Japanese Fox Legends

Morioka

"Just north of Morioka is a plain, about 12 miles square, famous for the marvelous manifestation of the fox regiments... Encouraged by the spectators, the foxes would collaborate with each other to form the shape of a castle."

The following five Japanese legends are translated by Alexander O. Smith - "I wrote these translations as a Senior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH in the course of writing my undergraduate thesis, entitled 'The Fox as a Window on Japanese Culture.' The translations were done from the original classical Japanese texts found in the medieval works 'Konjaku Monogatari' (Tales of Times Long Ago), and the 'Ujishui Monogatari' (Tales of Uji)."

A Fox's Gratitude Upon the Return of a Jewel Taken From it During a Possession

"Truly, when the fox said 'I will protect you', nothing different would happen, and the man was thankful ever after."

The Fox that Possessed a Person and Ate Rice Cakes

"And when the fox said this, the people there made rice cakes on a platter, and this the fox took, and ate one saying 'Ahh! So tasty! Ahh!'"

The Fox Who Entered a Man's Home in the Form of His Wife

"Upon this she suddenly turned into a fox, and ran out into the main street through an opening in the door."

The Housekeeper of Yorikiyo, The Minister of Popular Affairs

"'We must make great haste,' he said, 'Come now, our master who was in Kowata has been summoned for a special duty.'"

Harima-no-Yasutaka, Who Meets a Fox in the Form of a Woman

"Therefore, if you are walking out late at night in a field far from other people, and you see a beautiful woman, it is best to simply walk right by."