Mythology
Tamamo-no-Mae: The Nine-Tailed Fox to Nasu
Tamamo-no-Mae, the nine-tailed fox of Japanese legend, ends at the Sesshō-seki, the Killing Stone at Nasu, after a path through Yin Xu in China and Emperor Konoe's court in Kyoto.
The route follows the fox from Daji at the Shang court to the hunt on the Nasu plain, the poison stone and its scattered fragments. The legend names few exact places, so most pins are approximate.
Timeline & locations
What do the location labels mean?
- Exact
- The pin marks the actual place where it happened or was filmed.
- Approximate
- The right area — a town, park or district — but not a precise spot.
- Speculative
- A reasoned guess: sources disagree or the exact place is unknown.
The story begins in China. In the version told by Hokusai, the nine-tailed fox first appears there and possesses Daji, a concubine of King Zhou, the last ruler of the Shang dynasty. She enchants the king and brings on a reign of terror, and a rebellion ends the dynasty. Yin, in present-day Anyang, was the final Shang capital, so its ruins mark the legend's opening act. The tale does not name a spot; the pin marks Yinxu.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap36.12250, 114.31860Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The legend names only the Shang court, so the pin marks the Yin ruins at Anyang as its capital.
Sources
- Tamamo-no-Mae
- Locator:
- Legends
- Yin Xu
- Locator:
- Introduction
- Tamamo-no-Mae
In the otogizōshi, Tamamo-no-Mae is a courtesan under Emperor Konoe, who reigned from 1142 to 1155. Beautiful and able to answer any question, she is his favourite. Then the emperor falls gravely ill, and the astrologer Abe no Yasuchika exposes her as a fox spirit. The court sat in Heian-kyō (Kyoto) from 794, so the Heian Palace site stands for the setting.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap35.01361, 135.74222Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: The legend does not say where in the court the scenes happen; the pin marks the Heian Palace site in Kyoto.
Sources
- Tamamo-no-Mae
- Locator:
- Legends
- Heian Palace
- Locator:
- History
- Tamamo-no-Mae
Exposed, the fox flees to the plains of Nasu. The emperor sends Kazusa-no-suke and Miura-no-suke to kill her. At this shrine in Ōtawara, local tradition holds that she hid here before the punitive force finally brought her down. Centuries later the poet Bashō wrote in Oku no Hosomichi that he went to see the ancient grave of Tamamo-no-Mae at Nasu no Shinohara.
Not pinned on the mapVisitability not confirmedLocation precision: The legend gives no exact spot for the hunt; this shrine is one traditional location.
Sources
- Tamamo-no-Mae
- Locator:
- Legends
- 玉藻前
- Locator:
- 伝説の概要
- 玉藻稲荷神社
- Locator:
- 概要
- Tamamo-no-Mae
Her body becomes the Sesshō-seki, the Killing Stone, in the volcanic mountains of Nasu, where sulphurous hot springs are famous. The stone released poison gas and killed everything that touched it, until the monk Gennō Shinshō exorcised the repentant fox spirit and held a memorial service. On 5 March 2022 the stone split in two, most likely from natural weathering. Visit the site, but gas emissions can close it.
Visitor guidance: The area is a tourist park, closed on days when volcanic gas emissions are high.
Sources
- Tamamo-no-Mae
- Locator:
- Legends
- Sessho-seki
- Locator:
- Legend; Split
- 殺生石
- Locator:
- 概要; 各地の殺生石
- Tamamo-no-Mae
Tradition says fragments of the Killing Stone flew to other places, and the legend did not end at Nasu. At Isasumi Shrine in Aizu, a sub-shrine to the Killing Stone was reestablished in 1841 to calm the stone's curse. The shared legend later linked two towns: Aizu-Misato and Nasu have been in exchange since 2008, and signed a friendship agreement in 2015.
Open area inGoogle MapsApple MapsOrganic MapsOpenStreetMap37.45678, 139.84068Visitability not confirmedLocation precision: Tradition links this shrine to a fragment; it is not a proven part of the stone.
