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kitsunetsuki

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Also known as kitsune-tsuki, kitsune possession, fox possession

right|thumb|A depiction of a kitsunetsuki in the '''' by , also written , literally means "the state of being possessed by a fox". The victim is usually said to be a young woman, whom the fox enters beneath her fingernails or through her breasts. In some cases, the victims' facial expressions are said to change in such a way that they resemble those of a fox.

~8 min read

Encyclopedic overview

17 sections
Contents
  • Heian period
  • Early three foxes ritual
  • Hungry fox
  • Muromachi and Edo period
  • Persisting superstition
  • Izumo area
  • Ninko
  • Kitsune-mochi benefits and stigma
  • Exorcism
  • Self-induced possession
  • Clinical study and psychiatry
  • Familiar spirits
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Works cited
  • External links

right|thumb|A depiction of a kitsunetsuki in the '''' by , also written , literally means "the state of being possessed by a fox". The victim is usually said to be a young woman, whom the fox enters beneath her fingernails or through her breasts. In some cases, the victims' facial expressions are said to change in such a way that they resemble those of a fox.

Though foxes in folklore can possess a person of their own will, is often attributed to the malign intents of hereditary fox employers.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “kitsunetsuki” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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