Chapter 1 The Shifty, Sexy Fox
She moves like a willow caressed by the wind. Her skin, whiter than a freshly painted geisha, defies the sun’s labors. After all, only vulgar leather farmwives tan. She purses her cherry-blossom lips and adjusts her hairpins. Sunlight kisses her arranged black hair. Blue hints shimmer. Her small, aristocratic nose and her liquid eyes—angled just so—grace a face marred by being a touch too long. But somehow even that defect completes the perfection of her beauty. She watches you, her gaze measuring, considering, and veiling.
The fox stalks the shrew.
The oldest fox stories found in China and Japan speak about alluring and mysterious fox women. Chinese vixen tales portray female foxes as erotic, dangerous, and even vampiric creatures. Only a small number of these Chinese shape-shifting stories carry a positive view of the fox, and these tales all end with the fox’s death.[16] Unlike the Japanese fox, Chinese foxes work toward a goal: to become an immortal human. She will do anything to achieve humanity and immortality, but most often she uses sex to gather men’syang. A fragment of a Chinese tale gives us an example:
Wu Lintang also told of a young man who was seduced by a fox, and though he was gradually wasting away, the fox kept coming. His energies became so depleted that finally, he was not able to satisfy her when the two were in bed together. Putting on her clothes, the fox made ready to depart. Much as the young man, weeping, implored her to stay, she adamantly refused.
When reprimanded for her lack of feelings, the fox retorted in anger, "There are no marital obligations between us; I came for the specific purpose of getting spiritual nourishment. The cream and essence of your being have been exhausted. With nothing more to gain, why should I not go? This is like liaisons built on power and influence that are broken when there is no more power or influence. Liaisons built on wealth, too, are severed when there is no more wealth. Humans carry favor with those whose wealth and power have aroused their attention, not out of any genuine feelings. Previously didn't you ingratiate yourself with so-and-so, whom you now no longer care about? And I am being reproached!"[17]
The concept of yin-yang describes two complimenting energies found in living creatures. Most people know the classic symbol of a half-black (yin) and half white (yang) disk cut by a sinuous line. Both halves contain a circle of the opposite force, and the outer circle completes when yin and yang join. Female Chinese foxes possess the yinaspect and need yang to reach their goal. In order to balance themselves, they harvest male yang by having sex. During the Ming dynasty, having sex with a fox resulted in a long life for the man. However, during the Qing dynasty, foxes transformed into women to drain men of their vital energy, eventually killing them.[18] In some Chinese folktales, male foxes love hanging around women’s bedrooms and waiting for a woman to have her period. They relish licking the discarded rags soaked in menstrual blood in order to balance their yang.
Contrary to the Japanese view of the fox as a woman, most Chinese stories focus on male foxes. Male fox spirits lavish their attention on women and bring wealth to the family. These fox spirits steal from others in the village and use the wealth to seduce wives. Poor families regularly sold or rented wives, daughters, and daughter-in-laws. For many families, the bodies of women were the last means for survival during the late imperial period of China.[19] The idea of a male fox offering money in return for enjoying a wife’s charms made this desperate practice a little more acceptable. After all, the fox was a spirit-being instead of a typical prostitute’s client. At least, the story sounds better than telling a nosy neighbor what was really happening. Folk stories allowed people to justify a desperate decision by providing a precedent.
Japan inherited these stories and much more. Despite the rarity of Chinese female-fox stories, they resonated with the Japanese more than male fox stories. The idea of a male fox seducing wives gained some traction, but even in these cases, most foxes were considered female. Instead of using seduction, these foxes possessed wives. The change of emphasis came from the tight rules Japanese society used to regulate prostitution. People didn’t need fox stories to justify what was a state-regulated practice.
The Jewel Maiden
In any case, Chinese fox stories passed to Japan along with Confucianism and other Chinese cultural exports. The most influential female-fox story Japan imported was “The Jewel Maiden.” The Japanese telling adds a redemptive twist on this primarily negative female-fox tale. The redemptive ending reflects the unique Japanese view of the beautiful fox as mostly a positive and tragic figure.
