The Fox Fires of Love: Princess Yaegaki's Supernatural Journey
- Re.JapBook
- Feb 10
- 1 min read
From Tsukioka Yoshitoshi's "New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts" Series
The Star-Crossed Lovers
This dramatic print illustrates a tale from "Honchō Nijūshikō" (Twenty-four Filial Exemplars of Japan), featuring Princess Yaegaki, daughter of Uesugi Kenshin, and her betrothed Takeda Katsuyori, son of Takeda Shingen. Their arranged marriage, mediated by the Ashikaga Shogun, was disrupted when the shogun's assassination cast suspicion on both families.
The Hidden Truth
When Katsuyori was ordered to commit ritual suicide, Yaegaki fell into despair. However, she later discovered that he had survived, living in disguise as a flower gardener. But her joy was short-lived when she learned that her father, having discovered this secret, had dispatched assassins.
The Divine Intervention
Desperate to warn Katsuyori but unable to cross the frozen Lake Suwa by conventional means, Yaegaki turned to the Suwa Helmet, a sacred artifact imbued with divine power. Upon touching it, she witnessed her reflection transform into that of a fox in the lake's surface.
The Supernatural Aid
Through the helmet's mystical power, Yaegaki gained the ability to command eight hundred and eight foxes, their spirit fires illuminating her path across the frozen lake. Yoshitoshi captures the moment when these supernatural fox fires manifest to guide her urgent journey to save her beloved.
Artistic Interpretation
The print masterfully renders the mystical transformation, with Yaegaki wielding the sacred helmet amidst the ethereal glow of fox fires, symbolizing the supernatural aid granted to true love in the face of adversity.