EDO PERIOD (19TH CENTURY)

This netsuke represents the story of Dakki (Daji) and the nine-tailed fox spirit that possessed her and brought about the end of the Shang dynasty. According to tales, the fox possessed Daji, and became King Zhou’s favored consort through her wits and beauty. Soon, the king was enchanted by her, neglecting state affairs and ruling as a despot, so desperate he was to be in her presence. Paranoid of her true form being discovered, the fox began a reign of terror that resulted in a coup and the end of the Shang dynasty, with Daji put to death in the process. However, the fox escaped and reappeared in Japan as Tamamo-no-Mae, the favorite consort of Emperor Toba.