“The Jewel Maiden” marks the decline of imperial power at the end of the Heian period in Japan.[20] The end of the Heian period (794-1185 AD) causes the Japanese emperor to lose some of his authority to the warrior class, who would later become the samurai. “The Jewel Maiden” immigrates during this time of upheaval. In the original Chinese story, the emperor falls for a mysterious woman named Daji who turns out to be a nine-tailed fox. This affair ultimately leads to the destruction of the Shang line of emperors. According to the story, Daji introduces the Chinese practice foot-binding to keep women’s feet abnormally small.[21] The Japanese version follows the same pattern as Daji’s story (without the foot-binding practice), but it adds a redemptive ending for the nine-tailed kingdom destroyer. In the Chinese story, a magic mirror destroys her. I will paraphrase the story, but if you want to read a full version, you can find a selection in the Further Reading section.
During the reign of the retired emperor Toba-no-in, who rules Japan behind the scenes, a mysterious woman appears at the court. She lacks the proper family connections, but her beauty and education stand beyond the reach of any other court lady. She quickly becomes the retired emperor’s favorite and rarely leaves his side. One night, a fierce storm shakes the palace, and the court tries to distract themselves with an evening of music and poetry. Suddenly, the wind bursts into the room and extinguishes all the lamps. Only the darkness is not total. A soft glow cuts the night, radiating from the emperor’s mistress. This terrifies everyone in the court, except Toba. He sees it as a sign that his favorite lady transcended normal spirituality and names her Tamamo no mae, the Jewel Maiden.
Soon after the event, the retired emperor and his son, the reigning emperor Konoe, fall ill. The court exorcist, Abe no Yasunari, suspects foul play on the part of the Jewel Maiden after her glowing incident. Abe decides to reveal the truth about the woman. Insisting the Jewel Maiden take part in a ceremony, Abe uses the ritual as a cover for his exorcism incantations. As he finishes his last incantation, the Jewel Maiden, writhing with pain, transforms into her true form: a nine-tailed fox. She flies off, and Abe orders two of the court’s best warriors to put an end to her. Over several additional adventures, the warriors manage to slay the fox. In the last act of vengeance, the fox transforms her spirit into a stone that spews out poisonous gas that kills everything nearby. The emperor and his son still die despite the efforts of the warriors.
Around a century later, the Zen practitioner Genyo travels to the stone to put an end to its killing. Because his immense spiritual powers protect him from the deadly fumes, Genyo saunters right up to the stone without any problems. The spirit of the fox, sensing her end, confesses to him all that she did. In India, she convinces the king to invade his neighbors and use the prisoners for a bloody ritual. She speaks of her time in China and of the end of its dynasty. Finally, she tells the story of Toba. In response to her stories, Genyo hits the stone with his staff—cleaving it in half—and teaches her the errors of her life. After hearing his teaching, the Jewel Maiden’s spirit lifts from the stone and ascends to a positive rebirth with other celestial beings and nine-tailed foxes.
Considering the original, negative Chinese view of Daji, the retelling’s ending suggests how Japanese folklore regards female foxes as generally positive. Even a fox that brought down rulers in the three kingdoms of India, China, and Japan can be redeemed. The story also showcases the power of Zen Buddhism. It takes a Zen practiti
oner to end the terror of the fox. While the “Jewel Maiden” is the most important fox story Japan inherits from China—inspiring a popular noh drama—it is still not the most important fox tale. That honor belongs to the fox-wife story “On Taking a Fox as a Wife and Bringing Forth a Child.” This story is the oldest and creates the template for all other fox-wife tales that follow. Its first appearance in literature dates to the 9th century, and the story tells of how the Japanese fox gained her name.[22] But before we can dive into “On Taking a Fox as a Wife and Bringing Forth a Child,” we first need to dig a little deeper into the attitudes toward women at the time. Understanding these attitudes will help us understand the importance of these fox-wife tales.
