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Japanese raccoon dog

May 10, 2023

The Japanese raccoon dog (Nyctereutes viverrinus),[1] also known as the tanuki (Japanese: 狸, たぬき, pronounced [taꜜnɯki]), is a species of canid endemic to Japan. It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the common raccoon dog (N. procyonoides),[2] of which it was traditionally thought to be a subspecies (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus).

Japanese raccoon dog
In Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Nyctereutes
Species:
N. viverrinus
Binomial name
Nyctereutes viverrinus
(Temminck, 1838)
Synonyms

Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus

The Japanese raccoon dog has a smaller stomach and shorter fur of lesser insulation value than mainland raccoon dogs.[3] A rare, white colour type can also be found.[4]

Within Japanese folklore, the tanuki have had a significant role since ancient times. The legendary tanuki are reputed to be mischievous and jolly, masters of disguise and shapeshifting but somewhat gullible and absentminded. The animals have also been common in Japanese art, particularly as subjects for statues.

Japanese etymology

While tanuki are prominent in Japanese folklore and proverbs, they were not always clearly distinguished from other animals with a similar appearance. In local dialects, tanuki and mujina (狢, kyujitai: 貉) can refer to raccoon dogs or the Japanese badger. An animal known as tanuki in one region may be known as mujina in another region. In the modern Tokyo standard dialect, tanuki refers to raccoon dogs and anaguma refers to badgers.

Tanuki is often mistakenly translated into English as "badger" or "raccoon" (as used in the English translation of the film Pom Poko and outlined in Tom Robbins' book Villa Incognito), two unrelated types of animals with superficially similar appearances. Traditionally, different areas of Japan had different names for raccoon dogs as animals, which would be used to denote different animals in other parts of the country, including badgers and wild cats; however, the official word in the standard Tokyo dialect is now tanuki, a term that also carries the folkloric significance.

The North American raccoon (Procyon lotor) is translated as araiguma (アライグマ, 洗熊, lit. washing bear) in Japanese, while badger is translated as anaguma (穴熊, lit. hole bear) or as mujina (貉, 狢).

Behavior

The Japanese raccoon dog is mainly nocturnal, but they are known to be active during daylight. They vocalize by growling or with groans that have pitches resembling those of domesticated cats. Like cats, the Japanese raccoon dog arches its back when it is trying to intimidate other animals; however, they assume a defensive posture similar to that of other canids, lowering their bodies and showing their bellies to submit.

Usually, social groups are limited to a breeding pair, but individual Japanese raccoon dogs may stay in a group of non-paired individuals until they find a mate.[5]

The species is predominantly monogamous. The breeding period for the species is synchronized between females and males and lasts between February and April. A litter (typically with 4–6 pups) is born after a gestation period of 9 weeks. The parents look after their pups at a den for around a month, and then for another month after the pups leave the den.

Japanese raccoon dogs live for 7–8 years in the wild and have reached the age of 13 in captivity.[5]

They have been observed to climb trees to forage for fruits and berries,[6][7] using their curved claws to climb.[8]

Taxonomy

 
Japanese raccoon dogs at Fukuyama, Hiroshima
(video) Several raccoon dogs at Tobu Zoo in Saitama prefecture

The Japanese raccoon dog is sometimes classified as its own distinct species due to unique chromosomal, behavioral, and morphological characteristics absent in mainland raccoon dogs.[9] Researchers[10] have suggested that they be considered a separate species, N. viverrinus, or that raccoon dogs of Japan could be further divisible into separate subspecies as N. p. procyonoides and N. p. albus, but both views were controversial. However, following morphological and genetic analysis across multiple studies, all of which indicated that N. viverrinus was a distinct species, it was later classified as such by the American Society of Mammalogists.[2][11]

