Tamamo-no-Mae Facts for Kids

Tamamo-no-Mae. Print by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.

Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前) is a famous character in Japanese mythology and folklore. She is a legendary figure, often shown as a beautiful and intelligent woman. According to old Japanese stories, Tamamo-no-Mae was a special lady who served the Japanese Emperor Konoe. This was during a time in Japanese history called the Muromachi period.

People said she was the most beautiful and smartest woman in all of Japan. Her body always smelled wonderful, and her clothes never got dirty. She seemed to be only twenty years old, but she knew the answer to every question. She could talk about music, religion, or even stars. Everyone at the Imperial Court loved her. Emperor Konoe especially fell deeply in love with her.

The Emperor's Illness
The Hunt for the Fox
The Killing Stone
The Spirit is Freed
In Literature and Plays
Images for kids
See also

The Emperor's Illness

After some time, Emperor Konoe suddenly became very sick. No one knew why. He asked many priests and people who could tell the future for help. But they could not find a reason for his illness.

Finally, an astrologer (someone who studies stars) told the Emperor something shocking. The astrologer said that Tamamo-no-Mae was causing his sickness. This beautiful young woman was actually an evil fox spirit. This fox had nine tails, and these spirits are called kitsune. The astrologer explained that the fox spirit was making the Emperor sick. It wanted to take over the throne of Japan. After this was revealed, Tamamo-no-Mae quickly disappeared from the court.

The Hunt for the Fox

The Emperor was very upset. He ordered his two strongest warriors to find and kill the fox. Their names were Kazusa-no-suke and Miura-no-suke. The fox spirit tried to escape from the hunters for a while.

One night, the fox appeared to Miura-no-suke in a dream. It looked like the beautiful Tamamo-no-Mae again. The fox told Miura-no-suke that he would kill it the next day. It begged him to spare its life. But Miura-no-suke refused to let the evil spirit go.

The Killing Stone

The very next day, the hunters found the fox. It was on a large field called the Plain of Nasu. Miura-no-suke shot an arrow and killed the magical creature.

When the fox died, its body changed. It became a special rock known as the Sessho-seki. This means the Killing Stone. Legend says this stone kills anyone who touches it. Tamamo-no-Mae's spirit then became known as Hoji. This spirit haunted the stone for a long time.

The Spirit is Freed

Hoji, the spirit, is said to have haunted this stone in Nasu, Japan. This continued until a Buddhist priest named Genno came by. He stopped to rest near the stone. Hoji threatened him.

Genno performed a special spiritual ritual. He asked the spirit to think about its spiritual peace. Finally, Hoji gave up. The spirit promised never to haunt the stone again.

In Literature and Plays

The famous Japanese writer Matsuo Bashō wrote about visiting the Killing Stone. He mentioned it in his well-known book, The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Oku no Hosomichi).

The legend of Tamamo-no-Mae has also inspired many plays. One is a noh drama called Sesshoseki ("The Killing Stone"). Another is a kabuki play called Tamamonomae (also known as The Beautiful Fox Witch).