Kitsune is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Kitsune are believed to possess superior intelligence, long life, and magical powers. There are two common classifications of kitsune. The zenko (善狐 literally good foxes) are benevolent, celestial foxes and the yako (野狐 literally field foxes, also called nogitsune) tend to be mischievous or even malicious. Physically, kitsune are noted for having as many as nine tails.Generally, a greater number of tails indicates an older and more powerful fox; in fact, some folktales say that a fox will only grow additional tails after it has lived 100 years.
You may now be wondering why I associate myself with such a creature. My powers tie to kami, the spirits that dwell in many things. In my early training I met minor kami but it was in Japan I crossed paths with a major kami - a zenko who protected a Japanese shrine and granted insight to those who sought it out. It was hard not to be humbled and awed by such a creature and I found myself having a great deal of respect for it.
I want to be associated with the good traits associated with the kitsune. I want to do good deeds and grant knowledge, peace and protection to those I meet. Kitsune are not the only spirits I can see but they are the type that most profoundly shaped who I am as a person, it was through meeting that zenko and it's leading me to a certain bookstore next to a cat cafe that I started to truly understand my powers.
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