397 ~ Kuzunoha Hime Daimyoujin (Legend)

 

Japanese Name: 葛ノ葉姫大明神
Romanized Reading: Kuzunoha Hime Daimyoujin
English Translation: Kudzu Leaf Princess Great Radiant Deity
Size: Small side shrine of Kobogataki within Fushimi Inari Taisha
Deity: Kuzunoha Hime
Fox Count: 2
First Visit: 25-Dec-2018
Location: Kyoto-Fushimi
Address: 27 Fukakusa Sasayamachō, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0811
Coordinates: 34.9655, 135.7810

The 37th vulpine side shrine of Fushimi Inari Taisha, the 30th within the Kobogataki supercluster, and the sixth in the latter's eastern area. As usual, this one also features a pair of life-sized stone foxes, with the left one holding a scroll, and the right one an orb.

This one is special because it is a direct reference to the legendary figure of Kuzunoha Hime, a Byakko who fell in love with a noblemanby the name of Abe-no-Yasuna (Or Yasuna Abe (安倍保名 Twice Cheap Protected Name)) after he set her free from a trap. Kuzunoha then took human form to tend to his wounds, and he fell in love with her. They married and had a son, but all the while, Kuzunoha hid her true identity.

However, one day her son caught sight of the tip of her tail. Her true nature revealed, Kuzunoha returned to the wild, leaving a farewell poem behind. Her husband and son go search for her, and she appears to them in her true form. She then gives her son a gift, allowing him to understand the language of animals. Her son was no other than Abe-no-Seimei (安倍 晴明 "Twice Cheap Clear Light"), who would grow up to become a great Onmyouji.

You can read the full story on Wikipedia.