There is also a host of minor differences, such as the kitsune's reputed love for fried tofu versus the hulijing's preference for eggs.Īnother major difference exists in the worship of the two entities. Which clearly shows that the fox spirit is considered distinct from normal foxes. There is a beast, which is shaped like a fox but has nine tails, and sounds like a baby. The Classic of Mountains and Seas for instance mentions that: Some tales further describe them as engaging in powerleveling through essence-sucking intercourse with mortal humans à la western succubi or incubi. They are no ordinary foxes, but instead the result of centuries or even millenia of training. In contrast, the Chinese hulijing means specifically a "fox spirit". As this would imply, the kitsune are regarded as simply common foxes, though held to be naturally long lived and attributed with magical abilities. There's no difference between that and the fox as an animal. In the Japanese language, the word kitsune literally just means "a fox". Similarly, Japan later imported the Chinese nine-tailed fox, but it found a place in Japanese folklore as a distinct entity separate from the traditional kitsune.Īlthough they share notable similarities, such as transformation and betwitching humans, the Japanese kitsune and the Chinese hulijing actually have fundamental differences.
The fox spirits of later Chinese traditions do not necessarily have nine tails, either. Left: A nine-tailed fox depicted in the ancient Chinese bestiary Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海經) | Right: A distinctly single tailed kitsune depicted in the Japanese almanac kin mou zui (訓蒙図彙) In fact, they are not both fox spirits with nine tails. How much support is there for their separate origins? What is the relationship between these two mythical creatures? Inari scholar Karen Smyers notes that the idea of the fox as seductress and the connection of the fox myths to Buddhism were introduced into Japanese folklore through similar Chinese stories, but she maintains that some fox stories contain elements unique to Japan. He states that, according to a 16th-century book of records called the Nihon Ryakki, foxes and human beings lived close together in ancient Japan, and he contends that indigenous legends about the creatures arose as a result. the only things imported from China or Korea were the kitsune's negative attributes. Japanese folklorist Kiyoshi Nozaki argues that the Japanese regarded kitsune positively as early as the 4th century A.D. In particular, kitsune are strongly related to the kami Inari, whereas huli jing are not strongly associated with any god in particular. However, according to some scholars, the kitsune may have been native to Japan, only acquiring its negative qualities from Chinese folklore later. It seems that they either have a common origin or are greatly influenced by each other. Perhaps the most well-known huli jing is the historical Daji, consort of King Zhou and blamed for the fall of the Shang dynasty.One famous kitsune appears in the true story of Hideyoshi writing a letter threatening to kill all foxes in Japan unless the kitsune ceases to possess one of his servants.Both the kitsune and huli jing are "fox spirits" with 9 tails, tricksters that can shapeshift into, or possess, young women.
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