The Magic Fox of the Three Countries

(Sangoku y ôko zue, 三国妖狐図会)

1849-1850

According to Japanese legend, foxes are evil creatures with long lives. Their magical powers increase, as they grow older. When 1,000 years old, they become either white or golden in color and have nine tails. This series of prints illustrates some of the legends about foxes and their magical powers. The prints in this series are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Country: China (Morokoshi, 中華) Scene: The revived Dakki [of China] appears by magic in the hall of the post station Publisher: Ise-ya Chûsuke Robinson: S66.1
	Country: India (Tenjiku, 天竺) Scene: The marvelous strength of Prince Hansoku, king of southern India Publisher: Ise-ya Chûsuke Robinson: S66.2
	Country: India (天竺) Title: Lady Kayo shoots an arrow into the eye of Princess Sai to console King Hansoku (Tenjiku, Kayo fujin Sai-ki ga manako o ite Hanzoku-o nagusamu, 華陽夫人采姫が眼を射て班足王なぐさむ) Publisher: Ise-ya Chûsuke Robinson: S66.3 NOTE: Note the European hat and Louis XIV style wig
	Country: India Scene: Lady Kwayô-fujin resumes her true form as a fox as King Hansoku watches helplessly Publisher: Echizen-ya Hachiemon Robinson: S66.4
	Country: Japan Scene: Dôsei and his wife find the baby Tamaro-no-maye (the fox’s Japanese incarnation) on the riverbank Publisher: Echizen-ya Hachiemon Robinson: S66.5
	Country: Japan Scene: Genô Ikkatsu [of Japan] destroys the spirit of the wicked fox Publisher: Echizen-ya Hachiemon Robinson: S66.6

“Robinson” refers to listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its privately published supplement.

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