Hitogitsune

Hitogitsune or ninko (人狐) is a type of spirit possession told about in legends of the Chūgoku region of western Japan.

Concept

They are said to be the spirit of a Japanese marten-like animal, and it is said that those possessed by one would be afflicted with stomach aches and mental abnormalities.[1] In some areas, it is said that a "mizu-itachi" (water weasel) within ponds are hitogitsune. Though it has "itachi" in its name, they are said to be much smaller than real weasels and stay in a large willow of the pond, and several of them would all make a bustle at once.[2]

In the Shimane Prefecture, hitogitsune are considered to be smaller than a normal fox. Hitogitsune would enter people's bodies and make them ill, and when that person dies, they would bite a hole in that person's belly or back to go outside; it is said that the dead one's body would have a black hole in it somewhere.[3]

Families possessed by a hitogitsune are called "hitogitsune-mochi" (those that have hitogitsune) and it is said that those that are hated by this family would get possessed by one of their hitogitsune. It is said that those possessed by a hitogitsune become pretty much the hitogitsune itself, and through the hitogitsune, they would talk about various things with families that have hitogitsune, walk on all fours like a fox, and like to eat food that foxes like to eat.[4]

When someone from a family that has hitogitsune marries, 75 hitogitsune would attack the other family,[5] so families that had hitogitsune tended to be treated coldly and marriages with them tended to be avoided.[6] Also, families that have hitogitsune would grow wealthy as a result of the hitogitsune carrying back riches, but if someone of the family mistreats the hitogitsune, the fortunes of the family, no matter how rich they were, would immediately decline.[5] Furthermore, it is said that anyone who buys the assets of a family that falls to ruin like this would also be attacked by hitogitsune.[5] No matter how presgegious the family, if they ever even get rumored to have hitogitsune, other people would distance themselves from them, leading them to hardship.[7]

"Kudagitsune" from the Shōzan Chomon Kishū by Miyoshi Shōzan

In the Tottori Prefecture, families possessed by a fox are called "kitsune-zoru,"[8] and the foxes that possess such families are called "hitogitsune."[9] It is said that around such a family, 75 kin of the fox would be playing around, and that its true identity was a male weasel.[9] Also, in the Miyagi Prefecture, kuda-gitsune are also called hito-gitsune.[10]

Notes
  1. 北原保雄他編, ed. (2001). "人狐". 日本国語大辞典. 第11巻 (第2版 ed.). 小学館. pp. 372頁. ISBN 978-4-09-521011-7.
  2. 朝山晧. "憑いた話". 怪異・妖怪伝承データベース. 国際日本文化研究センター. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
  3. 千代延春楊 (July 1922). "山陰西部地方の憑物雑話". 民族と歴史. 第8巻 (第1号): 263頁.
  4. 著者不詳. "山陰西部地方の狐持に関する報告". 民族と歴史. 第8巻 (第1号): 248頁.
  5. 清水兵三 (May 1914). "出雲より". 郷土研究. 第2巻 (第3号): 44–45頁.
  6. 禀二生 (Sep 1914). "雲州人狐状". 郷土研究. 第2巻 (第7号): 38–42頁.
  7. 桜田勝徳 (May 1934). "仲間はづし". ドルメン. 第3巻 (第5号（5月号）): 58頁.
  8. 日野巌・日野綏彦 (2006). "日本妖怪変化語彙". In 村上健司校訂 (ed.). 動物妖怪譚. 中公文庫. 下. 中央公論新社. pp. 256頁. ISBN 978-4-12-204792-1.
  9. 喜田貞吉編 (248–249頁). 山田野理夫補編 (ed.). 憑物. 宝文館出版. pp. 248–249頁. ISBN 978-4-8320-1332-2.
  10. 茂木徳郎 (1978). "妖怪変化・幽霊：事例篇". In 渡辺波光・岩間初郎編 (ed.). 宮城県史. 21. 宮城県史刊行会. pp. 543頁.
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