Bake-kitsune Coloring Pages

What Kind of Yokai Is Bake-kitsune?

Bake-kitsune is a fox yokai that turns into people and uses mysterious magic. It appears in many old Japanese tales and legends! Real foxes live in the mountains, forests, and countryside all over Japan. They are nocturnal mammals that hunt animals like mice. But a long time ago, people saw how smart they were and how their eyes glowed at night, so they thought foxes had special powers. It is said that Bake-kitsune turns into other things by putting a leaf on its head, or blows mysterious fire out of its mouth!

Different Kinds of Fox Yokai

There are many old legends about fox yokai. Some like to trick humans, while others protect people as helpers of the gods!

• White Fox: A special all-white fox. People believe it is a helper of the gods at Inari shrines that brings happiness to everyone!
• Nine-Tailed Fox: A fox that lived for a very long time and got strong magical powers. It has nine tails! This is a famous legend that came to Japan from China.
• Yako: A regular Bake-kitsune that plays tricks on humans and turns into things to make them lose their way.

Mysterious Powers and Features

Bake-kitsune has been talked about for a long time, and it has many amazing powers that humans do not have!

• Turning into People and Things: It can change its shape into a beautiful princess, a young monk, or even a big tree or a stone statue to surprise humans!
• Making Foxfire: It can make strange blue or green fires float in the dark night!
• Loving Fried Tofu: It loves fried tofu, which is left as an offering at shrines. There are old tales where a Bake-kitsune gets tricked by fried tofu and loses its disguise!

毛並みと体を描こう

化け狐のぬりえを塗るときは、どんな種類の狐か想像しながら色を選んでみよう！

• 毛の色：普通の野狐ならオレンジ色や赤茶色、神様の使いである白狐なら白色や薄いグレー、九尾の狐なら金色や黄色で塗ると雰囲気がでるよ。
• お腹としっぽの先：キツネのお腹としっぽの先は、白色やクリーム色で塗り分けると本物らしく見えるよ。
• 目と耳のパーツ：耳のうしろや足の先を黒色で塗ると全体が引き締まるよ。つり上がった目を赤色や黄色で塗ると妖怪らしさが増すね。

不思議な妖気と火を表現しよう

化け狐が使う妖術や狐火に色をつけると、もっとかっこいいぬりえになるよ。

• 狐火：怪しい火の玉は、普通の赤やオレンジではなく、青色や緑色、紫色のグラデーションで塗ると怪しい雰囲気が出るよ。
• 化けるときの煙：変身するときに出る煙は、薄いピンク色や紫色で塗ると魔法を使っている感じが表現できるよ。

背景を工夫しよう

背景に鳥居を描いたり塗ったりするときは、鮮やかな朱色にすると神社らしさが出るよ。満月が浮かぶ夜空や竹林、古いお寺などを背景に描き足すと、昔話の世界に入り込んだようなかっこいい一枚になるね！

Fried Rats Were the Start!

People leave fried tofu as an offering for Oinari-san's foxes because they used to offer fried rats, which were the foxes' favorite food. Later, to avoid killing living creatures, it is said that people switched to fried tofu made from soybeans instead.

The Number of Tails Shows Strength and Age

It is said that legendary foxes grow one extra tail for every 100 years they live. When they live for 1,000 years, they become a nine-tailed fox with the greatest powers, and their fur shines with a golden light!

Is the Leaf on the Head a Focus Item for Transforming?

In old tales, Bake-kitsune put a leaf on their head to magically transform. It is said that they used the leaf as a magic spell to boost their concentration. (There are different theories!)