狐火

Japanese

FWOTD – 31 October 2023

狐火 (kitsunebi): a print depicting the commonly held folk belief that will o' the wisps or foxfire was caused by a fox.

Kanji in this term
狐	火
きつね Hyōgai	ひ > び Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Etymology

Compound of 狐(きつね) (kitsune, “fox”) + 火(ひ) (hi, “fire”). The hi changes to bi as an instance of rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)).

First cited to a text from 1488.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) きつねび [kìtsúnéꜜbì] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [kʲi̥t͡sɨne̞bʲi]

Noun

狐(きつね)火(び) • (kitsunebi) 

1. a mysterious pale fire often seen in the fields and mountains at night from winter to early spring: will o' the wisp, foxfire

   Synonyms: 燐火 (rinka), 鬼火 (onibi), 狐の提灯 (kitsune no chōchin)

   • 1488, 三条西実隆 [Sanjōnishi Sanetaka], 実隆公記 [Sanetakakōki]:

     夜(ヤ)前(ゼン)於(オイテ)_㆓野(ノ)路(ヂニ)_㆒有(アリ)_㆓狐(キツネ)火(ビ)_㆒

     yazen noji ni oite kitsunebi ari

     will o' the wisps appeared in the field path last night

   • 1784, Yosa Buson, 蕪村句集 [Buson kushū]:

     狐(きつね)火(び)や髑(どく)髏(ろ)に雨(あめ)のたまる夜(よ)に

     kitsunebi ya dokuro ni ame no tamaru yo ni

     There's foxfire on nights when the rain collects in the skull.

2. kabuki props designed to imitate will o' the wisps

   Synonyms: 焼酎火 (shōchūbi), 樟脳火 (shōnōbi)

3. synonym of 野鶏頭 (nogeitō, “plumed or silver cockscomb (Celosia argentea)”)
4. synonym of 埃茸 (hokoritake, “puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)”)

References

• “^▲狐火”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026