Genetic analysis has confirmed unique sequences of mtDNA, classifying the Japanese raccoon dog as a distinct isolation species, based on evidence of eight Robertsonian translocations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Canid Group's Canid Biology and Conservation Conference in September 2001 rejected the classification of the Japanese raccoon dog as a separate species, but its status is still disputed, based on its elastic genome.[10] The karyotype of Japanese raccoon dogs is different from that of the mainland raccoon dogs.[12] Though it is unknown whether mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese raccoon dogs can produce fertile offspring, it is assumed that the chromosomal differences between them would have deleterious effects on the fertility of the potential offspring and this would be indicative of speciation.[13][10][14] Aggregators on mammal taxonomy are inconsistent: Like the IUCN, Mammal Species of the World (2005) considers the Japanese raccoon dog to be a subspecies, whereas the American Association of Mammologists include N. viverrinus as a valid species in their Mammal Diversity Database.[15][16]

The raccoon dogs from Hokkaido are sometimes recognized as a different subspecies from the mainland tanuki as Nyctereutes procyonoides albus (Hornaday, 1904) (or N. viverrinus albus if recognized as a distinct species). This taxon is synonymized with N. p. viverrinus in Mammal Species of the World,[12][15] but comparative morphometric analysis supports recognizing the Hokkaido population as a distinct subspecific unit.[12]

Conservation

The IUCN places the raccoon dog at "least concern" status due to the animal's wide distribution in Japan and abundant population, including as an introduced species throughout northeastern Europe. In many European countries, it is legal to hunt raccoon dogs, as they are considered a harmful and invasive species.[17] In Japan the species is hunted mainly to prevent them from damaging crops; however, their fur is desired for use in calligraphy brushes and was exported chiefly to the United States before the outbreak of World War II. The animal is a common victim of vehicle accidents, with conservative estimates of up to 370,000 Japanese raccoon dogs being killed by vehicles each year in Japan.[5]

In folklore and tradition

Main article: Bake-danuki
 
Taxidermy of a Japanese raccoon dog, wearing waraji on its feet: This tanuki is displayed in a Buddhist temple in Japan, in the area of the folktale "Bunbuku Chagama".
 
Tanuki or Raccoon dog statue. Banna-ji. Ashikaga, Tochigi.

The tanuki has a long history in Japanese legend and folklore. Bake-danuki (化け狸) are a kind of tanuki yōkai (supernatural beings) found in the classics and in the folklore and legends of various places in Japan.

Although the tanuki is a real, extant animal, the bake-danuki that appears in literature has always been depicted as a strange, even supernatural animal. The earliest appearance of the bake-danuki in literature, in the chapter about Empress Suiko in the Nihon Shoki written during the Nara period, there are such passages as "in two months of spring, there are tanuki in the country of Mutsu (春二月陸奥有狢),[18] they turn into humans and sing songs (化人以歌)".[19][20][21] Bake-danuki subsequently appear in such classics as the Nihon Ryōiki[20][22][23] and the Uji Shūi Monogatari.[20] In some regions of Japan, bake-danuki are reputed to have abilities similar to those attributed to kitsune (foxes): they can shapeshift into other things or people,[20][23] and can possess human beings.[20][24]

Many legends of tanuki exist in the Sado Islands of Niigata Prefecture and in Shikoku, and among them, like the Danzaburou-danuki of Sado, the Kinchō-tanuki and Rokuemon-tanuki of Awa Province (Tokushima Prefecture), and the Yashima no Hage-tanuki of Kagawa Prefecture, the tanuki that possessed special abilities were given names, and even became the subject of rituals. Apart from these places, tanuki are treated with special regard in a few cases.[25]

In popular culture

Tanuki (or their folklore version) are a recurring theme in Japanese popular culture. The first exposure of non-Japanese to tanuki usually comes through exported Japanese media. However, they are often described as "raccoons" in translation or assumed as such if no species is given.[26]

Notable appearances of tanuki in popular culture include:

