Kitsune could mean ‘always golden’ or ‘always energy/energized’ depending on how you interpret it. And ‘Ne’ being the feminine version of expressing or over emphasizing a good mood in Japanese, such as Shiawase-ne! (I’m very happy) or Ii-ne! (Great). Tsune – meaning ‘always’ but can also be an alternate reading of ‘Ki’ – which can mean both the color ‘gold’ or the word for ‘energy’ depending on which Kanji you use. Kitsu – the sound a fox makes but can also mean “ Come here ”. Some sources suggest that the name comes from: The name Kitsune is believed to have come from two words put together. In Japan, Kitsune can be both male and female, though the females are still vastly more common. The most commonly known, and most popular, name of the fox-spirit comes from Japan Kitsune. There is a beast shaped like a fox with nine tales, it sounds like a baby, it eats men. (IrenHorrors / CC BY-SA 3.0 )Īnd if this wasn’t enough to convince on the hidden evils of the Chinese fox-spirit, then take a look at what this Chinese classic text, Of Mountains and Seas (山海經), has to say about the true form of the Huli Jing: Japanese folktales speak of the Kitsune who trick others by portraying themselves as faithful guardians, friends, lovers, and wives. ![]() However, once the Huli Jing has taken all the energy generated by his hubris and when the man begins to become old and senile and no longer able to produce the energy she craves, the Huli Jing will leave, taking her immortal beauty and good luck with her while leaving her ex to pine and wither over his lost love and luxury. The men whom the Huli Jing are with often come to power very quickly, becoming famous with great wealth and swathes of land. And woe be to you if you were a female stepchild. She enjoys playing cruel and often fatal ‘tricks’ on women but always seems to manage to give it the appearance of an accident. However, she is always vicious and full of trickery towards any other women in the household be they relatives or simple servants. In the Chinese stories of the fox-spirit, the Huli Jing can appear to be very kind and beneficial to the man whom she is with. Who knows what a fox-spirits true intention might really have been? Often times they could be found trying to insinuate themselves into the lives of generals and emperors in the hopes of manipulating political and palatial intrigues purely for their own entertainment as far as we can tell. In China, the Huli Jing is always a female who works to seduce men of great power. The warrior Miura-no-suke confronting Lady Tamamo-no-mae as she turns into a Kitsune. The Kumiho will try its best to hide it, refusing to face its back towards you. They might have a different eye color or speak in an old-fashioned way or you could begin to look for its tail as the tail will always be present. One of the telling features that you are dealing with a Kumiho would be that it acts differently than the person it is portraying, either saying or eating things they usually would not. Often times the Kumiho will take on the form of someone their intended victim knows so that they are more trusting and easier to get close enough to. (Claremont Colleges Digital Library / CC BY-SA 2.0 ) A Heart as Cold as Ice? The Japanese Legend of Yuki-onna, the Beautiful Yet Dangerous Snow WomanĪ Kitsune, Lady Kayo, holding a severed head.Mysterious Worlds: Travels to the Faerie and Shamanic Realms.Beware of the Cat: Tales of the Wicked Japanese Bakeneko and Nekomata – Part 1.It can also devour a human to take on their shape.ĭoes this mean the fox itself was female? Not necessarily, but the human shape will always be that of an attractive young woman. However, the fox-spirit requires the use of human skull that it places on top of its head in order to transform. ![]() In Korea, the fox-spirit could take on human form at the age of 100 years of age and the human shape will always be female. In Korea, the Kumiho uses a marble carried in its mouth to steal wisdom from humans, usually through a kiss. The Kitsune in Korea - Kumiho and China – Huli Jing ![]() Please look in the resources section for some excellent websites, PDFs, and books where you can read even more about these not-so-elusive creatures. Please note, that my area of expertise is Japan so I will only briefly touch on Korea and China because I don’t want to give any misinformation and there is so much lore to go through in each country that I couldn’t possibly cover them all in one article. In Japanese folklore a Kitsune may have up to nine tails. ![]()
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