/// sfumato

"It is said of Muad’Dib that once when he saw a weed trying to grow between two rocks, he moved one of the rocks. Later, when the weed was seen to be flourishing, he covered it with the remaining rock. ‘That was its fate’, he explained.
- The Commentaries"

Kitsune glowing with fox-fire gather near Edo. Print by Hiroshige.

Hoshi no tama （ほしのたま）

Depictions of kitsune or their possessed victims may feature round or onion-shaped white balls known as hoshi no tama (star balls). Tales describe these as glowing with kitsune-bi, or fox-fire.[38] Some stories identify them as magical jewels or pearls.[39] When not in human form or possessing a human, a kitsune keeps the ball in its mouth or carries it on its tail.[13] Jewels are a common symbol of Inari, and representations of sacred Inari foxes without them are rare.[40]

One belief is that when a kitsune changes shape, its hoshi no tama holds a portion of its magical power. Another tradition is that the pearl represents the kitsune’s soul; the kitsune will die if separated from it for long. Those who obtain the ball may be able to extract a promise from the kitsune to help them in exchange for its return.[41] For example, a 12th-century tale describes a man using a fox’s hoshi no tama to secure a favor:

“Confound you!” snapped the fox. “Give me back my ball!” The man ignored its pleas till finally it said tearfully, “All right, you’ve got the ball, but you don’t know how to keep it. It won’t be any good to you. For me, it’s a terrible loss. I tell you, if you don’t give it back, I’ll be your enemy forever. If you do give it back though, I’ll stick to you like a protector god.”

The fox later saves his life by leading him past a band of armed robbers.[42]

Posted:6 months ago

482 notes

  1. mocking-gale reblogged this from kkamisuwa
  2. apeculiarmind reblogged this from booklungs
  3. rigbyandfable reblogged this from magicfran
  4. andaja reblogged this from mintyr
  5. pumarecelosa reblogged this from bestiario
  6. kuboji reblogged this from rock-the-baby
  7. wolf-whisperer reblogged this from foxkitsunevulpes
  8. emc-japan reblogged this from supernormal
  9. tenome reblogged this from rhea137
  10. wakuwakukoaranokininaru reblogged this from supernormal
  11. okayaisoyakan reblogged this from supernormal
  12. mintyr reblogged this from charzblue
  13. lovelywrens reblogged this from supernormal
  14. supernormal reblogged this from charzblue
  15. charzblue reblogged this from subdub
  16. saraudon reblogged this from proto-jp
  17. loveloveanimals reblogged this from subdub
  18. space-aged reblogged this from magicfran
  19. halfpenny-eyes reblogged this from hicockalorum
  20. kelzone reblogged this from arubboth
  21. rollrobin reblogged this from arubboth
  22. motokooooooo reblogged this from hustler4life
  23. rudeyatagarasu reblogged this from arubboth
  24. arubboth reblogged this from adriaugh
  25. adriaugh reblogged this from idol-hands
  26. idol-hands reblogged this from rhea137
  27. pikaichi-lion reblogged this from cocokashi-co
  28. ryethoughts reblogged this from hicockalorum
  29. rabbit-heart reblogged this from howatto-izu-disu
  30. monkeyinshoes reblogged this from hicockalorum
  31. sminthos reblogged this from hicockalorum

Vivid Theme by JoachimT