Asian witchcraft encompasses various types of witchcraft practices across Asia. In ancient times, magic played a significant role in societies such as ancient Egypt and Babylonia, as evidenced by historical records. In the Middle East, references to magic can be found in the Torah and the Quran, where witchcraft is condemned due to its association with belief in magic, as it is within other Abrahamic religions.
Okabe – The cat witch, by Utagawa Kuniyoshi
A diorama of a mudang worshipping at a shrine at the Lotte World Folk Museum in Seoul
In Japanese folklore, kitsune are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to folklore, the kitsune-foxes can bewitch people, just like the tanuki they have the ability to shapeshift into human or other forms, and to trick or fool human beings. While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers.
A nine-tailed fox spirit (kyūbi no kitsune) scaring Prince Hanzoku; print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Edo period, 19th century
The moon on Musashi Plain (fox) by Yoshitoshi
Inari Ōkami and its fox spirits help the blacksmith Munechika forge the blade Kogitsune-maru ('Little Fox') at the end of the 10th century. The legend is the subject of the noh drama Sanjō Kokaji.
A depiction of a kitsunetsuki in the Gyokuzan Gafu by Okada Gyokuzan