Kitsune and Bride

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. minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends .
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. kitsune 狐 fox legends - Introduction .
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kitsune no yome-iri, kitsune no yomeiri　狐の嫁入り "the fox taking a bride"
spell of sunshine during a rainy period
literally: The Fox is taking his bride home. A fox-wedding party.
kitsune no yomedori 狐の嫁どり
kigo for summer


Ogata Gekko - kitsune


“There are so many Japanese phrases and words that use foxes as creature that deceives people. One of them is, 狐の嫁入り (Kitsune no Yomeiri, wedding of fox). This is a word for a day that rains with sun out. Foxes like to deceive people, so have their wedding on rainy but sunny day.”
quote by Tachikoma


- quote -
Kitsune no Yomeiri in Literature
The Meiji period Tanka poet Masaoka Shiki wrote:

“When rain falls from a blue sky,
in the Hour of the Horse,
the Great Fox King takes his bride.”



While Kitsune no Yomeiri is the most common term, there are regional versions of the same phenomenon. In Saitama and Ishikawa prefectures it is known as Kitsune no Yomitori (狐の嫁取り; The Taking of a Fox Bride). In Shizuoka it is called Kitsune no Shugen (狐の祝言; The Fox Wedding Celebration).

In Tokushima, the Kitsune no Yomeiri is a less happy occasion. It was called the Kitsune no Soshiki (狐の葬儀; Fox Funeral) and seeing one is considered an omen of death.

- Read the details :
- source : hyakumonogatari.com - Zack Davisson

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- quote -
. . . the occurrence of rain occurring during brilliant sunshine, which is said to occur a fox bride is going through the woods to the house of her fox groom. Sometimes during festival occasions, shrines would stage the “fox wedding” as well, and that is when we would get to see the interesting couple wearing the fox mask.
- source : monsterswithfreckles.tumblr -

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- ABC - List of fox and bride legends from the Prefectures

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. . . . . . . . . . Aichi 愛知県

Kitsune no hanayome きつねの花嫁 The fox as bride

Once upon a time
in the village of 三河の国の宇頭 Uto in Mikawa there lived a young man named 与太郎 Yotaro, who was always playing tricks and pranks.
He often stole the fried tofu 油揚げ offered at the temple of Yakushi Nyorai　薬師如来　 and used it as bait for fishing, saying he wanted to "fish for a fox" キツネを釣る.
His mother did not know what to do with this wild youngster and came up with the idea that he might calm down when he got a wife (bride 嫁 yome).
So she went to the local shrine and prayed to the deity to provide a good bride for her son.
Soon enough, through the introduction of the village headman Yotaro got a beautiful bride from the neighbouring village.

On the day before the wedding, Yotaro went to the river that served as the boundary between the two villages to wait for the parade. He waited and waited and soon it became quite dark when he saw the bridal procession on the other side of the river.
The horse of the bride stopped and she called him
"Come over here, hurry, hurry!" and stretched her hand toward him.

Yotaro was so happy, he jumped into the river and begun to swim to the other side, wondering if there had really been such a wide river between the two villages.
And while he was moving around swimming suddenly all disappeared and he found himself in a field of eggplants.



But the bewitched Yataro did not even realize this and continued paddeling around the eggplants. A farmer who observed him called "Hey Yotaro, take care of what you are doing! What's the matter with you?!"
Finally Yotaro came to his sense, but now was in just the opposite spell - - - he thought the village headman must be a bad fox, so he took a strong stick and hit him.

Finally the wedding came to pass and Yotaro got to live with his bride. But she was not beautiful and gentle, but angry and short-tempered and had him under her thumb.
Yet for better or worth, the two of them had eventually begun to do their farming work together and lead a normal life.


