The Magic Fox of the Three Countries

(Sangoku y ôko zue)

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 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 Scene: The marvelous strength of Prince Hansoku, king of southern India Publisher: Ise-ya Chûsuke Robinson: S66.2
	Country: India Scene: Lady Kayô-fujin [of India] shoots Saiki in the eye for King Hanzoku's amusement. Note the European hat and Louis XIV style wig. Publisher: Ise-ya Chûsuke Robinson: S66.3
	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
No image available	Country: Japan Scene: Dôsei and his wife find the baby Tamaro-no-maye (the fox’s Japanese incarnation) on thee riverbank. Publisher: 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listing in Kuniyoshi: The Warrior-Prints by Basil William Robinson (Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY, 1982) and its unpublished supplement.

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