Japan's killing stone

https://soranews24.com/2022/03/08/ja...ed-fox-spirit/

Spirits are lurking everywhere in Japan, hiding in forbidden forests, mysterious islands…and a stone on a slope in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.

This isn’t the only stone in Japan that’s believed to house a spirit, but what makes this one noteworthy is the fact that the spirit of a nine-tailed fox is said to be sealed inside it.

▼ Nine-tailed foxes have appeared in numerous artworks, including anime like Naruto, and this woodblock print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861).

This large stone, registered as a national scenic spot in 1957, has been a site of mystery for many years, acting as a tangible connection to the myth of the nine-tailed fox. According to this myth, the powerful fox turned into a beautiful woman named Tamamo-no-Mae, who attempted to kill Emperor Toba, the ruler of Japan from 1107 to 1123.

However, a sorcerer of the court discovered the woman’s true identity, prompting the fox to flee to Nasu, where it turned into a huge stone. Poison leaked from the stone, killing people and animals who passed by it, leading it to be known as the “Killing Stone”.


In modern society spirits are a non topic, but those of us who have knowledge and experience of such have a greater indepthness has to the significance of such events.