So, what's a Tanuki?

[gurdymonkey]

It occurs to me that some of my Occidental readers who have been patiently bearing with the natterings of She Who Sucks The Least, that I mentioned tanuki recently and didn't bother to tell you what one is.

I was introduced to the tanuki by my friend Josh when he came visiting and we were exploring Japantown. In the window of one of the businesses was a three foot high ceramic garden ornament of a jolly,  big eyed, round bellied critter with elephantiasis of the testicles and a bottle of sake in each paw. Josh immediately went into transports of glee and wished that he could put one on his front steps without the condo association becoming completely
unhinged by it.  Feel free to cry "Squee!" or "Kawaii." I'll wait.
 

Yeah. They are kinda cute, aren't they? And in this country, a bit hard to find - I've been prowling the Japanese shops in San Francisco and the East Bay for a couple of years and finally found this little guy languishing in solitude among the maneki neko figurines. He has promised to guard my laundry quarters as long as I keep buying good sake.


The real tanuki is often referred to as a "raccoon dog." It's a canine with a somewhat raccoon-like mask.


In Japanese folklore, tanuki have a reputation as shape-shifters.

This charming little fellow appeared at Morin Temple in the guise of a tea kettle - in this iteration of the tale, the monks let him stay on. He looks a little melancholy being so well behaved.
 

And here's a cartoon from 1933 featuring tanuki and other playful spirits:

Watch on YouTube

Comments

[carbonphoenix.livejournal.com]

PomPoko is an anime film about tanuki

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Ew. You said the A word. I have to pretend I don't know you now.

[emma7926.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I am among your occidental readers (while I have worn a kosode, it was, for me, a costume more than a garment), and I was thrown a bit by some of this.

I do appreciate the translation, although I confess I just googled both kitsune and tanuki, but then, "look it up" has become a mantra in my adult life. (This may or may not be a carryover from my youth.) (Other of your occidental readers have a translator available to them, without google, but google works pretty well.)

[bovil.livejournal.com]

I would about kill for a tanuki statue to put outside our party door at FurCon. I was looking a few months ago, and found jack. Well, I found a 10" model, hardly door-greeter scale.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Perhaps you can find a willing volunteer to dress up as one and act as your doorman?

It's that or buy a plane ticket for one, I fear.
http://web-japan.org/atlas/crafts/cra18.html

[kproche.livejournal.com]

And they were expensive, too.

If you know someone with a shop-size tanuki statue that would trust us with it for Further Confusion, we would be greatly honored.

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Can you have it ready and in San Jose on January 24? You have a customer. ;-D

Score!

[kproche.livejournal.com]

Just bought this one:
Large Ceramic Good Luck Tanuki Statue Having Great Time for $35 plus tax and shipping.

Total less than $50, and he's big enough to see but small enough to schlep to the convention.

Re: Score!

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

May he bring good fortune to your suite at the Con.

[danabren.livejournal.com]

My introduction to tanuki was a fairy tale, quite likely the one you mention above at the Morin Temple, where a tanuki turns himself into a teakettle PANPANPAN! Frankly, it's been decades since I last read it, I could be confusing two stories.

But MAN are they cute!

I'm sorry...

[goth-twiglet.livejournal.com]

I couldn't resist, I don't often get a chance to use my favourite icon...
(And of course, Tom Nook, the greedy shopkeeper from Animal Crossing is a very in-character Tanuki.)

Re: I'm sorry...

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

You'll put someone's eye out!

Still Foggy on the Notion

[bedouinchick.livejournal.com]

I saw this same little guy in Japantown and thought there was some hidden significance to the large testes and the sake bottles but it escaped me. So I read up on it a little and found that the testes are big just because they can be but the reason/significance of the critter holding items still eludes me.

They're kinda cute in a feral sort of way, though.

Re: Still Foggy on the Notion

[gurdymonkey.livejournal.com]

Remember Wimpy, from Popeye? I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today? Tanuki supposedly love sake. They are often depicted holding a sake flask in one paw and an IOU in the other, which of course, they never get around to paying.

Re: Still Foggy on the Notion

[bedouinchick.livejournal.com]

(chortle)

GOT it!