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May 1, 2024 · According to urban legend, these foxes are intelligent creatures possessing magical abilities, which increase with wisdom and age. Yōkai folklore says the kitsune have the ability to shapeshift into both men and women. The kitsune can be seen throughout Japanese culture, folklore and art.
Feb 5, 2022 · They’re portrayed as having a deep connection with their human companions and as manifestations of a major kami (Shinto spirt) in the Japanese story of creation. But this only hints at the enduring importance of the kitsune in Japan. So, if you want to find out more, read on for everything you need to know about kitsune in Japanese culture. 1.
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Feb 24, 2024 · Kitsune is Fox in Japanese. This word refers to a fox, both in the literal and mythological sense. It commonly denotes the actual animal but takes on a deeper cultural significance in Japanese folklore and culture. There are few animals as integral to Japanese culture as the fox.
- Momotarō
- The Grateful Crane
- The inch-High Samurai
- Kintarō
- Tarō Urashima and The Palace of The Dragon God
- Izanagi and Izanami
Momotaro is probably the most well-known Japanese folktale, believed to have originated during the Muromachi Period (1336-1573), and written down for the first time only in the Edo Period (1603-1868). This Japanese story has gone through several revisions, but the one people are most familiar with goes like this: An old woman comes across a giant p...
The Grateful Crane is another famous Japanese folktale. It is the legend of a struggling sailmaker (or farmer in other versions) who meets and marries a beautiful woman who tells him she can weave him a majestic sail that is sure to make him a lot of money. Her only request is that he doesn’t enter the room while she’s weaving it. He promises not t...
This is basically the Japanese version of Tom Thumb. The Inch-High Samurai was born after an old, childless couple prayed to the gods for a child. But, he was born only one sun (pronounced ‘soon’, a Japanese measurement equalling about 3cm or 1.2 inches) in height. And, so they named him Issun Bōshi, literally “one-sun boy”. His name is often trans...
Kintarō is literally and figuratively the “Golden Boy”, a famous Japanese folktale hero. Some versions of this legend say he was abandoned by his mother and raised by a mountain witch on Mount Ashigara (a real mountain in Japan), others say his mother raised him but living in the mountains made her look haphazard and she came to be called a mountai...
This is the Japanese folktale, telling a legend of a young fisherman who rescued a small turtle who was bullied by children, who he then released back into the sea. The tiny turtle turns out to be a princess from the sea, and her father, the Emperor of the Sea, wants to thank him. Tarō is given gills so he can breathe underwater and he is brought t...
While not many Japanese people are active practitioners of religion, Japan has a tonof gods. Izanagi and Izanami are part of the seventh generation of gods, and they created the island of Japan. The two siblings decide to have children together and they give birth to dozens of deities. The incestuous relationship ends when Izanami gives birth to Ka...
Oct 25, 2023 · The influence of Japanese color symbolism goes as far back as the seventh century when there was a heavy Chinese presence in Japan. The color meanings in Japan may not be the same as in China, but many of the colors have their origin in various Chinese beliefs, from Confucianism and Buddhism to Taoism.
- What Are Some of the Lucky Colors in Japan?The color that sits at the top of the list of lucky colors in Japan is blue. However, red is also a favorable color, along with white, purple, gree...
- What Does Red Mean in Japan?Red has many meanings in Japan, but it is a color that represents peace, strength, protection, power, and prosperity. Red is a strong spiritual col...
- What Is the Most Popular Color in Japan Today?Even though there are many significant colors that have important meanings in Japan, recent surveys taken in 2019 indicate that blue is one of the...
Jun 4, 2021 · Crane, koi fish, Japanese dragon, cat, phoenix, kitsune... Learn more about Japanese Animals and their meanings, whether they are legendary or real!
Apr 6, 2015 · Reading about their folklore is one unique way to do so. Folklore shows the country's view on things of the people through telling their stories, and the stories itself are interesting too. Here are 14 famous Japanese folklore summarized into 4 or more sentences! 1. Princess Kaguya (かぐや姫）.
