yōkai fox


The fourth item above is also a netsuke, and at first glance it too may seem to depict Hakuzōsu, but a closer examination reveals something else. The digital exhibition Yōkai Senjafuda is the result of a collaboration between the University of Oregon Libraries and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, with support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The man on the left is admiring the fox-barber’s handiwork by holding mirrors in front of his face and behind his head—or so he thinks. His friend marches next to him like a samurai’s attendant, but he’s holding an Inari shrine banner instead of a spear. Sometimes these are in the (relatively) realistic form of the familiar stone statues of foxes that one would find at a shrine. This may explain why the foxes here have selected sumo for their entertainment. This is a man in a fox mask, and what appears to be a priestly hood is a rain-hood made of straw. Some foxes of legend use their powers in more vicious ways, but these foxes are hurting nothing more than their victims’ dignity. The fox spirit, or yōko (妖狐), is an intelligent creature with the ability to speak human language, shapeshift, possess people, and generate flames called foxfire. Originally, then, harifuda may have been most frequently used in pilgrimages to Inari shrines. It shows a man playing a game with three foxes. The writing on the upper image identifies the actor and the role: Ichikawa Ichizō 市川市蔵 in the role of Ogasawara Haito in the play The Ogasawara Disturbance (Ogasawara sōdō 小笠原騒動). And sometimes they are in the form of live foxes leaping or flying about in ways that suggest god-derived power. Early modern weddings included a procession escorting the bride from her parents’ house to her new husband’s house, ceremonially demonstrating how a bride was thought to be leaving her old family behind and joining her new one. It’s all in good fun, at least in these slips. Another is seated on the back of a man who has clearly been convinced he’s a horse. One of these bears the name of the shrine being referenced, and the other the daimei of a senjafuda practitioner; an unusual feature of this design is that the daimei are presented in the same calligraphic style as the shrine name, rather than in the distinctive senjafuda calligraphy usually used. The fox Genkurō rejoices and promises to watch over Yoshitsune in battle forever after. The loose loincloth is an appropriately comic touch, showing just how deluded the men are. The fox is known as Hakuzōsu and features in a play called Fox-Catching (Tsurigitsune 釣狐).

( Log Out /  The third is as servants of the god Inari, protector of agriculture and harvests. The second netsuke shows the same subject, but with an ingenious twist—the face actually rotates. The only flaw in their transformations is their inability to alter the shape of their shadow and tendency to reveal claws, fangs, a tail, or even fox ears when they let their guard down. Their association with Inari helps explain why they’re one of the most common motifs in senjafuda; this connection is explored in depth on the page about collectors and foxes. But their status as servants of the Shintō harvest god Inari also makes them objects of reverence. A class of yōkai originating from ordinary foxes that accumulated enough yōkai magic in their bodies over the span of a hundred years to mutate them into yōkai. As such it doesn’t relate to a stage depiction of a shape-shifting fox, but rather approaches the intersection of senjafuda, kabuki, and fox beliefs from a different angle. ( Log Out /  Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Here foxes have enchanted two senjafuda pasters into thinking they’re having their hair dressed by professional barbers. The next two images above also show Hakuzōsu, but in three-dimensional form.

