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In Japan, is a title which was given to ladies of the fifth rank in the imperial court or to midrank
noblewomen A noblewoman is a female member of the nobility. Noblewomen form a disparate group, which has evolved over time. Ennoblement of women has traditionally been a rare occurrence; the majority of noblewomen were linked to the nobility by either thei ...
. In ''
The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Fujiwara no Teishi, Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The wor ...
'', Lady Myōbu was also the name of a pet cat belonging to Empress Consort Sadako, whom the author
Sei Shōnagon , or , was a Japanese author, poet, and court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000, during the middle Heian period. She is the author of . Name Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom amon ...
served. The term ''myōbu'' is also used to describe the fox messengers of
Inari Ōkami , also called , is the Japanese ''kami'' of Red fox, foxes, Fertility (soil), fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture and Industrial sector, industry, and general prosperity and worldly success, and is one of the principal kami of Shinto. The nam ...
and the subshrines in which they are worshipped. Japanese
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
contains several stories that suggest explanations for the connection, mainly involving
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the ''kami'' Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrin ...
on Mount Inari near
Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
. On this mountain are a vast number of
shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...
, most of which are devoted to Inari, but some are also devoted to other deities, including a fox deity named Myōbu. Fushimi Inari-taisha itself contains a number smaller shrines dedicated to foxes, including the Byakko-sha ("white fox shrine") and the Myōbu-sha ("court lady shrine"). The fox messengers of Inari Ōkami are also called ''byakko'' (白狐).


History

The reason why ''myōbu'' are associated with Inari Ōkami is unknown, but there are many theories regarding the origin of ''myōbu'' as the messengers of Inari Ōkami. One common explanation is that foxes were originally associated with the older ''kami'' of rice fields,
Ta-no-Kami is a kami who is believed to observe the harvest of rice plants or to bring a good harvest, by Japanese farmers. ''Ta'' in Japanese means "rice fields". Ta-no-Kami is also called Noushin (kami of agriculture) or kami of peasants. Ta-no-Kami shar ...
. The association between foxes and Ta-no-Kami may have been caused by the appearance of the
red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe and Asia, plus ...
, as the fur of a red fox was said to have a similar color to that of ripe rice and their tails reminiscent of rice sheaths. Their behavior may have also influenced this association, as red foxes were known to wander rice paddies at dusk and night. Because foxes were said to be the messengers of Ta-no-Kami, it was only natural for foxes to be associated with the later Inari Ōkami. ''Myōbu'' may also have Buddhist origins, as Japanese images of Dakini-ten often depict women riding white foxes. In addition, the association between ''myōbu'' and Inari Ōkami may have been influenced by wordplays. Specifically, an older food deity called Miketsu-no-Kami may have been associated with foxes as the Japanese word for "fox", ''
kitsune The , in popular Japanese tradition, are foxes or fox spirits that possess supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, and capable of bewitching people. General overview , though literally a 'fox', becomes in folklore a ' fox spirit', o ...
'', is pronounced as ''ketsune'' in some dialects. As such, ''miketsu'' could have been understood as meaning "three foxes." Miketsu-no-Kami was eventually associated with Inari Ōkami, and, therefore, foxes also became the messengers of Inari Ōkami. There are many explanations for why the term ''myōbu'' was used to refer to the messenger foxes of Inari Ōkami. A 1969 document published by
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the ''kami'' Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrin ...
gave two explanations. First, in 1071
Emperor Go-Sanjō was the 71st emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 陽成天皇 (71)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. His given name was . Go-Sanjō's reign spanned the years from 1068 through 1073. This 11th centur ...
travelled to Fushimi Inari-taisha and bestowed the rank upon either a fox or a section of the shrine. Some retellings of this tale claim that Emperor Go-Sanjō gave this title to an old fox who lived in a shrine dedicated to a female deity, and as such, the feminine title of ''myōbu'' was given to the fox. The second explanation describes how in the 10th century, a noblewoman named
Shin no Myōbu Shin may refer to: Biology * The front part of the leg below the knee * Shinbone, the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates Names * Shin (given name) (Katakana: シン, Hiragana: しん), a Japanese giv ...
secluded herself in Fushimi Inari-taisha for seventy days. During her seclusion, one of the messenger foxes of Inari Ōkami, named Akomachi, aided in her protection and future success in becoming the consort of the Mikado, resulting in Shin no Myōbu gratefully bestowing the title upon the fox. Another legend states that a lady of the imperial court who followed the Inari faith would frequently make pilgrimages to Fushimi Inari-taisha. As she grew older she became unable to climb to the highest peak of Mount Inari, and so she asked a tamed fox to make the pilgrimage to the third peak for her, promising to bestow her title upon the fox if it did so. The fox made the pilgrimage every day, and so received her title. ''Myōbu'' is also used in a 17th-century chapter heading of the ''
Inari Daimyōjin Ryūki Inari may refer to: Shinto * Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit ** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari ** Inari shrine, dedicated to the Shinto god Inari * Inari-zushi, a type of sushi Places * Inari, ...
'' to refer to Inari Ōkami's fox messengers. ''Myōbu'' are still popular in modern Japan. ''Myōbu'' often act as mascots for Inari shrines, and as such, Inari shrines are often identified on maps by the image of a fox. The shrines themselves sell many ''myōbu-''themed goods and souvenirs, including figurines, coin purses, keychains, and ''
ema Ema or EMA may refer to: Biology and medicine * Anti-Endomysial Antibodies test * Epithelial membrane antigen * European Medicines Agency, a European Union agency for the evaluation of medicinal products * European Medical Association, associa ...
''. Some devotees of Inari Ōkami have even claimed to have seen or have been helped by ''myōbu.''


