Tanuki

Racoon dogs that have shapeshifting abilities

Fun-loving, mischievous tricksters—tanuki are some of the most popular of the Yokai in Japan. Many are friendly and jovial and enjoy gambling, drinking sake, and overeating. Being omnivores, these characters also tend to run up large bills at bars and restaurants. They can be raucous and bawdy, or upright administrators and protectors.

Appearance

Their natural form resembles a cross between a raccoon and a potbellied dog. Many sport a raccoon-style mask on their faces. Often, tanuki wear a wide-brimmed straw hat with a leaf in it and carry a bottle of sake around.

Abiities

Tanuki Tea Kettle by School of Katsushika Hokusai

Tanuki are powerful shapeshifters, able to transform into items (such as tea kettles, lanterns, or stones), or people (often round-bellied priests or officials). They like to use their stomachs as a drum or imitate sounds to lure curious passers-by into the forest and get them thoroughly lost. Casting illusions for coinage to pay with is another common trick. Despite their deceptive tendencies, their presence is considered a sign of luck and good fortune. If you stick up for a tanuki, they'll repay you in kind.

Nonogawa River Valley Post Occupation Truce

Organization | Mar 3, 2024

A dispute between the spirit folk (kitsune, tanuki, etc) and Nonogawa Valley farmers in post occupation Japan. We meet a new character in this one and get hints of another.

Rice Harvest Festival to Inari

Tradition / Ritual | Jun 13, 2023

Nonogawa's biggest festival where the residents give thanks to Inari for the harvest, particularly the rice harvest.

Tanuki Sitting by Benedikt Günther

Mature Content

NSFW images and snippets of myth/folklore are hidden behind a permission requirement. The content is mild, but a tad crude. Please only display this content if it is appropriate for you. Click, if you give permission to display this content.

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Fun facts

In English, 'tanuki' is often translated as raccoon or badger. Though they are neither.

Most active

Night time

Location

Commonly found in forested areas and small towns. Though they adapt well to any location.

Conservation Status

Rare, but not as endangered at the Kitsune

Related Ethnicities

Yokai

Appears In:

Click book/story to read.

Liminal Chronicles Books

Short Stories

by Amy Winters-Voss

Chou becomes Ohno-chan's pet by Amy Winters-Voss

Initiation by AWV

Nakamura's Dream by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

Fujimori and the Fox by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

Misunderstandings by AWV + Flaticon.com icons

by AWV

Liminal Chronicles Series bookcover art by Odette.A.Bach and text by Amy Winters-Voss. Short story bookcovers by Amy Winters-Voss

Entry for WorldEmber 2020

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Inspiration

The world of Liminal Chronicles brings in and builds on Japanese mythology and folklore. While this setting does not represent "actual Japan", the author does her best to respect and show her love for the Japanese culture in this "world". Departures from Folklore and Culture describes where the author has chosen to deviate from real world Japan to create Liminal Chronicles.

This site and related stories are works of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places and events are products of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events, places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright

Artwork and content (if nothing else is stated) are

2024

Amy Winters-Voss. If content created by another is used, it is used with permission or licensed for use. All rights reserved. You may not use the material without written permission from the author. You may not use content from this site for AI training, AI purposes, or NFT purposes.

Theme page background credits: rawpixel.com. Global header, Umeji Tatsuya, Nakamura Hisako,and Shion character art, and Rise and Guardian bookcovers by Odette.A.Bach.

World Anvil logo and WA event logos are property of and provided by World Anvil. All HeroForge character art and tokens created and owned by, and used under license from, HeroForge.com. HeroForge.com is not responsible for the content of this site and hereby disclaims any and all content and views expressed herein.

Cover image: Tanukis by kazushi onishi

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Liminal Chronicles

Comments

Author's Notes

References

Yokai.com

Tofugu

Gogonihon

SoraNews

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Councilor of the Inner Sanctum Serukis

Dec 23, 2020 18:42 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

I tried to click the mature content thing and it 404'd me. Just so you're aware (pretty sure I know what the content is, though, if I know tanukis). Interesting article. I love the whole shapeshifter thing about tanukis.

Emy x Etrea | Vazdimet