As articles of attire (in theory, at least) these netsuke would have been something a possessor used and handled on a daily basis, and thus an opportunity for self-expression on a very personal level, like a keychain or smartphone case for a modern person. Three ema are hanging from the tree, as is a straw doll. It’s told in the classic 1747 play Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees (Yoshitsune senbonzakura 義経千本桜). Touched by his filial piety, Yoshitsune gives the fox the drum, and also gives the fox one of his own names: Genkurō. The placement of the statue is unexpected, since typically such statues are found in pairs flanking the gate, not blocking the worshiper's way like this. The fox's inscrutable stare combines with the monochrome design of the print to lend an air of otherworldliness to an otherwise ordinary encounter. The first (also discussed in connection with yōkai and parades) depicts a fox wedding procession, or kitsune no yomeiri 狐の嫁入り. The one on the left is holding his broom like a spear, while the other man has placed a kabocha atop a pole in imitation of the decorative finials used in processions. This slip appears to depict the dancer Shizuka, instead of the fox, but she’s wearing the fox-actor’s robe and her right hand is held in a position meant to suggest a fox’s paw. One popular form of worship was the senjamairi 千社参り or “thousand shrine pilgrimage,” a visit to as many Inari shrines as one could find. The “mirror” behind his head is actually an ema that reads Ryōgoku, an Edo neighborhood.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 4.0 International License. Kyubi is a fox Yo-kai with a rather tall height and is covered in thick, golden fur with white belly and paws. This creates a pleasing symmetry and thematic equivalence between shrine and worshiper. The play centers on a man who traps foxes. The fox at left has bewitched two peasants into thinking that they’re samurai retainers on parade. (Shibaraku 暫), a showcase for the actors in the hereditary Ichikawa Danjūrō line. The other is its connection with Inari worship. 2.25 pulgadas Esmalte suave J. Visuales Esté listo a principios de noviembre de 2017 Obras de arte originales dibujadas por mí Yokai Kiri-Chan traducido Diosa Demonio de Niebla Estar protegido por su espíritu kitsune de 9 colas Between them is a flaming wish-fulfilling jewel. Beneath these is an illustration connected in some way with the shrine.

Please log in using one of these methods to post your comment: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. At the top of each slip is a pair of shrine foxes; the distinctive blue and red stripes on the base mark these as clay figurines (Imado-yaki 今戸焼) sold to worshipers. Fox spirit hanyō (crosses between humans and yōkai) will be discussed in a separate post. The second slip also shows a fox parade, or rather the front end of it. It is in this capacity as Inari’s familiars that foxes most frequently appear in senjafuda. In the play, Haito saves a fox, who later comes back to protect Haito. Like shape-shifting foxes, Inari-servant foxes are usually depicted as white, and are often accompanied by balls of flame or other indications of supernatural potency. The top ema in this slip shows two divine foxes flying near the top of a shrine gate surrounded by red and blue wish-fulfilling jewels; it promises answers to “all requests.” The bottom ema shows a fox next to rice plants, with a wish-fulfilling jewel over its back; promises a “bountiful harvest.”, The third slip belongs to the same series. In this way the play, like most kyōgen, moves through a series of comic reversals between hunter and priest/fox, ending in a stalemate (the fox manages to escape from the trap). The fox is known as Hakuzōsu and features in a play called Fox-Catching (Tsurigitsune 釣狐). The slip for the Tamahime Inari in Asakusa shows a fox dressed up as a princess (Tamahime means “jewel princess”). Fox spirits of considerable age sport golden or white coats with multiple tails, but no more than nine. The bride is in a palanquin being carried on poles in the center of the parade of attendants. The two foxes on either side of the man, holding a rope with a loop in it, are dressed as women, suggesting the man thinks he’s amusing himself with geisha. I pulled the classification information off the Japanese wikipedia. You can help this Wiki by adding an information! The doll adds a spooky touch, since it was believed that one could curse somebody by nailing a straw doll representing them to a sacred tree at midnight. This slip is sponsored by a rakugo performer, Kokontei Shinba, and it’s called kitsunebi 狐火, or fox-fire, the mystic flames that are seen dancing in the air near foxes when they’re at their most yōkai-esque. They will lie, deceive, and cheat people freely, but will fulfill a life debt without fail. The tree in the left foreground has a straw rope with white paper strips hanging from it to indicate that it’s a sacred tree. The man on the right is gritting his teeth while the fox-barber pulls his topknot tight. There is no curse or anything compelling them to do so, but not one has stayed after being found out. Foxes in Japanese folklore and popular culture have three main aspects. The slip for the Chōei Inari in Ikegami shows a divine fox appearing on a cloud to the medieval Buddhist cleric Nichiren; the shrine is connected to the headquarters of Nichiren’s sect, the Ikegami Honmonji, and the Chōei Inari is considered Nichiren’s protector. They are all capable of taking human form, often choosing to appear as beautiful young women or men. Here a pair of men have stripped to their loincloths and are about to face each other in sumo wrestling.

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