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Yama-uba to tabi yakusha 山姥と旅役者 The old woman and the traveling actor

Once upon a time on a late summer evening

昔ある夏の夕暮れ、ひとりの旅役者が道を急いでいた。仲間に遅れて瀬戸の方から山道を抜けて名古屋の方へ出ようとしていた。

やがてすっかり日が暮れて、提灯の灯を頼りに歩いていたが、行けども行けども山道を抜け出すことが出来なかった。旅役者は、提灯を片手にうろうろしていた。

その時ふと見ると、少し離れた所に一軒の明りが見えた。旅役者はこれ幸いとばかりに明りを頼りに崖の上の一軒屋の戸を叩くと、そこには老婆が一人座っていた。旅役者はちょっとばかり老婆を気味悪く思ったが、老婆は突然「お茶を入れようかの」と言って立ち上がり、奥の部屋に入っていった。

しばらく待ったが中々老婆は出てこない。するとパチパチと火が燃える音がしたかと思うと、突然障子が明るくなり、恐ろしい山姥の影が映ったのだった。旅役者は驚いて立ちすくんでいたが、老婆がお茶を持って出てきた。



老婆は「ところでお前さん、何かやってみせてくれんかの？」と頼んだ。旅役者はここで何かしないと生きて帰れないと思い「わしは化けるのが得意じゃが」と答えた。それを聞いた老婆は喜んで、ぜひ化けてみせてくれと言った。

旅役者はもうこうなったらと腹をくくり、つい立ての向こうで商売道具の入った包みを取り出した。狐の面を取り出し、狐の嫁入り踊りを披露した。旅役者次々と面や着物を変え、色々なものに化けてみせ、老婆は大喜びした。

やがて空が白々としてきて、旅役者の芸も尽きたと思われる頃。老婆は礼を言うと、あっと言う間に姿を消してしまった。それと同時に家も消えてしまっていた。

旅役者はしばらくその場にぼんやりしていたが、さて名古屋はどちらだろうと立ち上がった時、「旅のお方、さあこちらへおいで」という優しい声が聞こえてきた。その声があまりに優しかったので、旅役者はその声の言う方へ歩いていった。

優しい声は案内を続け、やがて旅人の往来する広い街道へ出た。そして「名古屋へ行くにはこの道をまっすぐ南にお行き…」と聞こえると、それっきり山姥の声は聞こえなくなった。旅役者は安心して名古屋への道を急ぐことが出来た。「芸は身を助ける」ということだ。


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. . . . . . . . . . Gifu 岐阜県

. tabi 足袋 と伝説 Legends about Tabi socks .


Inari fox split-toe socks

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. . . . . . . . . . Hyogo 兵庫県

An old woman who was possessed by a fox eat fried tofu and rice with red beans every day 油揚げや赤飯.
When the farmers asked her to show her real features, a fat fox with quite a large tummy showed up, walking along the village road. So the farmers killed it.
The fox had come here at the time when the young farmer had taken a wife. The fox had thrown the real bride into the sea and joined the household incognito.




abura-age 油揚げ fried tofu offerings to the Fox Deity


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. . . . . . . . . . Mie 三重県

kitsune no yome-iri doochuu 狐の嫁入り道中 Fox Marriage Parade Ceremony



Celebrated during the Setsubun rituals in February.
Beside the Fox couple, there are the oni 鬼　demons of Setsubun to provide a scary atmosphere to the wedding ceremony.



Miyamado Inari Fox Shrine, 海山道神社 1 Chome-58 Miyamadocho, Yokkaichi, Mie
- Homepage of the Shrine
- source : miyamado-jinja.com -


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. . . . . . . . . . Nara 奈良県

. Yamanokami 山の神 and Kitsune no Yome-iri .



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. . . . . . . . . . Niigata 新潟県

The foxes carry lanterns that go on and off.
But in fact it is the spittle of foxed dripping on the ground which is shining.

In the district of 中蒲原郡 Nakakanbara a mother and daughter in law were working in the fields. When they threw a stone at something moving, it was a fox.
Three months later, the daughter became ill and they called a local 巫女 Shrine shaman to find out the reason for the illness. So they learned that a fox possessed the daughter in law (yome 嫁) .
The fox said it would care for the daughter, so the mother let it have its way.
And two or three days later, there was a fox taking a bride parade 狐の嫁入り and rain in the dark forest.
And yes, the daughter in law was well again from that day on.

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CLICK for more photos !

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. . . . . . . . . . Tottori 鳥取県

In a village in the 中山町 Nakayama of the 西伯郡 Saihaku district a fox once got caught in a trap but a compassionate young unmarried farmer let it free.
The fox wanted to show his gratitude, so he shapeshifted into a young woman and joined the farmer's home as the bride. That year the farmer had a bountiful harvest and soon the young farmer became the richest man in the village.
Now the fox-bride decided it has done its duty in paying back gratitude and shifted back to its fox figure. Soon the fox disappeared into the forest.


