New Liaozhai Zhiyi: Otsune
1971/05/23
STORY
One day, a mysterious woman visits Osamu Tezuka at his home, where he is gathering eerie tales about foxes. She begins to tell him a story.
In the story, a female fox with a dirty coat is sent to a university's agricultural lab, where animal testing for a poisonous chemical weapon is secretly conducted. A boy named Hide, who cares for the test animals, affectionately names the female fox Otsune and looks after her.
One day, a military man arrives at the lab, requesting to conduct human experiments with the poisonous chemical weapon. The lab decides to test it on Hide. Sensing the danger approaching him, Otsune transforms into a human woman to warn him about the impending threat.
DESCRIPTIONS
In some Asian countries, including Japan and China, there is a belief that foxes possess supernatural powers and can deceive people. In a work published in 1971, Tezuka explored haunting phenomena associated with these foxes and included a short episode about the Haneda Anamori Fox Shrine. This shrine was thought to bring good harvests and prosperity, yet it’s suspected that it caused several accidents during the construction of the nearby Haneda Airport due to its curse.
Although many superstitions were often dismissed in post-war Japan, Tezuka deliberately revived the haunting fox myth through his work.
