Hito-gitsune orninko (人狐) is a type ofspirit possession told about in legends of theChūgoku region of western Japan.
They are said to be the spirit of aJapanese marten-like animal, and it is said that those possessed by one would be afflicted with stomach aches and mental abnormalities.[1] In some areas, it is said that amizu-itachi (水鼬, water weasel) within ponds arehito-gitsune. Though it hasitachi (weasel) in its name, they are said to be much smaller than real weasels and stay in a largewillow of the pond, and several of them would all make a bustle at once.[2]
InShimane Prefecture,hito-gitsune are considered to be smaller than a normal fox. Hito-gitsune would enter people's bodies and make them ill, and when that person dies, they would bite a hole in that person's belly or back to emerge. It is said that the corpse would have a black hole in it somewhere.[3]
Families possessed by ahito-gitsune are calledhito-gitsune-mochi (人狐持ち, lit. "those that havehito-gitsune"), and it is said that those that are hated by this family would get possessed by one of theirhito-gitsune. It is said that those possessed by ahito-gitsune would become thehito-gitsune itself, and through thehito-gitsune, they would talk about various things with families that havehito-gitsune, walk on all fours like a fox, and like to eat food that foxes like to eat.[4]
When someone from a family that hashito-gitsune marries, 75hito-gitsune would attack the other family,[5] so families that hadhito-gitsune tended to be treated coldly and marriages with them tended to be avoided.[6] Also, families that havehito-gitsune would grow wealthy as a result of thehito-gitsune carrying back riches, but if someone of the family mistreats thehito-gitsune, the fortunes of the family, no matter how rich they were, would immediately decline.[5] Furthermore, it is said that anyone who buys the assets of a family that falls to ruin like this would also be attacked byhito-gitsune.[5] No matter how prestigious the family, if they ever even get rumored to havehito-gitsune, other people would distance themselves from them, leading them to hardship.[7]
InTottori Prefecture, families possessed by a fox are calledkitsune-zoru,[8] and the foxes that possess such families are calledhito-gitsune.[9] It is said that around such a family, 75 kin of the fox would be playing around, and that its true identity was a male weasel.[9] Also, inMiyagi Prefecture,kuda-gitsune are also calledhito-gitsune.[10]
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