A Fox Wedding Procession on the Road to Oji

Foxes, dressed up in kimono, are processing to the Oji Shinto Shrine in Edo. In Japanese folklore, the fox wedding is a strange event correlated with what is commonly referred to as a sunshower: the presence of rain without many clouds in the sky, as depicted in the image. This weather phenomenon is always closely related to foxes, who in Japanese folktales often play tricks on humans. A variety of Shinto (a Japanese religion and spirituality connected to nature) rituals and festivals have been developed in various parts of Japan relating to the fox wedding. The fox wedding procession seen here is reenacted on New Year’s Eve at the Oji Shinto Shrine. Human and animal identities are often merged through such performances and events.