  • In the 1992 Super NES video game Pocky & Rocky, one of the two playable characters is a tanuki named Rocky who defeats his enemies by shooting leaves at them. Rocky also makes appearances in the 1994, 2001, and 2022 releases in the hit series.
  • In Nintendo's video games Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 8, and Super Mario 3D World, Mario can wear a "Tanooki Suit". By doing so, he takes on the appearance of a tanuki and gains the ability to fly, spin his tail to attack enemies, and shapeshift into a statue, much like a bake-danuki. The same games also feature the "Super Leaf", which gives Mario tanuki ears and a tail and allows him to fly and use his tail to attack, although this form is known as Raccoon Mario; in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World, Mario can only transform into his Tanooki form after obtaining a Super Leaf. This power-up is based on the mythology of tanuki using leaves to help themselves transform.[26]
  • The 1994 Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko features a group of tanuki who use their shapeshifting powers to defend their habitat against human developers.[27]
  • In 2015 GitLab.com adopted a new logo of an abstracted raccoon dog and the term Tanuki.[28]
  • Tom Nook, a recurring character in the Animal Crossing video game series, is a tanuki, as well as his two employees,[29] Timmy and Tommy. In the English versions of the games he is localized as a raccoon, although his name still alludes to tanuki. The furniture that these characters sell transforms into leaves for easy transport.
  • A tanuki appears as a newscaster in the Japanese version of the American Disney computer-animated film Zootopia; the standard release of the film and releases in other countries use other animals.[30]
  • In the 2019 Sonic game Team Sonic Racing, one of the characters is a tanuki named Dodon Pa.[31]
  • The 2020 Studio Trigger TV anime BNA: Brand New Animal features main protagonist Michiru Kagemori, a humanoid shape-shifting tanuki who is often mistaken as a raccoon.[32]
  • Genshin Impact by miHoYo features the region based on Japan called Inazuma where the player can encounter tanuki who play with them and offer rewards when solving their puzzles. The tanuki even play a role in the multi-part story quest, Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual.
  • In the Japanese manga and anime, One Piece, the character, Tony Tony Chopper is often confused for a Raccoon Dog even though he is a reindeer.

In Japanese slang, tanuki gao ("raccoon dog face") can refer to a face that looks like that of the animal, or a person's facial expression of feigned ignorance.[33] By contrast, kitsune gao ("fox face") refers to people with narrow faces, close-set eyes, thin eyebrows, and high cheekbones.

A dish called tanukijiru [ja] ("tanuki soup") ceased to contain actual tanuki meat,[34] but some rural stews do use tanuki.[35]

Of Japanese noodles, the words "tanuki" and "kitsune" designate two varieties of the udon or soba dishes. Neither contain any of those meats. Tanuki udon/soba contains flakes of fried tempura batter ("tenkasu"), while kitsune udon/soba contains fried tofu ("abura-age").[36]

