Tamamo-no-MaeTamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-Tailed Fox Beloved of Emperor Toba

This version turns to the events leading up to Tamamo-no-Mae’s unmasking and defeat. When the retired Emperor Toba’s illness grew at last grave, the onmyōji Abe no Yasunari (modeled on the historical Abe no Yasuchika), ordered to divine the cause, named Tamamo-no-Mae herself as its source. As Yasunari performed rites at court and cornered her, Tamamo-no-Mae could no longer hold her human shape; revealing her fox form, she fled eastward from the capital.

The place she fled to was the Nasu Plain in Shimotsuke Province (the area around present-day Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture^[1]). To subdue the spirit-fox lurking in the wilds and harming people and livestock, the court dispatched warriors of the eastern provinces, Kazusa-no-suke Hirotsune and Miura-no-suke Yoshiaki. The warriors surrounded the plain, drove the fox out, and at last brought it down with arrows, so the tradition runs. The names of these warriors who slew Tamamo-no-Mae overlap with those of real Bandō warriors of the Genpei era—an intriguing case of legend and history told as one.

In the story, Tamamo-no-Mae has usually been drawn as the very type of the “beauty who topples nations”—one who, through her beauty and wit, works her way to the summit of the realm and brings it down from within. Yet at the same time, once slain, she was enshrined in a small sanctuary and worshipped as a deity. Dreadful spirit-fox though she is, one cannot help being drawn to her. It is precisely this duality that keeps Tamamo-no-Mae from ending as a mere villain and makes her a figure beloved for ages.

This yokai is included in the following collections:

Cool Yokai | Japanese Folklore through Power, Speed, and Monstrous Beauty

Discover 68 cool yokai like Shuten-doji, Tengu, and Nine-Tailed Fox. Explore their charm through power, speed, majestic presence, monstrous beauty, and folklore.

注目

妖怪かっこいい妖怪

有名な妖怪｜日本を代表する妖怪・鬼・怪異

鬼、河童、天狗、雪女、座敷童子、ぬらりひょんなど、日本で有名な妖怪を一覧で紹介。古典、地域伝承、妖怪画、現代文化から知名度の背景をたどります。

注目

有名な妖怪代表的な妖怪

Beautiful Yokai

Discover Japan’s “beautiful yokai,” from the Snow Woman to Tamamo-no-Mae—seductive spirits whose tragic legends reveal another face of folklore.

テーマ別

美しい妖怪妖艶な妖怪

Female Yokai | Yokai, Demon Women, and Ghostly Women

An introduction to Japanese female yokai like Yuki-onna, Ubume, Jorogumo, and Kuchisake-onna, exploring their diverse origins and stories.

テーマ別

女妖怪女性妖怪

Tales of the Fox

A curated look at fox yokai across Japan, from the Nine-Tailed Fox and Tamamo-no-Mae to rich local lore and uncanny kitsune tales.

テーマ別

狐の妖怪狐の伝説

Yokai with similar personality and characteristics to Tamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-Tailed Fox Beloved of Emperor Toba

Momijigari (The Demon of the Maple Viewing)

Demoness Momiji (Performing Arts Tradition)

95%

Compatibility

Sarugami (Monkey Deity)

Simian Deity in Medieval Tales

94%

Compatibility

Iso-onna (Shore Woman)

The Embracing Woman of Kakara Island (Daki)

93%

Compatibility

Yokai with opposite personality and characteristics to Tamamo-no-Mae, the Nine-Tailed Fox Beloved of Emperor Toba

Hotei

Incarnation of Maitreya, the Laughing Monk, Hotei

56%

Compatibility

Fukurokuju

Three-Stars-in-One Long-Headed Deity, Fukurokuju

58%

Compatibility

Zashiki-warashi

Child Protector of Iwate Homes: Zashiki-warashi

59%

Compatibility