Kuzunoha
Kitsune mother of onmyōji Abe no Seimei in Japanese legend.
Kuzunoha (葛の葉, Kuzunoha), also known as Kuzu-no-Ha, is a well-known kitsune figure from Japanese folklore. Her name translates to "leaf of arrowroot." She is most famous as the mother of the celebrated onmyōji, Abe no Seimei.
According to legend, the young nobleman Abe no Yasuna was traveling to a shrine in Shinoda, in Settsu Province, when he came across a military commissioner hunting foxes to use their livers for medicine. Yasuna fought the hunter, was wounded in the process, and freed a white fox that had been caught. Later, a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha appeared and helped Yasuna return home. She was actually the fox he had saved, having taken human form to care for his injuries. They fell in love and married, and she gave birth to a son, Seimei (whose childhood name was Dōji), who was exceptionally clever. Kuzunoha realized that her son had inherited some of her supernatural abilities.
Years later, while Kuzunoha was looking at chrysanthemums, her son caught a glimpse of the tip of her tail. With her true nature exposed, she prepared to go back to the wild. Before leaving, she wrote a farewell poem, asking her husband to come find her in Shinoda Forest. Yasuna and their son searched for her, and eventually she appeared to them in the form of a fox. She revealed that she was the kami, or spirit, of Shinoda Shrine, and gave Seimei the ability to understand the language of animals.
Kuzunoha also appears in kabuki and bunraku plays based on her story, most notably the five-part work *Ashiya Dōman Ōuchi Kagami* (A Courtly Mirror of Ashiya Dōman). The fourth part, titled *Kuzunoha* or *The White Fox of Shinoda*, is often performed on its own. This version adds minor changes, such as Kuzunoha impersonating a princess, and her departure being triggered not by her son seeing her tail, but by the real princess suddenly appearing.
In the Izumi region, there is a Kuzunoha Inari shrine, said to stand on the spot where Kuzunoha left her farewell poem on a silk screen. The poem itself is well known: "Koishiku ba / tazunekite miyo / izumi naru / shinoda no mori no / urami kuzunoha." Folklorist Kiyoshi Nozaki translated it as: "If you love me, darling, come and see me.
- Name
- Kuzunoha
- Also known as
- Kuzu-no-Ha
- Field
- Japanese folklore
- Known for
- Mother of Abe no Seimei; white fox spirit; subject of kabuki and bunraku plays
- Associated shrine
- Kuzunoha Inari shrine in Izumi
Lore & Background
According to legend, Kuzunoha was a white fox saved by the young nobleman Abe no Yasuna from a military commissioner who hunted foxes for their livers. Yasuna sustained wounds in the rescue, and later a beautiful woman named Kuzunoha helped him return home. She was the fox he saved, having adopted human form to tend to his wounds. They fell in love and married, and she bore him a son, Seimei (childhood name Dōji), who proved prodigiously clever. Kuzunoha realized that her son had inherited part of her supernatural power.
Several years later, while Kuzunoha was viewing chrysanthemums, her son caught sight of the tip of her tail. Her true nature revealed, she prepared to return to her life in the wild. She left behind a farewell poem asking her husband to come see her in Shinoda Forest. Yasuna and his son searched for her, and she eventually appeared to them as a fox. Revealing that she was the kami, or spirit, of Shinoda Shrine, she gave her son Seimei a gift: the ability to understand the language of animals.
Reader's Guide
Kuzunoha is a central figure in Japanese folklore, embodying the motif of the grateful fox spirit who marries a human. Her story explains the supernatural origins of Abe no Seimei, one of Japan's most legendary onmyōji. The tale has been adapted into kabuki and bunraku plays, notably the five-part Ashiya Dōman Ōuchi Kagami, whose fourth part, Kuzunoha or The White Fox of Shinoda, is frequently performed independently. These adaptations add minor variations, such as the idea that Kuzunoha imitates a princess and is forced to depart not because Seimei glimpsed her tail but because the real woman unexpectedly appears.
Her legacy is also preserved in place names and shrines. In Izumi there is a Kuzunoha Inari shrine, said to be built upon the place where she departed, leaving her farewell poem on a silk screen. The poem itself has become famous, and a pond in the area, remembered in connection with the legend, has been designated a historic site by the city. Kuzunoha remains a lasting symbol of the intersection between the human and spirit worlds in Japanese tradition.
Did You Know?
- Kuzunoha's name means 'leaf of arrowroot'.
- She is the mother of Abe no Seimei, the famous onmyōji.
- Her farewell poem is preserved at a shrine in Izumi said to be built upon the place of her departure.
- In some play versions, she is forced to depart because the real princess she imitated unexpectedly appears.
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