黒狐
こくこ

Translation: black fox
Alternate names: kurogitsune, kuroko, kokko, genko
Habitat: forests, fields, mountains, and shrines

Appearance: Kokuko are rare kitsune who show themselves only during the reign of a peaceful leader. They have thick, black fur and are slightly larger than other kitsune. They have from one to nine tails depending on their age. Kokuko live in northern climates like Siberia and Hokkaidō. They seldom appear in Japan south of the Tōhoku region.

Behavior: Kokuko are one of the five families of zenko. They have pure, good hearts and stand in contrast to yako. In onmyōdō, kokuko are associated with the cult of the North Star. They are said to be incarnations of the Big Dipper. They also serve Inari, although they are far less common than byakko.

Legends: In 1771, the lord of Hokkaidō, Matsumae Michihiro, married a noblewoman from Kyōto. His bride was a devoted worshipper of Inari, and frequently visited Inari shrines where kitsune made their homes. When she moved to be with her husband, many kitsune followed her. Unfortunately, she died soon after marrying. The kitsune who had accompanied her returned to Kyōto.

One day, Michihiro’s retainers went hunting in the mountains. They saw a rare black kitsune and shot it. Michihiro was pleased when they brought the creature back. But shortly after that, strange things began to happen.

Michihiro offered the rare kitsune’s meat as a present to one of his retainers. After eating it, the retainer became sick. He was immediately struck deaf. Death soon followed. Michihiro had the fur of the kitsune hung out to dry. However, every night a kitsune appeared at the castle and demanded the skin be returned. When Michihiro heard of this he refused. One morning after that, the skin was missing, torn off the drying frame. Then, local fishermen began complaining they could no longer catch herring.

Michihiro was troubled. He believed the dead kitsune placed a curse on his domain. He consulted a temple and had the priest perform one hundred nights of prayers for the kitsune. On the ninety-ninth night, the priest had a vision. A black kitsune appeared to him, explaining it was one of the kitsune who came from Kyōto. It had made a family with a local kitsune and didn’t return with the others. After being killed by Michihiro’s retainers, it was unable to pass on. It remained as a vengeful spirit. It told that priest that if they would build a shrine, it could pass on and serve the area as a guardian spirit.

The priest told Michihiro what the kitsune had told him. Michihiro built an Inari shrine for the black kitsune nearby and enshrined it there. That shrine exists today: the Genko Inari Shrine inside the Kumano Shrine in Matsumae, Hokkaidō.