Hakuzōsu

Hakuzōsu (白蔵主), also written Hakuzosu and Hakuzousu, is the name of a popular kitsune character who pretended to be a priest in Japanese folklore.

The Buddhist monk Hakuzōsu lived in Osaka at the temple Shōrin-ji.

He was a believer in Inari Ōkami sama and kept a few kitsune in his temple.

The legend of Hakuzōsu became a Kyōgen play, Tsurigitsune (‘Fox Trapping’) / Konkai (‘The Cry of the Fox’) In this story, a hunter is visited by his uncle, the priest Hakuzōsu, who lectures his nephew on the evils of killing foxes.

The fox resumes his natural form and reverts to his wild ways, takes the bait in a trap and is captured.