Today on Folktales for All Who Want It,
I bring you the Tale of the Fox and the Stubborn Man.
See if you can guess the ending.
First, some background you dummies need to know to enjoy the story.
The fox in this story is a kitsune (狐), which means fox in Japanese, but we’re not
talking about a normal fox, we’re talking about a supernatural fox.
Stories about foxes first emerged from China, then crossed into Korea, and swam across the
Narrow Sea to Japan.
Each country has a different version of the fox.
Kitsune like to play tricks on people.
Sometimes they’re harmless tricks, and sometimes they kill you.
Kitsune can be good, neutral, or evil, but always adorable.
Like me.
They can have multiple tails.
More tails means more power.
Each tail takes around 100 years to grow.
The most powerful kitsune have 9 tails.
Those creatures are probably 1000 years old or older.
Their powers allow them to shapeshift into all kinds of objects and people, but a fox
usually transforms into a fox, the kind of woman you wouldn’t bring home to your parents,
because she would seduce your dad,
and dad can’t be trusted, if the internet has taught me anything.
That’s right, they loveee to seduce humans.
Their shapeshifting isn’t perfect though.
Only the most powerful kitsune can stay in non-fox form for long.
Sometimes they mess up and their tails come peeking out from beneath their clothing.
It’s a problem I deal with too, but I don’t have a tail.
To shapeshift, a kitsune does a ritual where it puts a skull on its head, preferably a
human skull because nothing’s ever easy, bites on some bones, and dances.
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Alright, the Tale of the Fox and the Stubborn Man.
A man named Tokutaro (徳太郎) was drinking with his friends.
Like in most normal conversations, they started talking about kitsune.
His friends went on and on about how kitsune could easily trick men,
but Tokutaro didn’t buy it.
“Those men are fools.
Foxes don’t have such power over men.
I ain’t never falling for a fox’s tricks!”
“You know nothing, Tokutaro,” said a friend.
“I know of dozens of fellers tricked by foxes right there in the grassy field over yonder.”
But Tokutaro was stubborn, and he made a bet.
“Alright, if I go into the very same grassy field over yonder and I don’t get fooled,
then you lot have to buy me all the wine and food that I want.”
They agreed, and Tokutaro walked to the field.
As he neared the field, what do you know, he saw a fox dart into a bamboo grove.
He went on high alert, ready for any foxy shenanigans.
Out of nowhere, a young lady walked up non-suspiciously.
He recognized her as the mayor’s daughter from the next village.
“Hello,” she said, with an obvious tricky fox accent.
“Stranger-san, it’s getting late.
Can you escort me home?”
Tokutaro said, “Sure...dot-dot-dot.”
As they walked, his suspicions grew.
He walked behind her, looking at her hips and the bottom of her dress.
He wasn’t being a perv, today.
He was looking for signs of a tail, but didn’t see any.
When they finally reached her home, her parents came out and were ecstatic that she was safe.
It was getting late.
Tokutaro was still skeptical and pulled the parents aside.
“That is not your daughter.
I saw a fox dive into a bamboo grove and then she appeared immediately after.
It is not a coincidence.”
The couple got angry, but Tokutaro was so stubborn and sure of himself that they hesitated.
He told them to go hide behind the house.
He had a plan.
This will end happily for everyone.
Tokutaro went inside and held the daughter down.
She screamed, but he only laughed.
“You won’t outfox me!” He said.
He tied her up and beat her, telling her to revert to her true form.
She only cried and screamed louder.
Tokutaro then burned some firewood and set her ablaze.
To Tokutaro’s surprise, she died.
He said, “Huh.”
Her parents rushed into the room and saw the gruesome scene.
“It’s not what you think!” He said.
“Really??” They said.
“Well, okay, I did kinda-- but I thought-- it’s really hard to--”
“Murderer!” They yelled.
The couple tied up Tokutaro and sent a servant to inform the authorities.
At that moment, the priest of a nearby Buddhist temple happened to pass by
and greeted the old couple.
Seeing their distress, he asked what was wrong.
They told him the whole tragic story.
When the priest asked Tokutaro for his side of the story, Tokutaro insisted that he was
trying to help.
“I was trying to help,” he said.
He really did believe she was a wicked fox.
He asked the priest to save his life.
The priest thought about it, and agreed to help… if Tokutaro allowed the priest to
shave his head and make him a monk.
Tokutaro said, “ye.”
So the priest told the grieving parents,
“Killing Tokutaro won’t bring your daughter back.
He did it with a pure heart, not evil intent.
Let him repent and become my disciple.”
The parents agreed, but they wanted the priest to shave his head and make him a monk immediately.
And so the priest said a prayer and Tokutaro’s rope untied.
He kneeled as the priest shaved all of his hair, and he bowed to his new master.
But as he bowed...he heard laughter all around him.
He looked up...and everything had disappeared.
The priest, the couple, the house, everything was gone.
He was in the middle of a grassy field.
He walked back to his friends with his cue ball head and told them what happened.
They laughed and laughed.
So the stubborn Tokutaro did get tricked by foxes after all.
From then on, Tokutaro was no longer stubborn.
In fact, he kept his head bald and became a Buddhist monk for realsies.
Hey guys, for more yokai stories and folktales, click here.
Okay we have a new emperor this week, Dr Mahlek, he’s a doctor.
He’s here to fix ass and chew bubblegum, and he’s all outta ass.
Alright much love, guys, and spread the knowledge.