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Tanuki - A Badger posing as Daruma
狸だるま　―　動物散歩


The Japanese Tanuki racoon dog, Nyctereutes procyonoides, also called badger, is still a familiar sight in rural neighbourhoods. Sometimes families with up to 12 members come to feed in our garden, while the farmer neighburs curse at them for stealing the apples and pears and digging unwanted holes. In former times farmers caught the tanuki for a hot stew in winter (たぬ き汁) and used the fur for brushes.

I call this picture: Five Nyorai Buddhas and one Tanuki
如来佛五体とたぬき一匹と言う写真です

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Next to the fox the Tanuki is seen as a crafty animal with magical powers, but unlike the fearful fox it is quite humorous in its tricks. Maybe the most famous story about a tanuki is the Bunbuku Chagama, where a trapped tanuki is freed by a kind man and pays him back his kindness. We will have a story in detail later on here and more about the Fox and Daruma in a different story.

In present day, you can see a tanuki usually standing outside restaurants and bars beckoning customers to come inside. Here he stands upright, usually with a vest, a hat, and carrying a bottle of liquor. He is believed to travel from one pub to the next pub in search of more liquor and good company.
http://www.utsuwa.com/faq.htm#Tanuki

During the search for TANUKI/DARUMA I found the following HP, which connects well with the above mention about alcoholic drinks:
狸が居酒屋のまえにたっているお話のつずきかのように：

サントリーオールド　Suntory Old Whiskey

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
日本のウイスキーの父、鳥井信治郎によって生み出された「たぬ き」「だるま」の愛称をもつ、日本の代表的ウイスキー。
The father of Japanese Whiskey, Mr. Torii produced some brands called TANUKI and DARUMA.
http://annex.commercecity.or.jp/mall/morimoto/page/0204/2545.html

In the Art World, there are some Tanuki Statues on sale, check this HP:
たぬきの立像が美術品としてあります：
http://www.trocadero.com/cgi-bin/search1.cgi


Here is a store that sells Shigaraki Tanuki online in English (and Daruma too)
信楽のたぬきを売るお店：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

http://cocoro.webspacetemp.com/Edarumatanuki.htm

Also to order your Tanuki online: もう一つのお店：
http://www.utsuwa.com/Dolls.htm


Shigaraki Pottery is famous for its Tanuki Collection.　On the following HP you find a collection of thumbnail pictures to look at some.

信楽焼たぬきの写真いっぱいのＨＰです。
http://cont4.mech.usp.ac.jp/~minagawa/shigapht/shigaraki/tanuki.html

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　
You find explanations of eight typical features of a Shigaraki Tanuki on this HP:
信楽たぬき八相縁喜の説明がこちら：
http://www.nmt.ne.jp/~toukiya3/zatugaku/hasou.htm


Mashiko is another a production center of Tanuki Pottery.
益子も狸焼物の産地です。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Check out more about Mashiko in English:
http://mashiko.shokokai-tochigi.or.jp/ss_eg/ss_top.htm
History of Mashiko Pottery:　益子焼の歴史について：
http://mashiko.shokokai-tochigi.or.jp/ss_eg/ss_dat/yakimono.htm
日本語で：
http://www.mta.mashiko.tochigi.jp/
Mr. Aoyama has written about the Yashima Tanuki in Vol. Nr. 4 of the DARUMA Society Information, so please read the details there in Japanese. Some statues show the face of the human Daruma with fur on the stomach and animal feet to stand on. The form of the animal-faced standing Tanuki has no earrings, but also carries a flywhisk (hossu払子), symbol of a high-ranking priest. Another type of tanuki pottery has almost the form of a tumbler doll, with the character for good luck, FUKU (福), on his big belly and is made as a garden decoration or a piggy bank. We will see my example later.
達磨会の青山さんは第4号の会報に詳しくたぬきだるまについて書きました。たぬ きの焼物の立像や貯金箱もあります。


