I am the fox that offered its assistance, my name is unemaru. To offer thanks to the Gods, I took on the name of Kokaji, while also being the little fox that assisted him. My body isn’t small in the least."

相槌を打ったのが狐故、小狐丸と申します。 神々への感謝ゆえ、小鍛冶と称し、相槌を打った狐も小狐です。けして、図体が小ではありません. 

大きいけれど小狐丸。いや、冗談ではなく。まして偽物でもありません。私が小！　大きいけれど! 

"Although I might be big, my name is unemaru. No, I’m not joking. I’m certainly not a fake, either. I’m small! Even though I’m big!"

unemaru means Little fox that’s why when you obtain him he says: “I’m small! Even though I’m really big!” 

unemaru belongs to the Sanjou Munechika family and was supposedly forged in 989 CE, his mythical tale comes from the song of the Noh drama Kokaji Sanjou(小鍛冶, Little blacksmit Sanjou). The drama is about Emperor Ichijo (980-1011), commands after having received an oracle in a dream, Tachibana no Michinari to visit and order Sanjō no Kokaji Munechika, a renowned swordsmith, to forge a sword. Munechika insists that he can’t forge the sword because he doesn’t have a partner swordsmith, who is as skilful as Munechika is. Michinari however refuses to accept his request. Munechika, then visits Inari* Shrine where he prays and requests the assistance of the guardian deity of his clan. At the shrine, a mysterious boy calls to him. The boy encourages Munechika by talking about the dignity of a sword in a Chinese legend and the story of Yamato Takeru-no-mikoto**. He promises to become Munechika’s smithing partner and disappears in Mount Inari. 

When Munechika goes home, dresses himself for smithing and prays on his platform, there appears before him the deity of Inari who transforms into the spirit of a fox. The deity announces that he will work as the partner of Munechika. The boy who appeared a moment earlier was the transformed Inari deity himself. Munechika, who gained the deity as the smithing partner, successfully forges a sword. Finally, the noted sword ‘unemaru’ which is engraved with two names – “Kokaji Munechika” on the face and “Kogitsune (Little Fox)” on the back of the blade as a proof that the deity apprenticed himself to Munechika – is completed. After offering the sword to the imperial messenger, the deity rides on a cloud to return to the peak of Mount Inari. Kokaji was also Sanjou’s alias. 

There are no information on the sword so it’s unclear if it really exist or is only part of the legend, even though he states he is not a fake. However, there is a sword said to be unemaru with the length of 53.8 cm enshrined in Ishikiri-Tsurugiya Shrine, Osaka, Japan; it’s unclear whether this sword is the real unemaru or not. This sword is open for public viewing during April and October, respectively Spring and Autumn Grand Festivals. 

*Inari Ōkami is the Shinto deity of prosperity, agriculture, food and Sake. Also a patron of swordsmiths and merchants in earlier times. They are represented as male, female, or androgynous, Inari is sometimes seen as a collective of three or five individual kami. Inari appears to have been worshipped since the founding of a shrine at Inari Mountain in 711 AD, although some scholars believe that worship started in the late 5th century. Inari is associated with foxes which are pure white and they act as his messengers, their statues are common in Inari shrines. Sincere worshipers offer food and sake to the shrines to please the fox messengers. Fried tofu is a favourite of these foxes(When you send unemaru on internal affair he says: "Are we raising the crops for the bean for fried tofu?").