The Kitsune
In Japanese folklore, foxes grow wiser and more powerful with age, gaining extra tails and the power to take human form.
What was reported
In Japanese tradition, kitsune, foxes, are intelligent beings with magical powers that grow with age. An old fox may have up to nine tails, and can take human form, often as a beautiful woman, to trick or test people.
Kitsune are also the messengers of Inari, the god of rice and prosperity. At Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, thousands of fox statues stand among the famous tunnels of red torii gates, and offerings of fried tofu, said to be their favourite food, are left for them.
Explanations offered
The kitsune is a figure of folklore and religion, found in stories, theatre and art for more than a thousand years. Foxes really do live close to Japanese farms and villages, and their cleverness and nighttime habits helped inspire the legends.
- When
- Told for over a thousand years
- Where
- Fushimi Inari, Kyoto, Japan
- Witnesses
- Japanese tradition
- Status
- Legend
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.