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Japanese Culture and
Social Customs |
What do you think of when you think of a raccoon dog? Is it a humorous,
roly-poly animal with a potbelly, or a crafty creature that tricks people? When
people from other countries come to Japan, they often see statues that
look like
little dogs or badgers standing outside of restaurants and shops and they
wonder what they are. These statues are raccoon dogs. They are popular
amongst the Japanese because their plump and happy looking appearances are
believed to be symbols of good luck. “Ta-nuki” in Japanese means, overtaking other people”. When you look at the statues carefully, you will notice that they put on a hat that protect them against the misfortunes, and stand with an amiable look, having a bankbook in their right hand and a sake bottle in their left. These figures represent symbol of good business.  In Japanese folk stories, both foxes and raccoon dogs are known to trick people. They often change their appearances to play tricks on travelers. Therefore, these animals do not represent a good image. However, a raccoon dog, unlike a fox, which is something to be fearful of, is humorous in his tricks. The “Bunbuku Chagama” is a well-known, funny tale about a raccoon dog. One day a poor old man found a raccoon dog that had been caught in a trap. He set it free. The grateful animal wanted to do something in return for his kindness, so it turned itself into a teakettle and made the kind man wealthy. “Bunbuku” means to spread happiness and “Chagama” means a teakettle. Since olden times the tanuki has enjoyed sake. They often change into human form, and pay for their drinks with money that turns out to be tree leaves. Even now, some brands of Japanese whiskey are called TANUKI. There are various words related to tanuki, for example, tanuki-neiri (pretending to be asleep), and tanuki-oyaji (a sly old man). Raccoon dog figures are occasionally used for souvenirs, housewarming gifts and for celebrating opening of new stores. |