watercolor 10/2019
In Japanese folklore, all foxes (Kitsune) exhibit some level of magical ability including shapeshifting into people, other creatures, and inanimate objects. These powers increase with age and wisdom. There are thirteen different kinds of Kitsune, each with a corresponding element. I named this silver fox “Seishin” or spirit element.
watercolor 10/2019
The mythical Japanese fox is Kitsune. I always think Kitsune when I paint a fox. There are so many stories surrounding Kitsune who is immortal, magical, and a shapeshifter. No ordinary fox for sure and deeply entrenched in Japanese lore. When a kitsune shapeshifts into the form of a tree, a human or a second moon you might still discover him because of his ‘hoshi no tama’ which he must keep with him at all times. His hoshi no tama is a glowing ball or an iridescent gem which contains his soul. He must keep it with him because without it he will grow powerless and die. In human form, Kitsunes usually wear their hoshi no tamas as amulets, but in fox form, they carry the magical balls in their mouths or fasten them to their tails.
watercolor 6/2017
In Japanese mythology, a fox who lives long enough and gains a great deal of knowledge will reach an enlightened state, the Eastern sense of the ‘fox spirit’.
I was exploring the spirit of the fox via google and discovered this song in which fox is presented as a kitsune or fox who is trying to reach heaven in the form of a shooting star.
“To you my beloved to the land that lies beyond. Soaring through the heavens, she is moved to tears. I will fly out, I will dance in the night sky at the moment when this body disappears.”
So that’s what a shooting star is……. the Celestial Fox flying through the night sky.