Attitudes toward Women
Nonhuman wife stories can only be found in Japan and surrounding areas.[23] Marriage between people and animals doesn’t happen in Western tales.[24] Considering the social attitudes toward women when fox-wife stories became popular, the tales are even more remarkable. Feudal China and Japan shared a negative view of women. This view varied depending on the time period. For example, a man having sex with female foxes during the Ming dynasty granted him a long life. This was a fairly positive outlook on fox-women despite being still male-oriented. However, during the Qing dynasty, the same foxes fed off the man’s life force. There were exceptions. For example, some Qing fox stories included good foxes as lovers. Male foxes also took on the important duty of guarding official seals and documents.[25] Generalizations can mislead, but there was a firmly negative view of women in Japanese society just as fox-tales developed. A study of Japanese proverbs by Hiroko Storm provides some insight.
In the study, Storm classified Japanese proverbs dealing with women. Not all of these proverbs date from the same period as our seminal fox story. However, Storm’s study provides useful insight into the overall view of women throughout Japanese history. Like amber preserves an insect, proverbs bottle ideas from distant periods. They shelter a culture’s concerns and wisdom. They fossilize bias. Of the 817 proverbs about women Storm reviews, only 29 were positive. Over 300 are negative, and the rest fall into neutral and neutral-negative ratings. The collection generalizes women as inferior, stupid, ill-natured, weak, and overly talkative. However, the proverbs also reveal a difference between social classes of women. The lower classes, like farmers and merchants, viewed women as important work help. Upper-class women had less importance compared to farm wives.[26] Upper classes didn’t need women to help in the fields or lug goods. Their value depended upon childrearing and maintaining the household. Lower-class women shared these responsibilities in addition to their other work. Here are few proverbs Storm quotes to give you an idea of how women were viewed:
“A smart woman ruins the castle.”
“Women’s wisdom is born of greed.”
“Women talk about things senselessly.”
“Frailty, thy name is woman.”
The Tale of Genji (from the 11th century) sums society’s attitude toward women: "If they were not fundamentally evil, they would not have been born women at all." Despite these attitudes, fox-wife stories portray women as ideal helpers and mates. Considering how the fox originates with the farming and merchant classes, this makes sense. Fox-wife tales center on the social role of the wife and mother and how the fox cannot fill that role. Her animal cunning takes her only so far, yet for all her shortfalls the Japanese regard her as an ideal mother and wife. The stories lend hope to women who struggle with the duties of work, running the household, and motherhood. Like the fox, she doesn’t have to be perfect to be the ideal wife and mother. Fox-wife stories undermined social norms. The educated fox-wife wields considerable power over the family. In contrast, women had little legal power. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (1602-1868) women didn’t legally exist. They could not own property and had to be subordinate to men.[27]
This environment explains the popularity of the fox-wife tale. For men, the stories show a capable, exotic, and beautiful wife. For women, the stories ink a dutiful and intelligent woman. The fox-wife lifts some of the burdens society placed on men through her intelligence and hard work. The stories allow women to feel empowered in their social role, but the stories do not try to break women out of that role. From our modern perspective, this looks like a failure. After all, they reinforce the idea that a woman’s place is in the home. But the stories subvert the negative view of women. The fox-wife shows how an intelligent woman benefits the castle instead of ruining it. She shows how wisdom comes from love and generosity rather than greed. She speaks with sense and disproves the idea of female frailty.
How the Fox Became Kitsune
Now that we have sketched the stage, let’s visit the first fox-wife tale and learn how the Japanese fox gained her name:Kitsune.
This took place long ago in the reign of Emperor Kinmei. A man of the Ono district of Mino province set out on his horse in search of a good wife. At that time in a broad field, he came on an attractive woman, who responded to him. He winked at her and asked, “Where are you going, pretty miss?” She answered, “I am looking for a good husband.” “Will you be my wife?” he then asked. She replied, “I will.” So he took her home, and they married and lived together.
