Fox Fires at Ōji, no.16 from the series Comic Events at Famous Places in Edo

Foxes are believed to be the messengers of the god Inari 稲荷, and fox imagery is common at Inari shrines. In this print, the foxes are benevolent zenko 善狐, or “good foxes.” These pure white foxes are shown performing their New Year’s Eve ritual of meeting at a sacred nettle tree at the Inari Shrine on the outskirts of Edo, today’s Tokyo. At the tree, zenko change into fine clothes, then receive their yearly orders from Inari at the shrine. In the background, you can see their glowing kitsunebi, or foxfires. Interestingly, the English term “foxfires” also connects foxes with this glowing phenomenon which is produced by bioluminescent fungus and burning swamp gas.