Actor Arashi Sangorō I Performing the Catching the Fox Dance

Kiyonobu depicts the famous actor Arashi Sangorō I (1687–1739) in the play Tsurigitsune (Catching the Fox)</>. In traditional Japanese stories, foxes are capable of changing into human form to trick unsuspecting humans. According to this story, an old fox changes into a priest to escape being hunted. He boldly reminds the hunter about the Buddhist commandments against taking life and eating meat, and the ruse seems to work. On the way home, however, the “priest” encounters a baited trap and cannot resist the enticing smell of roasted rat. He transforms back into a fox, takes the food, and is caught. Here, Sangorō performs the transformation dance. He wears a fox mask on the back of his head, allowing him to shift between man and fox simply by turning one way or the other.