The Mad Fox

During the Heian period, a renowned fortune-teller named Kamo no Yasunori receives a prophetic vision from his sacred scroll, The Golden Crow. The prophecy guides him to adopt a specific girl, sparking a series of searching and complex events. His two dedicated disciples, Abe no Yasuna and Absiya Doman, each embark on separate quests to find the destined child. Yasuna locates a pair of identical twin girls born to Lord Shoji of Izumi at precisely the right time and returns with the elder twin, Sakaki.

Fast forward ten years, and ominous signs and the ominous Golden Crow continue to foretell darker times. Yasunori interprets these signs as warnings that the country’s crowned prince is cursed, which will eventually lead to chaos across the land. Another prophecy is made, but Yasunori only confides in his successor, creating suspicion and tension. Meanwhile, Doman arrives late, claiming he went to the royal court to urge them to seek Yasunori’s counsel. This act of perceived disrespect causes Yasunori to publicly denounce him, declaring that Doman will not be his heir.

Yasunori then begins a journey towards the Imperial Court. Tragically, his wife, driven by desire for Doman, blames him for her own feelings and murders her husband on the road, framing the deed as a bandit attack. With no official succession document and with the court poised to appoint Doman as the next ruler, Sakaki, who secretly loves Yasuna, schemes to thwart Doman’s rising influence. She presents herself at court as the adopted daughter of her guardian to stake her claim, but when the court attempts to determine the successor through casting lots, trouble ensues. Sakaki tries to unlock a locked box supposed to hold The Golden Crow scroll; however, the box is found empty, increasing suspicion among court officials.

In a brutal turn of events, Doman imprisons Yasuna and tortures Sakaki, leading to her tragic death. Behind the scenes, Yasunori’s widow secretly confesses that she stole the scroll to aid Doman’s ambitions and begins an illicit affair with him. Yasuna, having escaped the ordeal, uncovers Sakaki’s death and, overwhelmed by grief and madness, attacks the conspirators. The widow dies in a fire, and Yasuna flees, clutching The Golden Crow scroll.

Yasuna’s wandering, disturbed state finally leads him to Izumi, where he encounters Sakaki’s identical twin sister, Kuzunorha. The family of Lord Shoji welcomes Yasuna, often mistaking him for Sakaki, which complicates his perception of reality. Unconvinced of his supposed madness, Yasuna ponders why Shoji does not permit their union, unaware of the deeper supernatural elements at play.

Back at court, Doman claims to have glimpsed The Golden Crow scroll and asserts that the curse on the Crown Prince can be lifted through a bizarre ritual involving the prince copulating in a room splattered with the blood of a white vixen. Based on this, a hunting party is dispatched to find such a creature in Izumi. During the hunt, Yasuna and Kuzunorha happen upon an injured old woman — who turns out to be a kitsune (a magical fox spirit)—and realize the danger they are in. Yasuna boldly dismisses the hunters’ misconception that a fox and a human are the same, saving the old woman. Grateful, she orders her kin to look after Yasuna.

Trouble escalates when Kon, a kitsune who has fallen in love with Yasuna at first sight, steals The Golden Crow scroll while in the form of Kuzunorha. She and her clan fiercely fight off the hunters, escaping with the scroll. Yasuna and Kuzunorha are separated during the chaos. Kon transforms into Kuzunorha’s form to tend Yasuna’s injuries and warns her of the risks of becoming detached from her true kitsune identity. Ultimately, her love for Yasuna leads her to stay in human form, living in seclusion with him and their child.

In this intimate life, the kitsune breaks her disguise for a moment, revealing her true form before reluctantly leaving Yasuna, who is left questioning reality. As they part, Yasuna finds The Golden Crow scroll in their child’s hands, but the scene dissolves into the haunting image of Yasuna alone, wandering madly — a tragic echo of his loss. The story closes with a symbolic Sessho-seki (killing Stone), once another fox legend, emphasizing the theme that love and obsession can lead to loss and despair, and a somber moral about the emptiness of such passions.

“Love is empty, and never to fall in love.”

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 at 05:13