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

kitsune In Japanese folklore, , are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to ''yōkai'' folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form. While some folktales speak of employing t ...

'' character in

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

. Her name means ''

kudzu Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the wor ...

leaf''. Legend states that she is the mother of

Abe no Seimei was an '' onmyōji'', a leading specialist of '' Onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian period in Japan.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Pr ...

, 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-a ...

Legend

A young nobleman,

Abe no Yasuna Abe or ABE may refer to: People and fictional characters * Shinzo Abe (1954–2022), former Prime Minister of Japan * Abe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Abe (surname), a list of people a ...

(安倍保名), is on his way to visit a

shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they ...

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 Setts ...

, 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 a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

. 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 of the genus ''Chrysanthemum'' in the family Asteraceae. They are native to East Asia and northeastern Europe. Most species originate from East Asia and the center ...

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 (derived from the Greek '' poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings ...

, 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 deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the ...

'', 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 Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought ...

and

bunraku (also known as ) 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 ( puppeteer ...

plays based on her legend, including the five-part ''

Ashiya Dōman Ōuchi Kagami Ashiya may refer to: * Ashiya, Hyōgo, Japan ** Ashiya University, Hyōgo * Ashiya, Fukuoka, Japan * Ashiya, a subcaste of Charans from Rajasthan, India * Mizuki Ashiya This is a list of characters from the manga and drama series, ''Hana-Kimi'' ...

'' (''A Courtly Mirror of

Ashiya Dōman Ashiya Dōman (ja. 蘆屋道満, spelled also 芦屋道満), also known as Dōma Hōshi (道摩法師) was an onmyōji who lived during the Heian period, in the reign of the Emperor Ichijō. The years of birth and death are unknown. Despite being ...

''). 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

Izumi , meaning "spring" or "fountain", is a Japanese given name and surname. While a unisex name, it is more commonly used by women. It can alternately be written as , , , or . People with the name include: As given name * , actress * , stage name Mi ...

there is a Kuzunoha

Inari Inari may refer to: Shinto * Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit ** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari ** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari * Inari-zushi, a type of sushi Places * 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