The stories of Daji
and Tamamo-no-Mae, powerful fox spirits who led kingdoms to ruin by corrupting their kings, are iconic in Far Eastern folklore and they are often treated as one-in-the-same. For some reason, kitsune are usually female (or a Pretty Boy if male), and often end up falling in love with and marrying human men (in fact, female Kitsune are considered to make devoted wives and doting mothers). The resulting children are usually not kitsune themselves but have magical powers — with Abe no Seimei being the most-famous example.
Kitsune are also said to hold lengthy wedding ceremonies between two of their brethren during sunshowers, which shares the common theme of rain during clear skies being the result of strange or supernatural marriages in many other cultures. In some stories, they don't take very kindly to uninvited guests, and will take revenge on any person they catch interrupting, sneaking into, or even spying on their weddings.
One particular variety, the small, weasel-like kuda-gitsune or "pipefox" (sometimes known as kanko, izuna or osaki) is employed as a Familiar by human families. In most depictions they follow commands faithfully, but are capable of slowly bringing their masters to ruin (most often by multiplying until they run out of food).