After a time, on the fifteenth day of the Twelfth Month, their dog gave birth to a puppy. The puppy constantly barked at the wife and threatened to bite her. She became so frightened that she asked her husband to kill the puppy. But in spite of her request, he would not do so.
Around the Second or Third Month, when the annual quota of rice was being hulled, the wife went to where the female servants were pounding rice to give them some refreshment. The puppy ran after her, trying to bite her. Startled and frightened, she changed into a fox and jumped on top of a hedge. The husband, seeing this, said, “You and I have together produced a child. Therefore, I can never forget you. Whenever I call, come and sleep with me.” Thus, following the husband’s word she came and slept with him.
At that time his wife, wearing a red dyed skirt, moved slowly and gracefully, trailing her skirt as she went. The husband, gazing at her figure, sang a love song that went
Love fills me
Completely
But after one moment,
A fleeting gem,
That one—she’s gone!
Therefore, they named the child who they had produced Kitsune, which became his surname: Kitsune no atai. The child was famous for his great strength and could run as a bird flies. He is the ancestor of the Kitsune-no-atai family of Mino province.[28]
The word kitsune (pronounced key-tzoon-nay) means “fox” and “come and sleep.” The word derives from the onomatopoeia of the fox’s cry.[29] Unlike Chinese stories, the Japanese fox isn’t motivated by the selfish quest for immortality. Love motivates her. A revealed fox cannot live in the human world regardless of how much her husband and children love her. She leaves to protect both her own life and the social life of her family. Why does she need to do this to protect them? Because being associated with a fox creates a stigma toward the family, barring them from participating in social life. We will look deeper at this idea, called fox-ownership, in Chapter 3. As a fox, her life is threatened. Folktales do not exist in isolation. The story of the Jewel Maiden and other folktales about wild foxes darken the view of the Japanese fox. Killing foxes has deep roots in history: the Ainu word for fox translates to “what we kill a lot.”[30] Despite the dangers, she promises to visit the family whenever her husband calls her name. The Japanese fox forms permanent, monogamous relationships regardless of her love being another fox or a human.[31]
In every fox-wife story, she must leave the family or die. These tales do not have happy endings. Most of the stories end with the husband and children crying and begging her not to go. She turns her tail and runs away, leaving only tears and memories behind. But why must she leave or die? Why can’t these tales have a happy ending? She doesn’t belong to the human world. While she tries hard to become human for the sake of her lo
ver and children, she fails. She fails because she cannot fully participate in cultural and economic life.[32]
In our story, the fox fears the puppy. Foxes and dogs have a long-standing rivalry in folklore. This comes from a real rivalry. Dogs hunt foxes. Beyond this, the puppy represents the natural household order. The puppy reveals the fox’s true form as she goes about her duty of running the household: making sure laborers are well and working. In other fox-wife stories, her disguise disappears when handling the household finances and similar duties.
The lack of a happy ending in these folktales provides a balance. Fox-wives stories radiate with happiness and love but remain incomplete without sorrow. She must disappear to complete the fleeting beauty of the image. Doesn’t this reflect what we too must experience in life? Even the most loving of relationships must end in separation: death. Punctuating romance with sorrow inspires a feeling of gratitude. This sense of gratitude and awe amid mystery pervades Japanese thinking. For example, Shinto rites are designed to invoke feelings of appreciation and emotion.[33]
Tales of fox-wives shine against the backdrop of negative proverbs and other negative stories centering on women. The fox-wife shows her flaws and lacks the ability to meet her social obligations, yet throughout Japan’s history men desired her. She tries to be a divine mother and dutiful wife, yet she doesn’t fit into society. She speaks about the condition of women in feudal Japan. Beyond this, she represents the soul of Japan and an expression of the Japanese world view.[34] Her story speaks of the human condition – inadequacy, ceaseless effort to improve, and separation. She lives on the boundary between two worlds, wholly belonging to neither. She cannot attain perfection and yet strives to improve. Just as each of us must leave our families, the fox-wife tale always ends in separation.
Come and Sleep Page 2