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. . . . . . . . . . Toyama 富山県

In the villages of 婦負郡 Nei district there is sometimes a ball of fire seen back and forth in the dark mountain forest, almost like a parade of people holding lanterns.
People say
あそこでヨメドリたったってそれは嘘や、キツネが嫁どりしとったんや」
This is not a wedding parade of humans taking home the bride, that is the foxes taking a wife.


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- quote -
"Der Fuchs und Dr. Shimamura"
Japanische Frauen, die von Füchsen besessen sind, ein Doktor auf der Spur des Phänomens, Hysterikerinnen in Paris, ein Abschied vom Leben:
Christine Wunnickes neuer Roman erzählt sehr überzeugend von merkwürdigen Dingen.

Japan 1891: Ein Arzt und ein Medizinstudent sind in spezieller Mission in der südwestlichen Präfektur Shimane unterwegs. Die beiden sollen Fälle von Fuchsbesessenheit aufspüren, von buchstäblicher Fuchsbefallenheit, die in diesem Gebiet jährlich in einer Art Epidemie beevorzugt bei Frauen auftreten. Ein Neurologie-Professor der Universität Tokyo hat das ungleiche Forscherpaar auf die Reise geschickt. Dr. Shimamura, der eigentlich "über paralytische Beriberi und erbliche Schwermut" gearbeitet hat und nun durch die Lande zieht, kann zunächst nur das Übliche bei den Patientinnen diagnostizieren: Trunksucht, Kretinismus, Ovarialabszess mit Durchbruch ins Rektum. Möglich, dass die Geschichte mit den Füchsen nur eine Folklore-Erscheinung ist, möglich auch, dass der Professor die Expedition überhaupt nur als Scherz gedacht hat. Doch es dauert nicht lange, da begegnet Shimamura ihnen dann doch, den Füchsen in den Menschen ...



"Und dann kam der Fuchs.
Er schien sich, wenn er ruhte, unter Kiyos Leibwickeln aufzuhalten, denn dort arbeitete er sich nun hervor. Es war ein kleiner Fuchs, zwei bis drei Handbreit lang, je nachdem, ob er sich streckte oder ballte, denn in seinem beengten Lebensraum direkt unter Kiyos zarter weißer Haut bewegte er sich fast wie eine Raupe. Kiyo folgte ihm mit dem Finger: über den Bauch langsam hinauf in den Thorax, in die rechte, in die linke Achsel und dann vehement in den linken Oberarm hinein, wo er sich bis fast zum Ellenbogen drängte, bis dieser überstreckte und noch mehr und noch immer mehr überstreckte. Shimamura meinte es knirschen zu hören. Er stand wie ein Stein. Kiyo hechelte. Sie schien große Schmerzen zu leiden, der Schweiß trat ihr auf die Stirn und Tränen in die Augen, doch kein weiterer Schrei entkam ihr. Immer noch ein Blick des Vorwurfs: Für Sie ertrage ich das, Herr Doktor, nur für Sie."
aus: Christine Wunnicke, "Der Fuchs und Dr. Shimamura", Berenberg Verlag 2015

Tatsachen , Erklärungen, Verkleidungen
Aber wie ist das alles eigentlich zu verstehen? Metaphorisch oder direkt? Tobt da vielleicht gar kein Fuchs im Mädchen, ist der Fuchs einfach "die Mädchenseele", wie der Student an der Seite des Doktors einmal sagt?
- source : www.br.de/radio/bayern2


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source :　so-shiro.cocolog-nifty.com/photos/ishi


- - - - - reference - - - - -

yokai database
- source : www.nichibun.ac.jp -

Manga Nihon Mukashibanashi
- source : nihon.syoukoukai.com

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. yome-iri, yomeiri 　嫁入り人形　 bridal dolls, wedding dolls .
and the legend of
nezumi no yome-iri ねずみの嫁入り wedding of the mice


. WKD - kigo for summer .
spell of sunshine during a rain (kitsune no yome-iri　狐の嫁入り）
literally: The Fox is taking his bride home. A fox-wedding party)




. Inari　稲荷　the "Fox Deity", "Fox God" .


. kitsune 狐 fox legends - Introduction .

. minwa 民話　folktales / densetsu 伝説　Japanese Legends . .
- Introduction -

- - - #kitsuneyomeiri #foxbride - - - - -
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. Regional Folk Toys from Japan .

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