The
Fox spirits and nine-tailed foxes appear frequently in Chinese folklore, literature, and mythology. Depending on the story, the fox spirit's presence may be a good or a bad omen. The motif of nine-tailed foxes from Chinese culture was eventually transmitted and introduced to Japanese and Korean cultures.
A kumiho or gumiho (Korean: 구미호; Hanja: 九尾狐, literally "nine-tailed fox") is a creature that appears in the folktales on East Asia and legends of Korea. It is similar to the Chinese huli jing and the Japanese kitsune.
The kyūbi no kitsune (九尾の狐) is a legendary nine tailed fox prevalent in Japanese folktales and plays. Stories about the nine tailed fox go way back in Japan's oral telling history.
In China, it is the Huli jing (湖里景), in Japan the Kitsune (キツネ), and in Korea, the Gumiho (구미호). The inclusion of these beasts is firmly embedded in their respective cultures in unique and memorable ways. Still, unlike the Huli Jing or the Kitsune, the Gumiho is mainly an evil or malevolent entity.
Whether a man-eating monster or a tortured spirit yearning for personhood, the gumiho is an enduring feature of Korean folklore, and with the increasing interest in the country's popular culture, it's highly likely we'll be seeing more of the creatures in the future.
They are all foxes with supernatural power, but in different states, forms, and cultivation means. Nine Tailed Fox (in Chinese Jiuwei Hu) is a mythical creature in ancient Chinese mythology.
These kyūbi no kitsune (九尾の狐, 'nine-tailed foxes') gain the abilities to see and hear anything happening anywhere in the world.
However, while mythical beasts were prevalent in ancient civilizations, only a few are remembered today. The nine-tailed fox is one of these remembered creatures because of its prominence in artistic representation and narrative description. The nine-tailed fox is widely represented but does not have a fixed existence.
In Folklore
Depending on the origin, the Nine-Tailed Fox can be both a good or bad omen, but it's more commonly described to be impish. A lot of folklore commonly refers to the beast's ability to change its physical appearance and fool innocent people. In Japan, the Nine-Tailed fox has a similar reputation.
According to the legend, if a fox lives for 500 years, they can take on any human form regardless of gender. If they live for 1,000 years, they become a cheonho, which can use the powers of the heavens."
There are various versions of this creature, which often transforms itself into a beautiful woman. Sometimes it has to wait for a thousand years to turn into a human being. In other stories, a gumiho is supposed to eat the livers of 1,000 men within the period of 1,000 years to become human.
Though ancient tales of the Kumiho indicate they could sometimes be helpful to humans, in modern times Kumiho are known to be evil, bloodthirsty creatures that eat human livers or hearts. The Kumiho tricks unsuspecting people in order to consume their hearts by taking the form of a human.
Good and evil foxes
Black, gold or white kitsune were good characters, treated by the Japanese with reverence, respect and kindness. Field foxes, on the other hand, malicious and mischievous, circling around cemeteries and Buddhist temples, invoked fear.
The fox is a sacred animal in Japan, because in Shinto belief it is the messenger of Inari (worshipped at the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine in Kyoto), the god of fertility and rice cultivation. True to this belief, Zao Kitsune Mura also has a small Shinto shrine.
As the number of tails indicates the level of wisdom and magical prowess, the nine-tailed fox is considered especially powerful. Tamamo-no-Mae is one such nine-tailed fox, or Kyubi no kitsune, of particular note.
The fox spirit is an especially prolific shapeshifter, known variously as the húli jīng (fox spirit) and jiǔwěihú (nine-tailed fox) in China, the kitsune (fox) in Japan, the kumiho (nine-tailed fox) in Korea, and the hồ ly tinh (fox spirit) or cáo tinh (fox spirit, a synonym of hồ ly tinh) and cửu vĩ hồ or cáo chín ...
In kitsune lore, once a fox reaches the age of 100, they gain the power of shapeshifting. The fox grows a new tail every century until they have nine, and the color of their fur will eventually change from red to gold and finally to white (Geller).
The Sierra Nevada red fox of California is one of the rarest mammals in North America, likely consisting of fewer than 50 individuals.
kitsune, trickster foxes from traditional Japanese folklore. They are a type of yōkai, a class of supernatural creatures with godlike powers, often equated to the English ghoul or demon. Kitsune are noted for their paranormal abilities, particularly metamorphosis. As they age, these abilities can become more powerful.
Trivia. "Kurama" (九喇嘛) literally means 'nine lama'. Kishimoto was mainly inspired to create Kurama based on the character with the same name from the manga series Yū Yū Hakusho..
Nine – 9: Kyuu/Ku kanji: 九 hiragana: きゅう
The 9-tailed fox in red attracts money luck. On the reverse of this amulet is the Amulet of Increasing Wealth as well as an inscription of the wish-granting mantra.
The fox has come to be seen as a good omen. The Ancient Chinese admired the red fox, the country's most common fox, for its intelligence and were prepared to pay a fortune for “white fox furs”, made from the hairs of its underbelly.
Húxiān (胡仙; 狐仙 "Fox Immortal"), also called Húshén (胡神; 狐神 "Fox God") or Húwáng (胡王; 狐王 "Fox Ruler") is a deity in Chinese religion whose cult is present in provinces of north China (from Henan and Shandong upwards), but especially in northeast China where it can be said to be the most popular deity.