The Story of the Shinoda Wife

Why does the fox mother Kuzunoha leave her child, and why has her story taken so many forms? Orikuchi Shinobu begins with a remembered monkey-theater performance and follows the Shinoda Wife legend through puppet drama, medieval storytelling, ancient chronicles, and local traditions.

His inquiry opens onto larger questions: animal ancestors, children who reveal family secrets, marriages between different communities, women’s private deities, and the religious lives of people attached to temples and shrines. Moving between mainland Japan and the Ryukyu Islands, he tests explanations, revises his own earlier ideas, and warns against mistaking a resemblance for a proven origin.

First published in Mita Hyōron in April, June, and July 1924, The Story of the Shinoda Wife offers a distinctive encounter with Orikuchi’s folklore scholarship. This complete English translation preserves the essay’s tentative reasoning and historical vocabulary, with notes on names, poems, performance traditions, and uncertain readings. AI-assisted translation.