The Nine-Tail Fox — from Mythology to Contemporary Pop Culture in China, Japan, and South Korea

This work briefly examines the image of the fox spirits and the nine tail foxes in the context of the three ancient cultures – China, Japan, and Korea. The myths and legends about the fox spirits and the nine-tail fox originate in ancient China and are first mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. From there, the stories involving this image travel to Japan, Korea and other Asian countries, as well. In all three cultures the fox spirits – “hulijing” in Chinese, “kitsune” in Japanese, and “gumiho” in Korean, share a lot of similarities along with some differences. The image of the fox and the nine-tail fox remains popular throughout the ages. Nowa days, it still excites people’s imagination, not only in the Asian countries but in the whole world, as it is evident in the numerous examples of the usage of the image in the contemporary pop culture.