Characteristics

As the fox messengers of Inari Ōkami, ''myōbu'' are often depicted with white or light colored fur. However, the foxes are usually invisible. Statues of ''myōbu'' often come in pairs of a male and a female, with one holding a wish-fulfilling jewel and the other holding a key, scroll, bundle of rice, or a fox cub. The statues often wear red votive bibs (''yodarekake'') which are placed on the statues by worshipers. Some statues also wear necklaces of ''
magatama are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Jōmon period, Final Jōmon period through the Kofun period, approximately 1000 BCE to the 6th century CE. The beads, also described as jewels, were made of stone and e ...
''. They are known to like fried
tofu or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
(''oage''), and worshippers often offer meals of it to the statues. There are many explanations for why ''myōbu'' are believed to enjoy tofu. Some have offered that they are associated because both tofu and ''myōbu'' are usually white, while others have suggested that it was seen as a decent gift for a messenger of the gods because fried tofu used to be difficult to make.


Abilities

''Myōbu,'' and specifically statues and artistic images of them, have many abilities that are used to aid humans. For example, in the tale of the noblewoman
Shin no Myōbu Shin may refer to: Biology * The front part of the leg below the knee * Shinbone, the tibia, the larger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates Names * Shin (given name) (Katakana: シン, Hiragana: しん), a Japanese giv ...
, Akomachi, one of the messenger foxes of Inari Ōkami, protected the woman and granted her romantic success. The foxes are also said to cure or prevent illness. Fox-holes, which are placed a few feet above the ground, are often present in Inari shrines. These holes, which are usually circular and lead into the shrine, can be opened with a small sliding door. Tofu is placed in the hole as an offering to the ''myōbu'' in hopes that the foxes will cure or prevent a disease. Images and sculptures of m''yōbu'' are also said to have healing and wish-granting powers. If a devotee has a certain wish in mind, a pair of ''myōbu'' figurines can be purchased from shrines and taken home to be worshipped until the wish is fulfilled, in which case the statues are returned. If one wishes to enter a good marriage or career, a similar practice is performed in which three ''myōbu'' figurines are purchased and worshipped. Other ''myōbu''-themed objects, such as amulets that promote good marriages, bells, and small statues, can be purchased from shrines. Rubbing statues of ''myōbu'' is also said to heal illness. For example, if someone is suffering a leg illness, rubbing the leg of a ''myōbu'' statue is said to heal it. Even in contemporary Japan, some devotees still claim to have seen ''myōbu,'' with some stating that the foxes saved them from disaster or have helped in healing.


See also

*
Dakini A ḍākinī (; ; ; ; alternatively 荼枳尼, ; 荼吉尼, ; or 吒枳尼, ; Japanese: 荼枳尼 / 吒枳尼 / 荼吉尼, ''dakini'') is a type of goddess in Hinduism and Buddhism. The concept of the ḍākinī somewhat differs depending on t ...
*
Fushimi Inari-taisha is the head shrine of the ''kami'' Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrin ...
*
Inari Ōkami , also called , is the Japanese ''kami'' of Red fox, foxes, Fertility (soil), fertility, rice, tea, sake, agriculture and Industrial sector, industry, and general prosperity and worldly success, and is one of the principal kami of Shinto. The nam ...
*
Mingfu Mingfu ( zh, t=命婦, s=命妇, p=mìngfù; "noblewoman", "court lady") was granted to wives of officials, non-imperial aristocrats, and collateral clanswomen. Also, mothers of imperial consorts were granted a title of according to the rank held ...
* ''
Kitsune The , in popular Japanese tradition, are foxes or fox spirits that possess supernatural abilities such as shapeshifting, and capable of bewitching people. General overview , though literally a 'fox', becomes in folklore a ' fox spirit', o ...
'' * Naemyeongbu * ''Yako'' (fox) * ''
Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura ''Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura'' (義経千本桜), or ''Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees'', is a Japanese play, one of the three most popular and famous in the kabuki repertoire. Originally written in 1747 for the bunraku, jōruri puppet the ...
''


Notes


References

* Azure, Chris (2000–2004)
"A History of Fox Beliefs"
''Garunya''. Archived from the original on 13 April 2004. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
"FAQ , Fushimi Inari Taisha"
Retrieved 2020-11-15. * Hearn, Lafcadio (2009). ''Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan''. China: Tuttle. p. 258. . * Nozaki, Kiyoshi (1961).
Kitsuné – Japan's Fox of Mystery, Romance, and Humor
sup> permanent dead link">wikipedia:Link rot">permanent dead link/sup>'' . Tokyo: The Hokuseidô Press. * Shōnagon Sei; Ivan Morris, translator (1991). ''The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon'' . Columbia. * Smyers, Karen (1999). ''The Fox and the Jewel: Shared and Private Meanings in Contemporary Japanese Inari Worship''. Honolulu, Hawai'i: University of Hawai'i Press. . * Watts, Martin (2017)
"Kitsune and Coyote"
C''oyotetracks''. Retrieved 2020-11-18. {{DEFAULTSORT:Myobu Japanese folklore Japanese mythology