What is a “Trickster”?
When you first hear the word “trickster,” what do you think of? Perhaps you think of a cunning fox who uses their wits to confuse the protagonists or a small faery who indulges in pranking characters for their entertainment.
A trickster, defined by Lewis Hyde, author of the book Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art, is a “boundary-crosser” that defies physical and societal boundaries, breaking or creating a line of “right and wrong, sacred and profane, clean and dirty, male and female, young and old, living and dead.”
In this blog post, I will introduce a trickster found in folklore: the Tanuki.
What is a Tanuki?
A Tanuki, in English, is known as a raccoon dog due to its similar appearance to that of a raccoon. They are known to be active at night and occasionally travel to human civilization to find food or a place to live such as sewers or underneath bridges.
In Japanese folklore, according to Dr. Brenda G. Jordan, Tanukis are known to be “shape shifters who delight in wonderful, crazy, even dangerous pranks.” The folktales in which they appear are very diverse, ranging from anything humorous to malicious, showcasing their ability to play their role as a “boundary-crosser.” Here are three stories that feature Tanuki.
Bunbuku Tea Kettle [Bunbukuchagama]
Bunbukuchagama is the tale of a Tanuki who turned into a tea kettle, using its magical abilities to help its owner out of poverty. Initially caught by a priest, the Tanuki was sold to a poor tinkerer who kindly allowed the Tanuki to stay in his home. To repay the tinkerer’s kindness for allowing it to stay, the Tanuki, looking like a tea kettle with Tanuki head and limbs, danced on a rope, in a show. It became extremely popular through public performances and made the tinkerer very rich. After many years, to honor the Tanuki’s last wish, the tinkerer returned it to the same temple, where it was originally caught. The Tanuki, now taking the form of a tea kettle, lived a quiet, peaceful life afterward.
The Tanukibayashi of Shōjō-ji Temple [Shōjōji no Tanukibayashi]
Shōjōji no Tanukibayashi tells a story of Tanukis who used their shapeshifting powers to scare away the monks of Shōjō-ji Temple. After many of them were driven away by the Tanukis’ mischief, a new priest arrived at the temple. To drive him away like his predecessors, the Tanukis decided to have a party late at night with loud music (known as Tanukibayashi). Unexpectedly, the new priest joined the party, playing the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument with three strings. It escalated into a music competition, with the Tanukis pounding on their pot bellies like drums. One night, the boss Tanuki pounded its belly too hard and died. The priest kindly hosted its funeral. In more child-friendly versions, the boss Tanuki gets injured for the same reason and the priest treats the Tanuki kindly. In both versions, at the end of the story, the priest and the Tanukis come to a truce, develop friendship, and enjoy having friendly parties every night.
Kachikachi Mountain [Kachikachi Yama]
This story portrays the Tanuki as malicious and mischievous. The story begins with a Tanuki taunting and stealing crops from an old couple’s field; frustrated by the Tanuki, the old man sets up a trap. The Tanuki gets caught in the trap and is wrapped firmly with a string. The old man tells his wife not to untie it, but the Tanuki tricks her into untying the string, beating the old woman to death. A rabbit came across the grieving old man and promised him that it would beat the Tanuki to avenge the old woman’s death. Asking the Tanuki to come gather firewood in the mountains together, the Rabbit then tricked the Tanuki into thinking that the mountain naturally made “kachikachi” sounds when, in reality, it was the sound of the Rabbit setting the Tanuki’s firewood that was on its back on fire. Once the Tanuki recovered from its burn wound with the help of a hot pepper burn medicine concocted by the Rabbit, the two animals went fishing together. The Rabbit made a boat out of mud for the Tanuki and one out of wood for itself; when they went fishing at the lake, the Tanuki sank to the lake’s bottom because the mud boat melted into the water.
Conclusion
As seen in these stories, tricksters are certainly boundary crossers that use their wit or power for the good, such as the Tanuki from Bunbukuchagama, or the bad, such as the Tanuki from Kachikachiyama. Their stories highlight the use of wit in the world, challenging regular societal norms, exposing vulnerabilities, and even sometimes bring about change.
