Kuda-gitsune

nihongo|Kuda-gitsune or Kanko|管狐, "pipe fox" is a creature supposedly employed by Japanese "kitsune-tsukai", those who use foxes as spirit familiars. Its use is described in various books, as follows:

In the nihongo|Sōzan Chomon Kishū|想山著聞奇集 the "kuda-gitsune" is described as a rat-sized fox which can be kept in a pipe.

According to the nihongo|Zen'an Zuihitsu|善庵随筆 the "kanko" is a fox the size of a weasel or rat, with vertical eyes and thin hair. The magic-user summons the "kanko" to appear inside a bamboo pipe which he is holding, whereupon the fox will answer all the questions it is asked. The origin of this practice is traced back to a "yamabushi" who obtained this art while undergoing strict asceticism on Mount Kinpu. These "Kanko" are said to be numerous in the northern mountains of Suruga, Tōtōmi, and Mikawa Provinces.

Researcher Inoue Enryō in his nihongo|Yōkaigaku Kōgi|妖怪學講義, quotes a newspaper article regarding the "kanko", in which it is a tiny, mouse-sized creature which hails from Shinano Province. It is named for its tail, which is like a pipe cut in half. It can be tamed and kept in a pocket or sleeve, and uses its supernatural power to seek out assorted information which it then whispers to its master. A person who keeps it is thus able to see into both the past and future.

Popular culture

* In the handheld game "Digimon Accelerator Ultimate Genome" and Digimon Data Squad there is a "kuda-gitsune" Digimon called Kudamon.
* In "Digimon Tamers", the fox-like Sakuyamon summons multiple "kuda-gitsune" to attack her enemies
* In the manga/anime series "xxxHolic", Yuuko Ichihara receives a "kuda-gitsune" from the rain-spirit as payment for a favor.
* In the game Okami, "tube fox" monsters are used as the henchmen of the Nine-tails boss.

References

cite journal
last = de Visser
first = M. W.
title = The Fox and the Badger in Japanese Folklore
journal = Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan
volume = 36
issue = 3
pages = pp. 122–124
publisher = Z. P. Maruya & Co.
date = 1908