Now let us visit the area of Yashima in Shikoku。

屋島＝源平合戦の故地。山上からの景色はなかなかよい。
Yashima: A battle of the Genji and the Heike was fought here (the battle of Yashima, leading up to the last battle in Dan-no-ura). At the time of the Genji-Heike battle this was an island, but now it is connected to Shikoku, forming a peninsula (eastern part of Takamatsu-city). The view from the top of the mountain is superb.

http://www.geocities.co.jp/SilkRoad-Desert/8678/shikoku.html


Yashima-ji Temple 屋島寺
The main image of the temple, an Eleven-faced Thousand-handed Kannon, 1,200 years old, is an Important Cultural Property. Another popular place is Minoyama Daimyojin Shrine next to the Main Hall, bright with vermilion torii gates. It is dedicated to a legendary bald-headed raccoon dog (tanuki) named Tasaburo, an attendant pet of Kannon here. He is said to have made himself the big boss of all the raccoon dogs in Shikoku. He was unrivaled in the arts of magic. He firmly believed he was of noble stock, too, because his former master was a prince of the Taira clan. On a moonlit night Tasaburo would call together all his fellows on the Island to re-enact the "Gempei Battle" exactly as he had witnessed it, naturally with himself in the starring role. Now Tasaburo is a sort of ubiquitous mascot in Takamatsu.
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/kagawa/capital.html
　
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　

Let us read one of the most famous stories about an old Tanuki (by the way, a seasoned polititian is usually called an "Old Tanuki" (古だぬき).

The Bald-headed Tanuki at Jogan-ji Temple
Many years ago there lived in Jogan-ji a bald-headed tanuki called Hage-san (Mr. Bald). One cold day toward the end of the year, Hage-san overheard a poor old couple next door talking:

"The New Year is coming, my dear husband. But I'm afraid we have to do without the New Year's rice cake. What shall we do?" said the old woman is a feeble voice. "Well, I can't tell what to do, my dear, when we have so many bills to pay before the New Year comes," said the old man in a worried voice.

Hage-san felt sorry for them. Then he made up his mind to help the couple, who had always been so kind to him. So he came up and said. "Don't worry, old man! I'll make some money for you. I promise!"

But he had no idea how to make money. So he went to consult Yashima-Tanuki, who was the boss of the whole raccoon dog kingdom on Shikoku. The boss advised Hage-san to ..........STOP!

Sorry, this is getting too long. You have to read the rest right here:
http://www.kagawa-jc.ac.jp/~steve/kagawa/capital.html

Here is some more information and pictures about Yashima and Temple Nr. 84 with the BIG Tanuki Statues on this HP:

四国霊場第８４番札所 南面山 屋島寺
http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~marusan/kankopage/kanko10.htm

　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Finally let us have a look at three of my own Tanuki-Daruma. One Mashiko Tanuki is sitting outside on a shelf and sometimes he gets visitors. First the white cat sits with him. He can be used as a piggy bank as well. In the story above we have just learned that Tanuki had his way with collecting riches.
庭の飾り棚にある益子のだるまにお客さんが来る。まずは白い猫ちゃん。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Next a real tanuki, my little TAKI-chan, is showing up to look after his pottery friend.
今回は本物の狸も来ました。私の大好きな「タキちゃん」です。

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Now a Tanuki Statue from Takamatsu, holding a flywhisk on his left shoulder:
高松で購入した、たぬきだるまです：

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

And finally a beautiful seated Takamatsu Tanuki with a priests robe, szepter (nyo-i　如意) and a little begging bowl. He sits in my garden and watches over the barbeque space.　His head is tilted just a little as if he is constantly wondering about the strange actions of human beings, especially when they have too much beer.
座って、袈裟をまとい、如意、鉢をもってお坊さんの格好をする狸もあります。夏の間、庭のバーベキユー場所の見張り番になっています。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Presented by Gabi Greve, GokuRakuAn, Japan, May 2002.
gokuraku@po.harenet.ne.jp