Part of the series on Japanese Mythology
Religions  · Divinities
Creatures & Spirits
Stories and Myths
Kojiki  · Kwaidan
Nihonshoki  · Otogizoshi
Yotsuya Kaidan
Legendary Figures
Abe no Seimei  · Hidari Jingoro
Kintarō  · Momotarō
Nezumi Kozo  · Tamamo no Mae
Tomoe Gozen  · Urashima Tarō
Sacred Objects
Amenonuhoko  · Kusanagi
Sessho-seki  · Tonbogiri
Three Sacred Treasures
Mythical & Sacred Locations
Horai  · Mt. Hiei
Mt. Fuji  · Rashōmon
Ryugu-jo  · Suzakumon
Takamagahara  · Yomi
Japanese Mythology

Tamamo-no-Mae (玉藻前) is a legendary figure in Japanese mythology. In the Otogizoshi, a collection of Japanese prose written in the Muromachi period, Tamamo-no-Mae was a courtesan under the Japanese Emperor Konoe. She was said to be the most beautiful and intelligent woman in Japan. Tamamo-no-Mae's body mysteriously always smelled wonderful, and her clothes never became wrinkled or dirty. Tamamo-no-Mae was not only beautiful, but she was infinitely knowledgable in all subjects. Although she appeared to be only twenty years old, there was no question that she could not answer. She answered every question posed to her, whether about music, religion, or astronomy. Because of her beauty and intelligence, everyone in the Imperial Court adored her, and Emperor Konoe fell deeply in love with her. Japanese mythology is an extremely complex system of beliefs. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Amaterasu_cave_wide. ... This is a list of divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. ... The following is a list of yokai, obake and yurei which are notable in Japanese mythology. ... Japanese mythology is an extremely complex system of beliefs. ... Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記) is the oldest surviving historical book dealing with the ancient history of Japan. ... Nihonshoki (日本書紀) is the second oldest history book about the ancient history of Japan. ... This article is about the classical Japanese texts. ... Abe no Seimei (安倍 晴明 921?-1005?) was a leading specialist of onmyodo during the middle of Heian Period. ... The Famous, the Unrivalled Hidari Jingoro (Meiyo migi ni teki nashi Hidari Jingoro); by Utagawa Kuniyoshi Hidari Jingoro (å·¦ 甚五郎 ; ひだり ジンゴロウ) was a legendary Japanese artist, sculpurer and carpenter, active from 1596-1644. ... Jirokichi the Rat or Nezumi Kozo, (次郎吉 or ねずみ小僧, the latter literally meaning rat boy, ?? - 1832) is a Japanese folk hero, a legendary benevolent outlaw similar to the English Robin Hood. ... A woodblock print of Tomoe Gozen in battle. ... Urashima Tarō ) is a Japanese fairy tale about a fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the RyÅ«gÅ«-jō, the Dragon Palace. ... The following is a list of sacred objects in Japanese mythology. ... Amenonuhoko (Lit. ... Kusanagi-no-tsurugi (草薙の劍) is a legendary Japanese sword as important to Japans history as Excalibur is to Britains. ... The Tonbogiri is one of three legendary spears created by the famed swordsmith Masazane. ... A representation of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. ... Horai is a place in Japanese mythology. ... Mount Hiei (Jp. ... Mount Fuji (富士山 Fuji-san, IPA: [ɸuʝisaɴ]) is the highest mountain on the island of Honshu and indeed in all of Japan. ... Marker at site of Rashōmon The Rashōmon (羅生門 or 羅城門 Rajōmon;the castle gate) was formerly the grandest of the two city gates of the Japanese city of Kyoto during the Heian period. ... In Japanese legend, Ryūgū-jō (竜宮城) is the undersea palace of Ryujin, the dragon god of the sea. ... The Suzakumon Gate was the main gate of the imperial palace in the Japanese ancient capital of Fujiwarakyō, Nara, and later Kyoto. ... Takama-ga-hara (Japanese: 高天原), or The High Plain of Heaven, is a place in Japanese mythology. ... Yomi (黄泉), the Japanese word for underworld in which horrible creatures guard the exits, is similar to Hades or hell and is most commonly known for Izanamis retreat to that place after her death. ... Japanese mythology is an extremely complex system of beliefs. ... This article is about the classical Japanese texts. ... The Muromachi period (Japanese: 室町時代, Muromachi-jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Muromachi bakufu, the Ashikaga era, the Ashikaga period, or the Ashikaga bakufu) is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. ... Emperor Konoe (近衛天皇) (June 16, 1139 - August 22, 1155) was the 76th imperial ruler of Japan. ...

After some time had passed, with Konoe all the while lavishing all his affection on the beautiful Tamamo-no-mae, the Emperor suddenly and mysteriously fell ill. He went to many priests and fortune-tellers for answers, but they had none to offer. Finally, a priest told the Emperor that Tamamo-no-Mae was the cause of his illness. The priest explained that the beautiful young woman was in fact an evil two-tailed fox (kitsune), who was making the Emperor ill in a devious plot to take the throne. Following this, Tamamo-no-Mae disappeared from the court. Statue of kitsune at Inari shrine adjacent to Todaiji Buddhist temple Nara, Japan. ...

The Emperor ordered Kazusa-nosuke and Miura-nosuke, the most powerful warriors of the day, to hunt and kill the fox. After eluding the hunters for some time, the fox appeared to Miura-nosuke in a dream. Once again in the form of the beautiful Tamamo-no-Mae, the fox prophecied that Miura-nosuke would kill it the next day, and begged for its life. Miura-nosuke refused.

Early the next day, the hunters found the fox on the Nasuno Plain, and Miura-nosuke shot and killed the magical creature with an arrow. The body of the fox became the Death Stone, or Sessho-seki, which kills anyone that comes in contact with it.

References

• Tamamo-no-mae (Synopsis). Enjoying Otogi Zoshi with the Help of Synopsis and Illustrations. URL accessed on February 22, 2006.
• Japanese Dakini. URL accessed on February 22, 2006.