Yokai Folklore Tanuki
Tanuki japanese raccoon dog.
Yokai folklore tanuki. This legendary creature is said to be mischievous and joyous but can also gullible and absentminded. Like the kitsune they are masters of shapeshifting and disguise and are mischievous creatures taking all sorts of disguises to deceive or annoy travelers or. A tanuki or japanese raccoon dog is a real animal with a reputation for magic and mischief. As the tanuki the animal has been significant in japanese folklore since ancient times.
They have appeared in many japanese movies and video games for example in the studio ghibli movie. Tanuki statues are popular decorations in homes and. The name kinutanuki is a portmanteau connecting the beating action of tanuki s bellies with silk and literally combining the words kinuta and tanuki. Golden balls or gold jewels are a true depiction of the real life tanuki.
The tanuki entry does not go into detail but states that like a kitsune fox an old tanuki will often transform into a yokai toriyama sekien 鳥山石燕 included tanuki in his 1776 gazu hyakkiyakō 画図百鬼夜行. Yōkai range diversely from the malevolent to. The tanuki 狸 tanuki is a japanese shape shifting yôkai with the shape of a raccoon dog. According to evolutionary biologists the tanuki s scrotum is large because of fierce.
Yōkai 妖怪 ghost phantom strange apparition are a class of supernatural monsters spirits and demons in japanese folklore the word yōkai is made up of the kanji for bewitching. Teke teke a vengeful spirit of a school girl with a half upper torso body who goes around killing people by slicing them in half with a scythe mimicking her own disfigurement. The tanuki may use a magical leaf that can give them the power to metamorphosis they also love sake. User with this ability either is or can transform into an tanuki an animal shapeshifter with great physical strength and supernatural powers.
In folklore tanuki has the ability to shape shift. Nonetheless in biological terms the magical tanuki s large nuts kintama 金玉 lit. Variation of yokai physiology and canine physiology. These shy nocturnal animals can be found on all of the japanese isles.
Ten a shapeshifting mischievous weasel. Technically speaking in folklore it is tanuki s scrotum that is large not his testes. The power to use the abilities of tanuki. The japanese raccoon dog also known as tanuki in japanese is a subspecies of the asian raccoon dog.
These little fur balls rarely cause serious harm to humans some might say this is because they aren t clever enough to fabricate truly dangerous plots but they are still full of pranks and surprises. Tanuki are famous for beating their bellies like drums. The tanuki rivals the kitsune for the most well known animal yōkai. Suspicious they can also be called ayakashi あやかし mononoke 物の怪 or mamono 魔物.
Raccoon dogs not surprisingly look like a cross between a raccoon and a small dog.