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Osaki

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeOsaki (disambiguation).
"Osaki-gitsune" ( đuôi kỳ hồ ) from theKyōka Hyaku Monogatariby Masasumi Ryūkansaijin. The faces of osaki peek out from the bosom and the left sleeve of the man holding the balance.

Osakiis a type ofspirit possessionby a fox told about in legends of Japan. They are also calledosaki-gitsune.They can also alternatively be writtenĐuôi trước.Other ways of writing them include đuôi nứt, ngự trước hồ, đuôi kỳ hồ, among others.[1]

Concept[edit]

They are in the folk beliefs of certain mountain villages of theKantō regionas well as other areas such as theSaitama Prefecture,theOkutamaregion ofTokyo Metropolis,theGunma Prefecture,theTochigi Prefecture,theIbaraki Prefecture,theNagano Prefecture,among other regions.[2][3]There are no legends of this in Tokyo other than in Tama, and this said to be because osaki are unable to cross the Toda river (a part ofWarabi-shuku) or because in Kantō Hasshū (eight Edo provinces of Kantō), there was the head of the foxes, theŌji Inari Jinja,preventing the osaki from entering Edo.[4]

There is also a legend of an osaki that was originally anine-tailed fox,Tamamo-no-mae,who perished at Nasu field (a field nearNasu), its golden fur flying off in the process, and became a spirit, after which the nine-tailed fox transformed into asessho-seki(killing stone), and when the monkGennō Shinshōcame to calm this curse by splitting this stone, one of its fragments flew toKōzuke Province(now Gunma Prefecture) and became an osaki.[5]Its name is said to come from how it was born from one of the nine-tailed fox's tails, so it was called "osaki" ( đuôi trước, "tail-front" ),[4]and according to theToen Shōsetsu( thố viên tiểu thuyết ) byKyokutei Bakinand others, the tail split into two, which is why it is "osaki" ( đuôi nứt, "tail-split" ),[2]and there is also the theory that its name comes frommisaki,meaning kin of gods.[4]

Depending on the land and on the literature telling about them, the osaki's appearance can be completely different. In theKyokutei Zakkiby Kyokutei Bakin, it was a beast smaller than a fox and resembled apolecat,[1]and aroundNanmoku,Kanra District,Gunma Prefecture, it was something like a mixture between polecat and mouse or betweenural owland mouse and said to be a big larger than ahouse mouse,and its color has been variously described to be spotted with mixtures of orange, brown, grey, and so on, and it is also sometimes said to have a solid black line from its head to its tail and with a split tail,[2]and inShimonitaof the same district, there are various theories talked about such as how they have human-like ears and a nose that is white just at its tip, how they have a square mouth, and so on.[3]They are said to be quick at movement so they can appear suddenly, and always move in a pack.[6]

Having Osaki[edit]

Families that have osaki are called "osaki-mochi" (osaki havers), "osaki-ya" (osaki proprietors),[4]"osaki-tsukai" (osaki users),[3]and so on. They never show themselves and are said to bring gold and silver, rice, and other things on a whim. Osaki-mochi are said to avoid contact with society and marriage with others and only marry among each other. This is said to be because if someone from an osaki family marries another, the other family also becomes osaki-mochi, and this has often been one cause of societal tensions concerning marriages.[2]According to the Edo PeriodBaiō Zuihitsu( mai ông tuỳ bút ), if an osaki has possessed a family line, there is no way to rid it from the family no matter what means one attempts to use.[2]

There are some cases when they would not possess a family but instead an individual, and the one possessed would, like in the case of thekitsunetsuki,catch a fever, experience agitation and mental abnormalities, be voracious eaters, and generally have eccentricities.[3]Also, inUeno,Tano District,Gunma Prefecture,stoatsare called "yama-osaki" ( "mountain osaki" ) and they often follow people behind them, but it is said that mistreating them would result in a curse.[4]In another town in the Gunma Prefecture, "osaki," "yama-osaki," and "sato-osaki" ( "town osaki" ) are considered different things, and it is said that the yama-osaki does not possess people but the sato-osaki does.[7]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^abThế gian 1994,p. 116
  2. ^abcdeThạch trủng 1959,pp. 24–28
  3. ^abcdCát điền 1972,pp. 29–40
  4. ^abcdeCốc xuyên biên 1990,pp. 33–47
  5. ^Nhiều điền 2008,p. 298
  6. ^Nhiều điền khắc kỷ(1990).Ảo tưởng thế giới の trụ người たち.Truth In Fantasy.Vol. IV.Kỷ nguyên mới xã.p. 289.ISBN978-4-915146-44-2.
  7. ^Cốc xuyên biên 1990,p. 136.

References[edit]

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