The Fox with Nine Tails

The film is based on a novel by Okamoto Kidou, which draws from a legend about a lifeless stretch of land near Mt. Chausu, an active volcano in Tochigi Prefecture. For centuries, since the Heian period, this area has been known to emit toxic gases-hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, and arsenic-killing animals and people who strayed too close. According to legend, long ago in China, a kitsune took the form of a beautiful woman, seduced the emperor, and brought calamity upon the kingdom. Later, the fox spirit traveled to Japan, disguised herself as a maiden named Tamamo, and repeated the deception, enchanting another emperor before being exposed and slain. As she died, she cursed her killers and turned into a poisonous stone called Sesshoseki on this very spot.