Tanuki: Mythology Part 2

Summary: We’re not yet done with the mythology of tanuki. Join Kiersten for another episode about the supernatural aspects of the raccoon dog.

 

For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean

 

Show Notes:

https://mythick.com/tanuki

https://wildinjapan.wordpress.com

https://livejapan.com

https://www.curiuosordinary.com

https://sakura.co

Music written and performed by Katherine Camp

 

Transcript 

(Piano music plays)

Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife.

(Piano music stops)

Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I’m Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we’ll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating. 

This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won’t regret it.

The mythology of the Tanuki is vast and a little confusing, but it’s the eighth thing I like about this incredible animal.

In the seventh episode we also talked about mythology of the tanuki. We learned that the mythological raccoon dog has the ability to change shape. They can imitate people and inanimate objects, such as tea kettles. They are known to shape shift into people. Typically they pick people who enjoy gambling, cheating, drinking, stealing and lying. They will imitate government personnel and go to citizen’s houses to play tricks on them. They have even impersonated monks, learned Buddhism, then taught it to humans. I’m wondering how close their teachings were to true Buddhist teachings.

They are so good at imitating people that they can live several years, possibly an entire lifetime, as humans before changing back into tanuki. There are ways to tell if you have run into a tanuki in disguise. According to legend tanuki wear a certain kimono that gives them away, but I have’t found any description of what this kimono looks like or how it differs from a human kimono.  So I don’t know how helpful that tip is…

If you see someone walking in the rain and they are not getting wet, without using an umbrella presumably, they could be a tanuki. Also, if the tanuki becomes sufficiently distracted they may forget to keep their tail hidden which gives them away as not being human. 

Tanuki can also change inanimate objects into other objects. For example, they can change leaves into money which they will probably use to gamble or trick humans into selling them something for a pile full of leaves.

  Tanuki are portrayed as mischievous trouble makers, helpful tricksters, and devious murderer s. Whatever they are, they are found throughout Japanese cultural history. If you visit Japan, you will see statues in front of many stores and for sale to customers. The statues emphasize the helpful persona of the tanuki.

These statues all look the same because each item on the raccoon dog has meaning. These items represent the eight signs of good luck.

Item One: A straw hat: The straw hat is used to protect yourself from trouble and unexpected accidents.

Item Two: Big eyes: Big eyes help you observe and pay attention to everything around you so you can make correct decisions.

Item Three: A smiling face: A smile reminds you to be friendly and kind to others.

Item Four: Wine Bottle: The bottle contains Japanese sake, or rice wine, and represents learning the qualities and character of a person that does not have to worry about eating. This one is a bit confusing, but what I believe is that this encourages a person to take notice of those that work hard to keep their family fed.

Item Five: A book: The book is a place to record cash transactions. It is  important in creating trust when borrowing money to help build trusting relationships between people.

Item Six: Th belly drum: One of the stories from the last episode talks about the tanuki using their bellies as a drum. Th belly drum represents a steady, calm, and daring attitude in life.

Item Seven: The “golden-bags”, that is written in parentheses, represent luck that will get better and better and create more and more money or fortune.

Item Eight: The Tail They have a big fluffy tail, on the status and in reality. The tail on the statue helps to support the balance of the body implying stability. It also represents the end. This one makes perfect sense to me. It also means wishing for a firm ending to life or a certain event in life.

These statues are quite cute and certainly imply a sense of impish good luck.  

Let’s take a closer look at the “golden bags” that is the seventh item on our lucky statue. The “golden bags” come with parentheses because it refers to the tanuki’s scrotum.  A bit of a warning here, we will be taking about male genitals for the rest of this podcast, if that is offensive to you, please be aware. Also, gentleman, this conversation may become a bit traumatizing for you, so take care.

One of the strangest abilities mythological tanukis have is the ability to stretch their scrotum to incredible sizes!. Yes, I am talking about the skin that surrounds the testes, the reproductive organs, of most male mammals. 

Tanuki can enlarge and shape change their scrotum into unbelievable sizes and shapes. It’s actually such an intregal part of the tanuki legend that during the Edo period a Japanese artist created a series of prints depicting the many ways that tanuki use their scrotum. 

They can use them for fishing and hunting. One print shows four tanuki standing in knee high water, these tanuki look like humans with dog-like faces and tails, stretching their scrotum out like a fishing net. They use the skin to corral fish and scoop them up. 

Another print show a single tanuki throwing his scrotum, which is still attached to him, into the air from a cliff edge to catch flying cranes. Another hunting related print shows tanuki using the scrotum to carry their bounty by pulling it behind them or over their shoulders.

It doesn’t stop there. Tanuki can use their scrotum to workout. One print shows several tanuki using their expandable skin as weights. One is doing leg lifts while another dead lifts his scrotum. Two others are watching presumably cheering them on. Apparently this skin doesn’t just expand in size but can increase in density as well.

  Tanuki can also use their scrotums as weapons. One print shows a tanuki beating an extremely large catfish to death with his expandable pouch. It can also help them stay warm on a cold day. There is a print that shows five tanuki using their elastic skin as a tent, sleeping bag, and cloak. Convenient. If you forget your camping gear just find a kind tanuki that will share theirs.

One print shows tanuki using their scrotum as a boat carrying themselves and several other tanuki across the water. There are so many other things that they can use their scrotums for that I could go on for awhile, but I won’t because I think you get the picture. Also, I just can’t say the word scrotum one more time!

So to sum up, tanukis are a bit of a catch all for unexplainable supernatural activities. If you don’t know what it is, it’s probably a tanuki in disguise. 

This concludes the mythology episodes of tanuki. It was a bit of a crazy ride but it is my eighth favorite thing about raccoon dogs. 

 

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Join me next week for the penultimate episode about Tanuki.    

 

(Piano Music plays) 

This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.