, also written Kuzu-no-Ha, is the name of a popular ''

kitsune The , in popular Japanese tradition, are foxes or fox spirits that possess supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, and capable of bewitching people. General overview , though literally a 'fox', becomes in folklore a ' fox spirit', o ...

'' character in

Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, Tradition, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The Folklor ...

. Her name means ''leaf of arrowroot''. Legend states that she is the mother of

Abe no Seimei , also known as Doujimaru (童子丸), was a Japanese ''onmyōji'', a court official and specialist of ''Onmyōdō'', during the middle of the Heian period.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the H ...

, the famous

onmyōji was one of the official positions belonging to the of the Ministry of the Center under the ritsuryō system in ancient Japan, and was assigned as a technical officer in charge of divination and geomorphology based on the theory of the yin-an ...

Legend

A young nobleman, Abe no Yasuna (安倍保名), is on his way to visit a

shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

in Shinoda, in

Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or . Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province. Most of Settsu's ...

, when he encounters a young military commissioner who is hunting foxes in order to obtain their livers for use as

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...

. Yasuna battles the hunter, sustaining several wounds, and sets free the white fox he had trapped. Later, a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha helps Yasuna to return to his home. She is the fox he saved, adopting human form in order to tend to his wounds. He falls in love with her and they marry. She bears him a child, Seimei (childhood name Dōji), who proves prodigiously clever. Kuzunoha realizes that her son has inherited part of her supernatural power. Several years later, while Kuzunoha is viewing some

chrysanthemum Chrysanthemums ( ), sometimes called mums or chrysanths, are flowering plants in the Asteraceae family. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia, and the center of diversity is in China. Co ...

s, her son catches sight of the tip of her tail. Her true nature revealed, Kuzunoha prepares to return to her life in the wild. She leaves behind a farewell

poem Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

, asking her husband Yasuna to come to see her in Shinoda Forest. Yasuna and his son search for Kuzunoha, and eventually she appears to them as a fox. Revealing that she is the ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'', or spirit, of Shinoda Shrine, she gives her son Seimei a gift, allowing him to understand the language of animals.Nozaki, Kiyoshi. ''Kitsune — Japan's Fox of Mystery, Romance, and Humor''. Tokyo: Hokuseidô Press. 1961. 110-111

Plays

Kuzunoha figures in

kabuki is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...

and

bunraku is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...

plays based on her legend, including the five-part '' Ashiya Dōman Ōuchi Kagami'' (''A Courtly Mirror of Ashiya Dōman''). The fourth part, ''Kuzunoha'' or ''The White Fox of Shinoda'', which is frequently performed independently of the other scenes, focuses on her story, adding minor variations such as the idea that Kuzunoha imitates a princess and is forced to depart not because Seimei glimpsed her tail but because the real woman unexpectedly appears.

In Izumi

In Izumi there is a Kuzunoha Inari shrine, said to be built upon the place at which Kuzunoha departed, leaving her farewell poem on a silk screen.Izumi website ''Book of Izumi City''. "Protecting and Cherishing the Ancient Historical and Cultural Traditions of the Area." The poem itself has become famous: "''Koishiku ba / tazunekite miyo / izumi naru / shinoda no mori no / urami kuzunoha''." Folklorist Kiyoshi Nozaki offers the following translation: "If you love me, darling, come and see me. / You will find me yonder in the great wood / Of Shinoda of Izumi Province where the leaves / Of arrowroots always rustle in pensive mood." A pond in the area is also remembered in connection with the legend, and has been designated a historic site by the city.

References

*Goff, Janet E. ''Conjuring Kuzunoha from the World of Abe no Seimei''. ''A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance'', ed. Samuel L. Leiter. New York: M. E. Sharpe, 2001. () *Mailahn, Klaus: ''Der Fuchs in Glaube und Mythos'', Münster 2006, 170-172, 179-184,

External links

Netsuke: masterpieces from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains many representations of Kuzunoha {{Japanese folklore long Literature featuring anthropomorphic foxes Kitsune (fox) Japanese folklore Shapeshifting Inari faith Kabuki characters Fiction about human–fox romance