References

  1. ^ "Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  2. ^ a b Kim, Sang-In; Oshida, Tatsuo; Lee, Hang; Min, Mi-Sook; Kimura, Junpei (2015). "Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mammalia: Carnivora)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 116 (4): 856–872. doi:10.1111/bij.12629. ISSN 1095-8312.
  3. ^ Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio; Hoffman, Michael; and MacDonald David W. Canids: Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, and Dogs: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN; 2004. p136.
  4. ^ "Rare white raccoon dog caught". The Japan Times. 18 October 2013. from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Ishibashi, Ohdachi; Saitoh, Iwasa (July 2009). The Wild Mammals of Japan. pp. 216–217.
  6. ^ Kauhala, K.; Saeki, M. (2004). (PDF). Canid Species Accounts. Pridobljeno: IUCN/SSC Canid Specialist Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2009. Retrieved 15 April 2009.
  7. ^ Ikeda, Hiroshi (August 1986). "Old, new tricks: Asia's raccoon, a venerable member of the canid family is pushing into new frontiers". Natural History. 95 (8): 40, 44.
  8. ^ . Waza.org. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2015.
  9. ^ Kauhala, Kaarina (1994). . Canid News. 2: 37–40. Archived from the original on 25 June 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  10. ^ a b c Nie, Wenhui; Jinhuan Wang; Polina Perelman; Alexander S. Graphodatsky; Fengtang Yang (November 2003). "Comparative chromosome painting defines the karyotypic relationships among the domestic dog, Chinese raccoon dog and Japanese raccoon dog". Chromosome Research. 11 (8): 735–740. doi:10.1023/B:CHRO.0000005760.03266.29. PMID 14712859. S2CID 44979180.
  11. ^ "Explore the Database". www.mammaldiversity.org. from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Wada, Masayasu; Tamaki Suzuki; Kimiyuki Tsuchiya (1998). "Re-examination of the chromosome homology between two subspecies of Japanese raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides albus and N.p. viverrinus)". Caryologia. 51 (1): 13–18. doi:10.1080/00087114.1998.10589116.
  13. ^ Kim, Sang-In; Tatsuo Oshida; Hang Lee; Mi-Sook Min; Junpei Kimura (December 2015). "Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides, Mammalia: Carnivora)". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 116 (4): 856–872. doi:10.1111/bij.12629.
  14. ^ Mayr, Ernst (January 1963). Animal Species and Evolution. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. p. 811. ISBN 0674037502. from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  15. ^ a b Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  16. ^ Burgin, Connor; Jocelyn Colella; Philip Kahn; Nate Upham (February 2018). "How many species of mammals are there?". Journal of Mammalogy. 99 (1): 1–11. doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyx147. from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  17. ^ Kauhala, K.; Saeki, M. (2016). "Nyctereutes procyonoides". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T14925A85658776. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T14925A85658776.en. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
  18. ^ Dōbutsu Yōkaitan. p. 106.
  19. ^ The translation of this into modern Japanese can be found on page 13 of Discover Yōkai Nihon Yōkai Daihyakka (『DISCOVER妖怪 日本妖怪大百科 VOL.07』). Furthermore, the「狢」in the document here are not mujina, but rather, signify tanuki
  20. ^ a b c d e Dōbutsu Yōkaitan. Vol. 2. pp. 105–139.
  21. ^ Murakami, Kenji (2008). "Yōkai to natta kitsune to tanuki" 妖怪となった狐と狸. Discover Yōkai Nihon Yōkai Daihyakka DISCOVER妖怪 日本妖怪大百科. Kodansha Official File Magazine. Vol. 7. Kōdansha. p. 15. ISBN 978-4-06-370037-4.
  22. ^ Tanuki to sono sekai. pp. 209–212.
  23. ^ a b Gensō sekai no jūnintachi. pp. 235–240.
  24. ^ Sano, Kenji; et al. Minkan shinkō jiten. p. 184.
  25. ^ Miyazawa, Teruaki (1978). Tanuki no hanashi 狸の話. Arimine Shoten. pp. 226–230.
  26. ^ a b Mark I. West, ed. (2008). "Japanese Dominance of the Video-game Industry". The Japanification of Children's Popular Culture. Scarecrow Press.
  27. ^ Frenchy Lunning, ed. (2006). "The Werewolf in the Crested Kimono". Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga, Volume 1. University of Minnesota Press.
  28. ^ "Our new logo". 3 July 2015. from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Timmy and Tommy - Nookipedia, the Animal Crossing wiki". nookipedia.com. from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  30. ^ Loughrey, Clarisse. "Zootropolis' new anchors change animal depending on what country you're in 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine." The Independent. 7 March 2016. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  31. ^ . Nintendo Everything. 22 August 2018. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  32. ^ "CHARACTER｜アニメ『BNA ビー・エヌ・エー』". Studio Trigger. from the original on 19 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  33. ^ .
  34. ^ [Tanuki-stew ceremony]. Hozoin-Ryu Sojutsu School of spearmanship (in Japanese). 23 October 2003. Archived from the original on 2 November 2007. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  35. ^ Nicol, C.W., "Talking tanuki — or whatever you call them 7 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine", The Japan Times, 4 January 2015, p. 21
  36. ^ Itoh, Makiko (17 November 2018). "A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season". The Japan Times. from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.

