Tanuki

This past Wednesday, I had another opportunity to head to Mashiko the pottery town north of Tokyo. I have enjoyed each visit, although they’ve each been more rushed than I would have liked. This time I already knew what I wanted – the vase I’d photographed at the Daisei Gama studio on a previous visit. So while my fellow explorer’s did a bit of power shopping I had the chance to wander, look, take in this town where over 400 potters make their home.

On our “drive by” visit over Thanksgiving my husband seemed to be taken with the larger than life size version of the Tanuki in the center of town. Taking pictures of it, chuckling and mentioning something about a Facebook photo – I just rolled my eyes, shook my head and quickly distanced myself, thinking “guys – they just never grow up.” Tanuki’s are known for their exceptionally large male body parts.

This time around, on my own to explore the main street I couldn’t turn around without seeing a Tanuki. I’m sure he was there on my previous visits but I was too focused on buying beautiful pottery to bother taking time to notice what I’d call the Japanese equivalent of tacky lawn décor. But I’ll have to admit the spirit of the creature made me stop and laugh. So I took my photos and decided when I returned home I would try to find out a bit more about this character.

In Japanese folklore, Tanuki are shape shifters with supernatural powers and mischievous tendancies. A characteristic that is hard not to notice is the Tanuki’s gigantic testes. In Japanese slang, these are known as Kinbukuro 金袋, or “money bags.” Called Kin-tama 金玉 (Golden Jewels) in Japanese, the testes are supposedly symbols of good luck rather than overt sexual symbols (for all their formality the Japanese are much more tolerant of low humor than most Western nations). With a little more research I found this on the web: “The tanuki has eight special traits that bring good fortune possibly created to coincide to the "Hachi" symbol (meaning eight) often found on the sake bottles the statues hold. The eight traits are: a hat to be ready to protect against trouble or bad weather; big eyes to perceive the environment and help make good decisions; a sake bottle that represents virtue; a big tail that provides steadiness and strength until success is achieved; over-sized testicles that symbolize financial luck; a promissory note that represents trust or confidence; a big belly that symbolises bold and calm decisiveness; and a friendly smile.”

I did purchase my vase and I’ll enjoy using it in my Ikebana classes. I enjoyed seeing Otsuka-san and her son Seiichi again at the Daisei-Gama studio and sharing a cup of hot green tea. But I also enjoyed having the chance to learn a bit more about the Japanese legend of the Tanuki. The creature who mischievously caught my eye on this trip and shape shifted my mind to see beyond the childishness and into the joy of experiencing what life puts before you. Inspiring.