There are a lot of Yokai in the Japanese culture. One of the most famous is the Kitsune (狐). Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox and also refers to a magical creature.
Kitsune look like a normal fox. It is said that they possess magical powers, long life and a superior intelligence. People also believe that a Kitsune can have as many as nine tails, the number of tails symbolizing the degree of their wisdom. We also attribute many powers to the Kitsune: possession and taking on human form are the most common, but the ability of flight, invisibility, creation of illusions are part of the list.
The motivations of the foxes are unclear, but they are basically divided into two categories: the good fox zenko (善狐) and the vicious one yako (野狐).
Zenko are believed to be the servant and messengers of the Shinto deity of rice, Inari. Statues of Kitsune can be seen in front of many shrines and are worshipped as kami. They have the power to protect the place from evil spirits.
Yako serve nobody but themselves. They like to play tricks on human, usually on men, women being mostly possessed by a fox spirit. Many tales are about a fox, taking the form of a very beautiful woman to seduce a samurai or a greedy merchant.
Kitsune have a great fear of dogs and this is a good way to get rid of them: one day, a gambler caught a man possessed by a fox. He tied him up to a pole, spread tuna all over his body and brought his dog. The animal started to lick the body of the possessed man who was shaking of fear. Finally, the spirit of the fox, afraid of the dog, left the body and vanished.
But some foxes may adopt a house and use their magic for the benefit of their host, as long as they get treated with respect.
Many stories also portray the Kitsune as a lover, tales about young human male falling in love with a fox who took the appearance of a beautiful woman. Some of the Kitsune may even be pregnant. The child born from the union will get some special abilities due to the magical nature of the mother.
Kitsune are very popular in the Japanese Medias. For example, the hero of the manga Naruto is possessed by a nine-tails fox spirit.
The British writer Neil Gaiman, author of the comic Sandman, wrote a Sandman story, “The Dream Hunters” about the legend of Kitsune. This graphic novel is a must-read for the quality of the writing and the fabulous illustration of Yoshitaka Amano, designer of the Final Fantasy games.
Link to Neil Gaiman’s work:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/works/Comics/Sandman:+The+Dream+Hunters/
