The fox is seen all throughout East Asian folklore, specifically the nine-tailed fox. Korea has stories of the gumiho, Japan the kitsune, and China the huli jing. Although they bear different names, all of the stories share a similar backbone. The character of the fox is seen in all categories of folklore culture. It is shared verbally through the writings and folktales, materially in artwork and statues, as well as customary rituals at temples and shrines (Sims and Stephens).
In Korea, the gumiho is predominantly portrayed as a female and almost always evil. In the traditional stories, a fox transforms into a human to seduce and devour the energy from men in order to achieve immortality. The energy that the gumiho obtains is stored in a jewel and it can also be a source of wisdom and power. In the Korean tales, the way the gumiho gets the energy is by eating their victim's livers. In other stories, it is also said that they eat the heart instead of the liver (Balmain).
The kitsune of Japan is also viewed most frequently as an evil female whose white color signifies great wisdom and an age of over 1000 years. Stories of fox possession are quite common. It is believed that a fox has magic powers that allow them to shapeshift into human form at will and haunt and bewitch humans. This possession can cause hysteria in a single person or whole families and can even be passed through generations (Goff).
As pointed out in “Tradition, Genuine or Spurious,” cultures change ceaselessly and traditions must change with them (Handler). During the Meiji period through medical advancements, fox possession was classified as a mental illness. In 1905 it was made punishable by law for shamans to attempt an exorcism (Balmain).
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During the modern period in Japan as a currency economy emerged, accusations of fox possession caused discrimination. At a time when it was believed that the gods favored the meek, those who were doing well financially were shunned from villages with accusations of fox possession (Miyamoto). Although it is seen as evil, the fox holds more of a dual image of both good and evil. That is why prosperity caused accusations as well. The fox is also believed to be a messenger of the goddess of rice and prosperity, Inari, and is seen as a symbol of fertility and bearer of good fortune (Goff).
Because of this belief, you can go to one of the 30,000 Inari shrines in Japan and find fox statues. Millions of Japanese even make a point of visiting the shrines around New Years to pray for prosperity (Goff).
Lastly, we have the huli jing of China which some scholars believe is the origin of the fox folklore in East Asia. For the transformation of the fox, they believe that at 50 years old they can transform into a woman, 100 years they become a beautiful woman or shaman, and at 1000 years they become heavenly foxes. Although it is often referred to as the nine-tailed fox, they can actually have from one to 1000 tails. The number of tails also represents their age and status (Balmain).
As a subgenre of the femme fatale that is common in Chinese literature, the female fox achieves her immortality and wisdom by absorbing energy from sexual partners. There is an emphasis on the belief of yin and yang energy that is prevalent in Chinese culture and attributed to Taoism. Because of that, the huli jing is careful not to suck too much of the life force from its victims because of the belief that it is yang and could erode their yin. The energy is stored in a marble or ball, similar to the gumiho, and can be used for both good and evil (Balmain).
As a subgenre of the femme fatale that is common in Chinese literature, the female fox achieves her immortality and wisdom by absorbing energy from sexual partners. There is an emphasis on the belief of yin and yang energy that is prevalent in Chinese culture and attributed to Taoism. Because of that, the huli jing is careful not to suck too much of the life force from its victims because of the belief that it is yang and could erode their yin. The energy is stored in a marble or ball, similar to the gumiho, and can be used for both good and evil (Balmain).
These stories may have been representative of the anxieties over the sexual roles of women at the time as well as the “anxiety at times of political upheaval, foreign incursions, and the blurring of gender boundaries” (Balmain). Scholars also believe that the similarities found between the three countries are most likely due to cultural proximity.
The traditional image of the nine-tailed fox is more prominent in Chinese cinema and media. In South Korean and Japanese media they have tamed the image of the fox into a more friendly character. You can see examples of this in the popular Korean dramas My Roommate is a Gumiho and The Tale of Nine Tails.
