Story Behind The Kitsune Mask
Kitsune 狐
きつね
Kitsune, or Foxes are found almost everywhere in Japan. They are similar to wild foxes found elsewhere outside Japan apart from their mysterious magical powers. Their cute faces and tiny size makes them loved by most people around the world.
Kitsune are overly intelligent and strong shape-shifters. They often harass humans by shape-shifting into giants or other scary monsters. They do this to play a prank, and sometimes they do it with wicked intent. They are masters of shape-shifting, skilled enough to transform into the exact copy of the individual, they often transform into a beautiful woman so that they can trick young men and achieve their goals.
Some Kitsune even spend all of their lives in human form, adopting human names, traditions, customs, and even raising a family. When drunk or startled, a bit of their magic can fail - its true nature may appear by a tail, a fur or any particular feature.
Types of Kitsune
There are two types of Kitsune. Holy and Wild Kitsune - The former are guardians of the Shinto Deity Inari. That’s why the Inari Shrines are decorated with Kitsune statues. One legend tells of a Kitsune providing wisdom and service to good and pious humans, they act as messengers of the Gods and mediums between humans and mystics. The Latter are beings of mischief, whimsical and evil. There are numerous folklore that tells how some kitsune disguise themselves as humans and cause strange behaviors or unwanted acts of evil.
Legend says that most Kitsune punish wicked people by creating phantom sounds and sights and humiliate them in public. They may even cause fires and strange lights in the sky through their magic.
Kitsune Mask is one of the traditional Japanese masks used in festivals. One example is the Oji’s Fox Parade. According to old legends, before there was even a city where Tokyo now stands, Kitsune from all over Japan would gather under a large tree on New Year’s Eve. These kitsune disguised as humans then visited the Oji shrine dedicated to Inari.
Kitsune Mask on Fashion
On top of being used more often during festivals. The Kitsune masks are appealing, cute, and look funny, thus Japanese folklore and fashion have always gone hand-in-hand in the world of streetwear. This comes as no surprise, given the creative nature, eccentricity and ability to show one’s personality and cultural affinity through both mediums. And for that reason, a lot of people like to buy and wear kitsune masks for fun. But this is only one reason, there are several other reasons that make kitsune masks so popular in terms of fashion.
Are the Masks for Japanese only?
You may come across this question as to not offend other cultures when it comes to fashion. The answer is NO. There is no strict rule for wearing Kitsune masks. In Japan, they are worn during festivals and people who are not Japanese are allowed to wear such masks and attend the said festivals. These festivals are for fun, and the purpose of wearing the kitsune mask during these festivals is for fun. For these reasons, anyone can buy a kitsune mask and wear it for fun or for other purposes.
Where to buy the Kitsune Mask?
There are tons of places where you can buy the mask in Japan. But if you’re outside of Japan, you may find these Kitsune masks difficult to find or too expensive. However, when you visit our store, Irezumi Empire - you may find that these masks are inexpensive and come in different varieties, from kimonos to different types of kitsune masks such as, half and full face masks. All of our masks are well priced and made from premium quality resin, this is to ensure that our interested customers can afford and enjoy them.
