Novitskaia 1 Vera Novitskaia ALL4900W: Major Project Professor Joseph Allen 19 April 2015 Tanuki in Folklore as a Mirror of Japanese Society Folklore is enjoyed by many cultures around the world. Folklore – classified as stories that have been transmitted through oral tradition amongst the populace, rather than literary writing – can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Furthermore, it serves as a way to teach morals, project culturally-specific values, or draw attention to issues in society. And perhaps even more importantly, it is a form of entertainment and creative expression for a nation or culture. One interesting aspect of Japanese folklore in particular is that it has a long tradition of folklore featuring animals. Folktales about the mischief of “tanuki” have been told in Japan since the 13th century. Tanuki, otherwise known as raccoon dogs in English, are notorious in Japanese folklore for being playful and mischievous creatures with the ability to shape-shift. While tanuki are in fact a real and unique Japanese subspecies that can be found in nature, the animals’ flexible genome is an interesting parallel between their “shape-shifting” in folklore and in reality. Tanuki are also widely found in various forms of Japanese art, including woodblock prints, e-hon (picture books), masks, ceramics, and carved and stone statues from the Edo period and onward. In the Japanese town of Shigaraki, the local tourism association has organized a “day off” for the beloved tanuki statues on which the statues are “placed in water baths, wet towels are laid on Novitskaia 2 their brows and sleeping masks placed over their eyes” (Burton 224). Tanuki are also often connected to Buddhism and Shintoism, as “yōkai” spirits and protectors of nature. Japanese folklore is deeply rooted in nature, religion, and society, and it is clear that tanuki have long held a special place in the folklore and culture of Japan. By understanding more about how tanuki are represented in Japanese folklore, one can understand why tanuki are a mirror of the nation of Japan. Since they first appeared in folklore and art, the image of the tanuki has slowly changed to that of a goofy, cute, and loveable animal, reflecting how tanuki have become such a welcome part of Japanese culture over time. Yet, in the modern era, tanuki have also been used to depict controversial issues such as the impact modernization in Japan has had on the environment. The cultural tradition of re-telling fairytales in new, updated forms to suit different generations reflects a need for cultural and historical preservation in Japan. The image of tanuki has essentially grown and “shape-shifted” with Japanese society – as cultural values have changed, so has the representation of the tanuki. Origin of Tanuki The origin of tanuki in folklore is linked to Chinese mythology involving foxes that first appeared in the 3rd century. There is little (albeit some) folklore involving tanuki that actually originated in China, however. Folklore involving tanuki evolved primarily in Japan and thus can be considered a defining part of Japanese folklore. The Japanese term kori (狐狸), meaning “foxes and raccoon dogs”, stems from early Chinese texts, “in which the characters for fox (狐) Novitskaia 3 and raccoon dog (狸) were combined…However, in China, the combined term means ‘foxes’ only” (Schumacher). Foxes began to appear in Japanese spirituality and folklore in the 11th century. Unlike in Chinese folklore, where foxes were only regarded as evil tricksters, foxes in Japan are also associated with the divine and sacred – they are often embodied in shrine sculptures as the messenger of Inari, the Shinto deity of rice. Tanuki did not appear in Japanese folklore until later in the Uji Shūi Monogatari, a collection of Japanese tales from the 13th century, and the Nichū Reki, a Japanese zodiac calendar that included tanuki, foxes, badgers, and other animals. The mischievous nature of tanuki is similar to Japanese foxes and they often do appear as characters in each other’s folklore (much like the sheep and wolf in Western folklore), yet tanuki have always been clearly distinguished from foxes. “In Japan, Tanuki are portrayed as less adroit, less clever, and less dignified than foxes …unlike the fox, the Tanuki was also given a humorous side –he often appears as a clever schemer, but is easily outwitted and duped” (Schumacher). One explanation for this major difference in image may be the fact that it was only foxes that were associated with the divine in the beginning. Tanuki became more well-known after the late 16th century, when they began to appear in many Edo period Japanese folktales. Tanuki as a Product of Japanese Beliefs Why exactly tanuki became more popular during the Edo period is a question that needs to be investigated in order to better understand the origins of tanuki. Religion in Japan was a major influence on tanuki folklore. Prior to the increased