Further reading

  • Hino, Iwao (2006). Dōbutsu yōkaitan (動物妖怪譚). Vol. 2. Chūō Kōron Shinsha. ISBN 978-4-12-204792-1.
  • Katsumi, Tada (1990). Gensō sekai no jūnintachi (幻想世界の住人たち). Truth in fantasy. Vol. IV. Shinkigensha. ISBN 978-4-915146-44-2.
  • Nakamura, Teiri (1990). Tanuki to sono sekai (狸とその世界). Asahi sensho. Asahi Shinbunsha. ISBN 978-4-02-259500-3.
  • Sakurai, Tokutarō, ed. (1980). Minkan shinkō jiten (民間信仰辞典). Tōkyōdō Shuppan. ISBN 978-4-490-10137-9.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tanuki.

May 10, 2023
japanese, raccoon, nyctereutes, viverrinus, also, known, tanuki, japanese, たぬき, pronounced, taꜜnɯki, species, canid, endemic, japan, species, genus, nyctereutes, alongside, common, raccoon, procyonoides, which, traditionally, thought, subspecies, nyctereutes, . The Japanese raccoon dog Nyctereutes viverrinus 1 also known as the tanuki Japanese 狸 たぬき pronounced taꜜnɯki is a species of canid endemic to Japan It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes alongside the common raccoon dog N procyonoides 2 of which it was traditionally thought to be a subspecies Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus Japanese raccoon dogIn Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical GardensConservation statusLeast Concern IUCN 3 1 Scientific classificationKingdom AnimaliaPhylum ChordataClass MammaliaOrder CarnivoraFamily CanidaeGenus NyctereutesSpecies N viverrinusBinomial nameNyctereutes viverrinus Temminck 1838 SynonymsNyctereutes procyonoides viverrinusThe Japanese raccoon dog has a smaller stomach and shorter fur of lesser insulation value than mainland raccoon dogs 3 A rare white colour type can also be found 4 Within Japanese folklore the tanuki have had a significant role since ancient times The legendary tanuki are reputed to be mischievous and jolly masters of disguise and shapeshifting but somewhat gullible and absentminded The animals have also been common in Japanese art particularly as subjects for statues Contents 1 Japanese etymology 2 Behavior 3 Taxonomy 4 Conservation 5 In folklore and tradition 6 In popular culture 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksJapanese etymology EditWhile tanuki are prominent in Japanese folklore and proverbs they were not always clearly distinguished from other animals with a similar appearance In local dialects tanuki and mujina 狢 kyujitai 貉 can refer to raccoon dogs or the Japanese badger An animal known as tanuki in one region may be known as mujina in another region In the modern Tokyo standard dialect tanuki refers to raccoon dogs and anaguma refers to badgers Tanuki is often mistakenly translated into English as badger or raccoon as used in the English translation of the film Pom Poko and outlined in Tom Robbins book Villa Incognito two unrelated types of animals with superficially similar appearances Traditionally different areas of Japan had different names for raccoon dogs as animals which would be used to denote different animals in other parts of the country including badgers and wild cats however the official word in the standard Tokyo dialect is now tanuki a term that also carries the folkloric significance The North American raccoon Procyon lotor is translated as araiguma アライグマ 洗熊 lit washing bear in Japanese while badger is translated as anaguma 穴熊 lit hole bear or as mujina 貉 狢 Behavior EditThe Japanese raccoon dog is mainly nocturnal but they are known to be active during daylight They vocalize by growling or with groans that have pitches resembling those of domesticated cats Like cats the Japanese raccoon dog arches its back when it is trying to intimidate other animals however they assume a defensive posture similar to that of other canids lowering their bodies and showing their bellies to submit Usually social groups are limited to a breeding pair but individual Japanese raccoon dogs may stay in a group of non paired individuals until they find a mate 5 The species is predominantly monogamous The breeding period for the species is synchronized between females and males and lasts between February and April A litter typically with 4 6 pups is born after a gestation period of 9 weeks The parents look after their