Forum - View topicFox and Demon Connection
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munee
 Posts: 16 Location: Texas |
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 Ok this is an ignorant question.  I was wondering, though, what is the connection between foxes and demons in manga.  Im sure it deals with Japenese culture but id like to know some more specifics on this topic. Please reply back i think this topic can expand and open up into discussion on why other creatures and cryptic devices are used in mangas. 
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darkhunter
 Posts: 2992 Location: Los Angelas |
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In the Indian culture, foxes are known as trickster. I'm not sure how japan see foxes, but it should be somewhere along the line of trickster = demon.
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munee
Posts: 16 Location: Texas |
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that would make sense. thank you for the Indian background. |
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shadow_guyver
 Posts: 307 Location: Tokyo, Japan |
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It is my understanding that kitsune (foxes) are tricksters in Japanese culture. And as far as I see, foxes are treated as just spirits. Giant, nine-tailed foxes however...
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dormcat
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 9903 Location: New Taipei City, Taiwan, ROC |
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In Japanese folklore, foxes (kitsune), raccoon dogs (tanuki, Nyctereutes procyonoides), and old cats (neko
 ) can metamorphose into human beings and objects.
(From Nausicaa.net) Legends of nine-tailed fox, one that possesses formidable magical power, has its origin way back to China, where famous beautiful woman 妲姬 (Dakki in Houshin Engi / Soul Hunter) was killed and immediately possessed by the spirit of a nine-tailed fox, who use her face and body to lure the (last) king of Shang dynasty and caused the fall of Shang. |
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munee
Posts: 16 Location: Texas |
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wow  . thank you dormcat for that useful background with animals and folklore. knowing history behind certain aspects of manga is quite useful in understanding the deeper meanings in the story, and makes the expirence that much better! 
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Jadress
 Posts: 812 Location: Seattle. It purdy and nerdy! |
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Woo for Dormcat!
I actually just made an illustration of that very nine-tailed fox woman (Tamamo no mae) for a class (we had to illustrate a Japanese myth of our choice). That said, I did a lot of research on fox legends. In Japan, like India, foxes are known as tricksters, but can be good or malicious. They are known to take forms of beautiful women and seduce or otherwise mess around with humans. You'll notice many foxes with multiple tails (like Shippo from InuYasha)- some legends say that as a fox gets older, he grows more tails, and others say that the number of tails indicates his power. Particular nine-tailed foxes are considered demons in many stories. The Japanese rice god, Inari, also had two fox messengers. Here is an excellent site for info about fox lore in Asia: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/oinari.shtml And another: http://www.comnet.ca/~foxtrot/kitsune/kitsune1.htm |
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