Yoko

◆ The legend

It's said that foxes grow in mystic power as they age, until their tails split and they become nine-tailed. Some are wild foxes that trick people; others serve Inari, guarding good harvests. White foxes in particular have long been seen as a lucky sign.

The most famous is the tale of Kuzunoha. A white fox whose life was saved repays the kindness by becoming a man's wife and bearing a child — until one day her true form is seen. She writes a poem on the paper screen — "If you miss me, come and find me in the forest of Shinoda" — and returns to the woods. That child, it's said, grew up to be the great onmyoji Abe no Seimei. Japan's foxes don't just trick people: they're loyal, and a little sentimental too.