pups at a den for around a month and then for another month after the pups leave the den Japanese raccoon dogs live for 7 8 years in the wild and have reached the age of 13 in captivity 5 They have been observed to climb trees to forage for fruits and berries 6 7 using their curved claws to climb 8 Taxonomy Edit Japanese raccoon dogs at Fukuyama Hiroshima source source source source source source source source source source source source source source video Several raccoon dogs at Tobu Zoo in Saitama prefecture The Japanese raccoon dog is sometimes classified as its own distinct species due to unique chromosomal behavioral and morphological characteristics absent in mainland raccoon dogs 9 Researchers 10 have suggested that they be considered a separate species N viverrinus or that raccoon dogs of Japan could be further divisible into separate subspecies as N p procyonoides and N p albus but both views were controversial However following morphological and genetic analysis across multiple studies all of which indicated that N viverrinus was a distinct species it was later classified as such by the American Society of Mammalogists 2 11 Genetic analysis has confirmed unique sequences of mtDNA classifying the Japanese raccoon dog as a distinct isolation species based on evidence of eight Robertsonian translocations The International Union for Conservation of Nature Canid Group s Canid Biology and Conservation Conference in September 2001 rejected the classification of the Japanese raccoon dog as a separate species but its status is still disputed based on its elastic genome 10 The karyotype of Japanese raccoon dogs is different from that of the mainland raccoon dogs 12 Though it is unknown whether mainland raccoon dogs and Japanese raccoon dogs can produce fertile offspring it is assumed that the chromosomal differences between them would have deleterious effects on the fertility of the potential offspring and this would be indicative of speciation 13 10 14 Aggregators on mammal taxonomy are inconsistent Like the IUCN Mammal Species of the World 2005 considers the Japanese raccoon dog to be a subspecies whereas the American Association of Mammologists include N viverrinus as a valid species in their Mammal Diversity Database 15 16 The raccoon dogs from Hokkaido are sometimes recognized as a different subspecies from the mainland tanuki as Nyctereutes procyonoides albus Hornaday 1904 or N viverrinus albus if recognized as a distinct species This taxon is synonymized with N p viverrinus in Mammal Species of the World 12 15 but comparative morphometric analysis supports recognizing the Hokkaido population as a distinct subspecific unit 12 Conservation EditThe IUCN places the raccoon dog at least concern status due to the animal s wide distribution in Japan and abundant population including as an introduced species throughout northeastern Europe In many European countries it is legal to hunt raccoon dogs as they are considered a harmful and invasive species 17 In Japan the species is hunted mainly to prevent them from damaging crops however their fur is desired for use in calligraphy brushes and was exported chiefly to the United States before the outbreak of World War II The animal is a common victim of vehicle accidents with conservative estimates of up to 370 000 Japanese raccoon dogs being killed by vehicles each year in Japan 5 In folklore and tradition EditMain article Bake danuki Taxidermy of a Japanese raccoon dog wearing waraji on its feet This tanuki is displayed in a Buddhist temple in Japan in the area of the folktale Bunbuku Chagama Tanuki or Raccoon dog statue Banna ji Ashikaga Tochigi The tanuki has a long history in Japanese legend and folklore Bake danuki 化け狸 are a kind of tanuki yōkai supernatural beings found in the classics and in the folklore and legends of various places in Japan Although the tanuki is a real extant animal the bake danuki that appears in literature has always been depicted as a strange even supernatural animal The earliest appearance of the bake danuki in literature in the chapter about Empress Suiko in the Nihon Shoki written during the Nara period there are such passages as in two months of spring there