popularity of tanuki, orthodox Buddhist sects had been competing for followers amongst themselves and with the new schools that had Novitskaia 4 resulted from the major Kamakura reformation of Buddhism. These new schools were devoted to the salvation of the common people and greatly popularized new sects of Buddhism such as Pure Land, Zen, and Nichiren in Japan during this time period. “Amidst this volatile scene, Japan's orthodox sects probably employed Buddhist deities, local kami, and yōkai [妖怪] (fantastic creatures like the Tanuki) in new formats to attract and maintain their followers” (Schumacher). The religious revival of yōkai can also be seen in the nature of tanuki folktales. Tanuki are commonly portrayed as playing tricks on ordinary folk, woodsman, and hunters. They are notorious for their ability to shape shift, including transforming features of the landscape to cause people to lose their way. Sometimes, they even enjoy tricking learned scholars and using their shape-shifting powers to transform into Buddhist monks (figure 1). Tanuki then confuse the scholars by employing their supreme knowledge of sutras. This too is a reflection of the subtle response to changes in Buddhism prior to the Edo period. Fig.1 – Tanuki monk incense holder (Property of the Tokyo National Museum) In accordance with the Shinto belief that powerful spirits or deities exist in nature, tanuki are also often portrayed as deities or protectors of nature. More specifically, tanuki fall under the Novitskaia 5 category of Shinto animal spirits. “There are hundreds of legends and stories about human encounters with these magical creatures, who can do both good or evil. The stories are so varied and voluminous that Lafcadio Hearn referred to such legends as ‘Ghostly Zoology’” (Schumacher). The presence of tanuki as yōkai-like spirits in both major religions of Japan, Buddhism and Shintoism, indicates that the origin of tanuki has been influenced very much by the unique combination of religious beliefs prevalent in Japan. Tanuki in the Real World In real life, tanuki, or Nyctereutes procyonoides (N.p.), are part of the canid biological family and are a species native to East Asia. Tanuki have also been introduced to Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and are particularly plentiful there in the Baltic region and Far East Russia. In these places they are simply called raccoon dogs, while in Japan they are more iconically known as tanuki, a name that carries a special ring with its folklore association. In his article titled The Transformations of Tanuki-san, Adrian Burton cleverly remarks that the shape-shifting abilities of tanuki that are described in fairytales have an unexpected parallel in real life, in that the tanuki species is “radically shapeshifting its genome, thereby distancing itself from the four subspecies of raccoon dog [of continental East Asia]…the [Japanese] tanuki itself has transformed into two subspecies, N.p. albus on Hokkaido and N.p. viverrinus (which has shorter, darker fur, and shorter hind legs) on Japan's other islands” (Burton 224). The tanuki species itself has been undergoing biological change, just like its folkloric representation. Physically, tanuki have the greatest resemblance to raccoons because of their markings. Novitskaia 6 Fig.2 – The tanuki species Instead of the grey and black of regular raccoons, their fur is a combination of honey brown and dark brown or black colors that change in tone accordingly throughout the year (figure 2). Their ears are shorter than those of a regular raccoon and their stature is larger and closer to that of grey foxes. Tanuki are known to hibernate in the winter, make sounds like cats, and be able to climb trees when foraging for food. Diet-wise, they are omnivores who survive primarily on a combination of rodents, birds, fish, insects, and fruits. Tanuki are sometimes hunted for their fur and because they can be a nuisance to farmers’ birds, eggs, and gardens. This is another interesting parallel, since it is most likely where the mischievous image of the tanuki came from. In Korean, tanuki are known as “neoguri” and interestingly enough, the troublesome image they hold in Japanese folklore may have played a part in why tropical cyclones in East Asia have been named Typhoon Neoguri (or, “Typhoon Raccoon Dog”) three times – most recently, in 2014. Tanuki are a clearly a familiar existence in East Asia, and they have quite the reputation due to their representation in folklore. Novitskaia 7 Tanuki According to Traditional Folklore In traditional folklore, tanuki were widely regarded as mischievous, playful, and sometimes even evil creatures. Inhabiting forests, mountains, valleys, and countryside, they are famous for their shape-shifting ability – although sometimes they must first place a leaf on their head in order to transform. The leaf convention from folklore has even carried into modern day representations of tanuki.