The Legend of the Nine-tailed Fox

At the age of a hundred a fox's spirit can possess human beings, at age five hundred it turns white and can assume human form at will. At the age of a thousand, it turns golden and grows nine tails, becoming extremely wily and powerful.

In the legend illustrated in the following images, a nine-tailed fox appeared first in India, then in China, and finally Japan. In all three countries it took the form of a beautiful woman who caused chaos in the government by bewitching the emperor. When it appeared in Japan, the fox became an imperial concubine of Emperor Toba, Tamamo no Mae. Some time after abdicating in 1123, the emperor became seriously ill and sought the advice of the court astrologer, Abe no Seimei (or Abe no Yasunari, depending on the story). Abe was himself a descendent of a fox (see previous image), and so easily divined that the fox-woman Tamamo no Mae was responsible.

Here Abe no Yasunari uses a mirror to reveal Tamamo no Mae's true form as a nine-tailed fox. In the rays from the mirror you can see glimpses of the fox's golden brown fur and bushy tails.