are tanuki in the country of Mutsu 春二月陸奥有狢 18 they turn into humans and sing songs 化人以歌 19 20 21 Bake danuki subsequently appear in such classics as the Nihon Ryōiki 20 22 23 and the Uji Shui Monogatari 20 In some regions of Japan bake danuki are reputed to have abilities similar to those attributed to kitsune foxes they can shapeshift into other things or people 20 23 and can possess human beings 20 24 Many legends of tanuki exist in the Sado Islands of Niigata Prefecture and in Shikoku and among them like the Danzaburou danuki of Sado the Kinchō tanuki and Rokuemon tanuki of Awa Province Tokushima Prefecture and the Yashima no Hage tanuki of Kagawa Prefecture the tanuki that possessed special abilities were given names and even became the subject of rituals Apart from these places tanuki are treated with special regard in a few cases 25 In popular culture EditThis section appears to contain trivial minor or unrelated references to popular culture Please reorganize this content to explain the subject s impact on popular culture providing citations to reliable secondary sources rather than simply listing appearances Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2019 Tanuki or their folklore version are a recurring theme in Japanese popular culture The first exposure of non Japanese to tanuki usually comes through exported Japanese media However they are often described as raccoons in translation or assumed as such if no species is given 26 Notable appearances of tanuki in popular culture include In the 1992 Super NES video game Pocky amp Rocky one of the two playable characters is a tanuki named Rocky who defeats his enemies by shooting leaves at them Rocky also makes appearances in the 1994 2001 and 2022 releases in the hit series In Nintendo s video games Super Mario Bros 3 Super Mario 3D Land Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario 3D World Mario can wear a Tanooki Suit By doing so he takes on the appearance of a tanuki and gains the ability to fly spin his tail to attack enemies and shapeshift into a statue much like a bake danuki The same games also feature the Super Leaf which gives Mario tanuki ears and a tail and allows him to fly and use his tail to attack although this form is known as Raccoon Mario in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World Mario can only transform into his Tanooki form after obtaining a Super Leaf This power up is based on the mythology of tanuki using leaves to help themselves transform 26 The 1994 Studio Ghibli film Pom Poko features a group of tanuki who use their shapeshifting powers to defend their habitat against human developers 27 In 2015 GitLab com adopted a new logo of an abstracted raccoon dog and the term Tanuki 28 Tom Nook a recurring character in the Animal Crossing video game series is a tanuki as well as his two employees 29 Timmy and Tommy In the English versions of the games he is localized as a raccoon although his name still alludes to tanuki The furniture that these characters sell transforms into leaves for easy transport A tanuki appears as a newscaster in the Japanese version of the American Disney computer animated film Zootopia the standard release of the film and releases in other countries use other animals 30 In the 2019 Sonic game Team Sonic Racing one of the characters is a tanuki named Dodon Pa 31 The 2020 Studio Trigger TV anime BNA Brand New Animal features main protagonist Michiru Kagemori a humanoid shape shifting tanuki who is often mistaken as a raccoon 32 Genshin Impact by miHoYo features the region based on Japan called Inazuma where the player can encounter tanuki who play with them and offer rewards when solving their puzzles The tanuki even play a role in the multi part story quest Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual In the Japanese manga and anime One Piece the character Tony Tony Chopper is often confused for a Raccoon Dog even though he is a reindeer In Japanese slang tanuki gao raccoon dog face can refer to a face that looks like that of the animal or a person s facial expression of feigned ignorance 33 By contrast kitsune gao fox face refers to people with narrow faces close set eyes thin eyebrows and