Abe no Seimei’s Mother: Kuzu no Ha

Many stories about Abe no Seimei talk about his oddly unnatural talent for the supernatural. What was it that made Abe so good at understanding otherworldly things? The only conclusion was that he couldn’t be completely human. In fact, one well-known piece of Japanese folklore claims that Abe no Seimei mother was a fox named Kuzu no Ha.   

The Legend of Kuzu no Ha

Abe no Yasuna and Kuzu no ha

Once upon a time, a man named Abe no Yasuna who was from in Abeno in Osaka went to visit a shrine deep in the forests of Shinoda.

On the way home, he saw a white fox being chased by a hunter in the forest. He decided to help the poor fox escape the hunters. A few days later, a lady by the name of Kuzu no Ha came to his house. In fact, Kuzu no Ha was the fox he had saved, disguised as a human.

Later, the two fell in love and were married. Before long they had a son named Dojimaru.

When Dojimaru was five years old, he peeked in on his sleeping mother. Kuzu no Ha slept so comfortably that she let down her guard and turn back into a fox.

Unfortunately, when Kuzu no Ha realized that Dojimaru had seen her true form, she could no longer stay with her human family. Before absconding, she wrote a poem on the door which read:

恋しくば　訪ねて来てみよ　和泉なる　信太の森の　うらみ葛葉

“Koishikuba Tazunetekitemiyo Izuminaru Shinodanomorino Uramikuzunoha ”

“If you want, you can come to visit me, sad Kuzu no Ha, in the Shinoda forests of Izumi”

After she left, some say she turned to stone, longing for her her family, but others say that Yasuna and Dojimaru indeed went to the Shinoda forests to visit Kuzu no Ha.

When Dojimaru grew up, he become the powerful onmyo-ji, Abe no Seimei, and used the stone his mother had given him to help save many lives.

The legend of Kuzu no Ha became a very popular piece of Japanese folklore, and has been turned into bunraku, kabuki, opera and many more.

The Shinoda forests of Izumi that Kuzu no Ha called home, were once very famously and beautiful. Even one of Japan’s most culturally important authors, Sei Shonagon, commented on their beauty. 

Kuzu no Ha Inari Shrine was once surrounded by dense forests and also claims to be home of the kistune Kuzu no Ha.