Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Oyoshi-san
Category: Fox
The Myth
In the village of Takasu there was once a boy named Yoshifumi who fell mysteriously ill. Though he continued to eat, his body weakened day by day, and his behavior became strange.
When his grandmother asked why he was growing so thin, the boy answered, “I don’t eat alone. O-Yoshi eats too.”
Pressed to explain, he spoke calmly of someone called O-Yoshi who lived in the Noba area of Takasu with grandparents and a younger sister named O-Sato. He described their house in detail, even though he had never visited the place.
As the days passed, the boy’s condition worsened. He began to move and speak like a fox, muttering requests such as, “I want fried tofu,” “I want chicken,” and “Please build me an Inari shrine.” His family feared that he had been possessed.
When asked where this fox might be, Yoshifumi replied that it lived in the weeds along the Kokai River near a certain house. His grandmother took him there, and the boy pointed to a small hole hidden beneath the grass, saying, “Grandma, it’s here.” The hole was exactly where he had said.
Fearing for the child, the family made a pilgrimage to Mitake Shrine and returned with a talisman meant to drive fox spirits away. When the charm was brought into the house, Yoshifumi trembled and cried out that he could not stay there and must run away, begging to be allowed to eat.
Soon after, he fell into a deep sleep that lasted several days. When he awoke, the strange behavior was gone, and little by little he recovered completely.
Yet the story spread among the villages, and people spoke uneasily of a fox called O-Yoshi that might still dwell near the riverbank, waiting to enter another child if the chance arose.
Gallery
Sources
Tyz-Yokai Blog. (n.d.). O-Yoshi-san. Retrieved March 1, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655051.html.
Interpretive Lenses
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