“After she fled the palace, she flew to the nearby Nasu plane and transformed herself in a great black stone. From beneath the base of the stone, there flowed a river of poison, born from the fox’s resentment and anger at having her plans thwarted. It sucked away the life force of any who passed by.”

“The wheel of fate turned ‘round and ‘round, and many years later a priest named Genryo passed by the black stone. He sensed the troubled nature of the spirit inside of it, and commanded it to come forth, and there before him stood the shrunken and weary form of an old woman.”

“’Who are you?’” the priest asked.

“I am Tamamo No Mae,” she replied.” She kneels before the priest, and holds her hands to her face, covering it. Her whole body shakes, and one can discern from this that she is weeping. The narrator relays her sorrow in a heavy voice.

“I am a fox spirit and I have lived for over two thousand years. I have the knowledge of all magic and I have been worshiped by nations and by men. Once I was the favorite of the Emperor Toba, but in a selfish act I plotted his death so that I might gain power for myself. I was discovered and fled here, transforming myself into this black stone. I remember what it was like to be loved, and I regretted my actions. I have spent centuries here, weeping alone with my grief. Please kill me, so that my suffering will end.”

“But, being a merciful man, Genryo did not strike the fox spirit down. He wrapped his priestly robes around her, telling her to seek the path of enlightenment. And thus, Tamamo No Mae was redeemed.”

Resources:

Enjoying Otogi Zoshi with the Help of Synopsis and Illustrations, Ninth Story

Bunraku article from Wikipedia

Research: Jia Li Shen Chi
Graphics and Script: Shibori Murasaka