What is Tamamo-no-Mae?
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} [[Image:Tamamo-no-mae-woodblock.jpg|right|thumb|Tamamo-no-Mae. Print by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi]].]] '''Tamamo-no-Mae''' (玉藻前) is a [[legend]]ary figure in [[Japanese mythology]] and [[Japanese folklore|folklore]]. In the [[Otogizoshi]], a collection of Japanese [[prose]] written in the [[History of Japan#Muromachi period|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 dirty. Tamamo-no-Mae was not only beautiful, but she was very wise 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 in Kyoto|Imperial Court]] adored her, and Emperor Konoe fell deeply in love with her. After some time had passed, the Emperor suddenly and mysteriously fell ill. He went to many priests and fortune-tellers for answers, but they had none to offer. Finally, an [[astrologist|astrologer]] told the Emperor that Tamamo-no-Mae was the cause of his illness. The astrologer explained that the beautiful young woman was in fact an evil [[fox]] with nine [[tail]]s ([[kitsune]]), who was making the Emperor ill in a evil plan to take the [[throne]]. Following this, Tamamo-no-Mae disappeared from the court. The Emperor ordered Kazusa-no-suke and Miura-no-suke, the most powerful warriors of the day, to hunt and kill the fox. After escaping from the hunters for some time, the fox appeared to Miura-no-suke in a dream. Once again in the form of the beautiful Tamamo-no-Mae, the fox told Miura-nosuke would kill it the next day, and begged for its life. Miura-no-suke refused. Early the next day, the hunters found the fox on the Plain of [[Nasu, Tochigi|Nasu]], and Miura-no-suke shot and