User:Ohmystars/sandbox2

Kitsune masks are warding masks made of wood that Sakonji Urokodaki hand-carved himself and gave to his students before they head off to the Final Selection. He cast a spell on it to help protect the wearer from harm.

History
In Japanese folklore, kitsune (狐) are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. The fox is said to have been the messenger of Inari Ōkami, the god of the mountains of the rice fields. As a messenger of God, it was said that kitsune would come down from the mountain in spring to protect the growth of rice, and return the mountain after seeing harvesting in autumn. From there, it has been praised as being a messenger of God to ward off evil. Wearing a fox mask would thus protect people from harm.

Synopsis
When Tanjiro Kamado was unable to split the boulder that Urokodaki tasked him to do, Sabito appeared on top of the boulder. Sabito was wearing a kitsune mask, covering his whole face, it was the first kitsune mask Tanjiro saw and he was stunned by Sabito's sudden and unexpected appearance. Sabito then leaps off the boulder and starts attacking Tanjiro, while commanding Tanjiro to attack him. After he knocks Tanjiro out cold, Tanjiro wakes up to the sight of Makomo, who is wearing another kitsune mask. After she teaches Tanjiro the essence of Total Concentration Breathing and he keeps battling Sabito with her guidance for half a year, he eventually manages to cut Sabito's mask in half using his blade, revealing Sabito's friendly face. The boulder in front of Tanjiro is also cut in half, like Sabito's mask.

Urokodaki gives Tanjiro his blessing to participate in the selection and gives him a kitsune mask similar to the ones worn by Sabito and Makomo. Tanjiro accepts it, while Urokodaki explains that it's a "warding mask" that he has charged it with a spell to protect him from harm. He wants the mountain god to protect Tanjiro from disasters and to have Tanjiro come back alive from the Final Selection.

During the Final Selection, Tanjiro wears the mask and the Hand Demon immediately recognises it as one made by Urokodaki. He taunts Tanjiro by saying he ate 13 of Urokodaki's students and even laughs that the warding ability of the mask never worked. He describes Sabito as the strongest student he faced and Makomo as the most agile one. After a tough fight, Tanjiro successfully decapitated the Hand Demon. During the battle, Tanjiro's masks breaks, causing the spell to also be broken and it can be assumed that it was a substitute for disaster. Because of this, Tanjiro returned safely.