*Detail from the Ghost Picture Scroll (Obake Emmaki)*
Artist: Okajima Yojo
Period: Meiji period
Collection: Yumoto Koichi Collection, Mononoke Museum, Miyoshi, Hiroshima Prefecture

Kitsunetsuki (狐憑き or 狐付き) refers to the state of being possessed by a fox, typically affecting young women, as men are primarily thought of as victims.

In one of the earliest English discussions on Chinese fox myths, presented in 1873, Thomas Watters, a British consular official, detailed the fox’s long life and its strong association with Yin (陰), the feminine element in Chinese belief. The fox, with a lifespan reaching 800 to 1,000 years, was thought capable of achieving immortality through craftiness. Its nocturnal habits allowed it to easily take on female form, while it sought balance by gathering Yang (陽), the male element. This created the belief that the fox-spirit fed on men’s life-force to sustain its own longevity, leading to temples and shrines dedicated to the Fox-genius (狐仙廟).

L-R:
Image 1: Fox Otsu-e. An alluring woman is depicted sitting on a veranda to play the shamisen, but the tail protruding from the hem of her kimono gives away her true identity: a shapeshifting fox. This design has also been used on votive tablets (ema) at shrines to Inari. Edo period, one hanging scroll.

Image 2: Shapeshifting Fox Votive Tablet (Ema). At first glance this appears to be a geisha playing a shamisen, but the tail poking out below betrays that she is actually a shapeshifting fox. This image can also be seen in Otsu-e folk art paintings. The tablet is dedicated to the guardian deity Suehiro Daimyojin; the many lanterns painted on the reverse side may be a representation of the Hatsu-uma Harvest Festival. It is rare for a votive tablet to have a carefully-executed picture on the back as well. Meiji period or later, one tablet.

The fox is believed to enter through the victim’s fingernails or breasts, altering their facial expressions to resemble those of a fox. This possession can grant the victim temporary literacy, the ability to speak unknown languages, and a preference for fox-favored foods like tofu and aburagé. Historically, foxes were revered as the kami of rice, with offerings of fried mouse or rat linked to ancient rituals for luring them.

Tales also differentiate between Kitsune gifts and payments. Payments often include money or material wealth that, under a magical illusion, turns into “worthless” items like paper, leaves, or stones. True gifts are intangible, offering protection, knowledge, or longevity, which reminds me of reasons why we read the cards. This understanding guides the Fox Flower Method, which draws on the Kitsune as a guardian spirit, and informs the creation of rituals to invoke the Kitsune during readings (still developing, re: this blog’s forthcoming ‘Evocation’ section).

In addition, the method incorporates elements from Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, particularly the Dakiniten traditions, where fox spirits are revered as divine messengers of Inari Ōkami. This spiritual connection underscores Kitsune’s role as both a guide and a trickster in the tradition of The Magician, the card that takes us from zero to one, capable of delivering unexpected insights while challenging the querent to see beyond surface-level conflicts.

It is said that in the 12th century, Prince Kangan Giin had a dream of the Buddhist goddess Dakini-Shinten riding a white fox with Dakini-Shinten thus becoming the manifestation of the Shinto goddess Ukanomitama-no-mikoto. During the separation of Buddhism from Shinto during the Meiji restoration, Buddhist Inari temples survived by asserting Kangan Giin's belief and that they primarily worshipped Dakini-Shinten, not the fox, and that their congregation was only paying respect to the fox as her companion, which allowed them to continue to honor both.

Thaumaturgy

Kitsunetsuki (狐憑き or 狐付き) refers to the state of being possessed by a fox, typically affecting young women, as men are primarily thought of as victims.

Lore

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