Mattia Jona, Master Drawings and Prints, Japanese Prints - Piazzetta Guastalla 5, 20122 Milan, Italy, tel (+39) 02 8053315

School of Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, late 19th century AN ARMY OF FOX SPIRITS IN THE NIGHT
Ink and colour on silk, mounted on cardboard; 343 x 575 mm. PROVENANCE: Marco Fagioli, Florence (his red seals on the back of the mount).

Foxes are a common subject in Japanese folklore. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical powers that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume human form. Foxes have also been closely associated with Inari, a Shinto spirit, and serve as his messengers.