high cheekbones A dish called tanukijiru ja tanuki soup ceased to contain actual tanuki meat 34 but some rural stews do use tanuki 35 Of Japanese noodles the words tanuki and kitsune designate two varieties of the udon or soba dishes Neither contain any of those meats Tanuki udon soba contains flakes of fried tempura batter tenkasu while kitsune udon soba contains fried tofu abura age 36 References Edit Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus Integrated Taxonomic Information System Archived from the original on 4 October 2017 Retrieved 25 June 2017 a b Kim Sang In Oshida Tatsuo Lee Hang Min Mi Sook Kimura Junpei 2015 Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides Mammalia Carnivora Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 116 4 856 872 doi 10 1111 bij 12629 ISSN 1095 8312 Sillero Zubiri Claudio Hoffman Michael and MacDonald David W Canids Foxes Wolves Jackals and Dogs Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan Gland Switzerland and Cambridge UK IUCN 2004 p136 Rare white raccoon dog caught The Japan Times 18 October 2013 Archived from the original on 3 August 2021 Retrieved 17 August 2021 a b c Ishibashi Ohdachi Saitoh Iwasa July 2009 The Wild Mammals of Japan pp 216 217 Kauhala K Saeki M 2004 Raccoon Dog PDF Canid Species Accounts Pridobljeno IUCN SSC Canid Specialist Group Archived from the original PDF on 19 February 2009 Retrieved 15 April 2009 Ikeda Hiroshi August 1986 Old new tricks Asia s raccoon a venerable member of the canid family is pushing into new frontiers Natural History 95 8 40 44 WAZA World Association of Zoos and Aquariums Waza org Archived from the original on 10 April 2015 Retrieved 9 April 2015 Kauhala Kaarina 1994 The Raccoon Dog a successful canid Canid News 2 37 40 Archived from the original on 25 June 2008 Retrieved 19 August 2008 a b c Nie Wenhui Jinhuan Wang Polina Perelman Alexander S Graphodatsky Fengtang Yang November 2003 Comparative chromosome painting defines the karyotypic relationships among the domestic dog Chinese raccoon dog and Japanese raccoon dog Chromosome Research 11 8 735 740 doi 10 1023 B CHRO 0000005760 03266 29 PMID 14712859 S2CID 44979180 Explore the Database www mammaldiversity org Archived from the original on 15 May 2022 Retrieved 17 August 2021 a b c Wada Masayasu Tamaki Suzuki Kimiyuki Tsuchiya 1998 Re examination of the chromosome homology between two subspecies of Japanese raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides albus and N p viverrinus Caryologia 51 1 13 18 doi 10 1080 00087114 1998 10589116 Kim Sang In Tatsuo Oshida Hang Lee Mi Sook Min Junpei Kimura December 2015 Evolutionary and biogeographical implications of variation in skull morphology of raccoon dogs Nyctereutes procyonoides Mammalia Carnivora Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 116 4 856 872 doi 10 1111 bij 12629 Mayr Ernst January 1963 Animal Species and Evolution The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press p 811 ISBN 0674037502 Archived from the original on 21 February 2020 Retrieved 15 November 2019 a b Wozencraft W C 2005 Order Carnivora In Wilson D E Reeder D M eds Mammal Species of the World A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference 3rd ed Johns Hopkins University Press pp 532 628 ISBN 978 0 8018 8221 0 OCLC 62265494 Burgin Connor Jocelyn Colella Philip Kahn Nate Upham February 2018 How many species of mammals are there Journal of Mammalogy 99 1 1 11 doi 10 1093 jmammal gyx147 Archived from the original on 26 May 2017 Retrieved 15 November 2019 Kauhala K Saeki M 2016 Nyctereutes procyonoides IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016 e T14925A85658776 doi 10 2305 IUCN UK 2016 1 RLTS T14925A85658776 en Retrieved 11 June 2020 Dōbutsu Yōkaitan p 106 The translation of this into modern Japanese can be found on page 13 of Discover Yōkai Nihon Yōkai Daihyakka DISCOVER妖怪 日本妖怪大百科 VOL 07 Furthermore the 狢 in the document here are not mujina but rather signify tanuki a b c d e Dōbutsu Yōkaitan Vol 2 pp 105 139 Murakami Kenji 2008 Yōkai to natta kitsune to tanuki 妖怪となった狐と狸 Discover Yōkai Nihon Yōkai Daihyakka DISCOVER妖怪 日本妖怪大百科 Kodansha Official File Magazine Vol 7 Kōdansha p 15 ISBN 978 4 06 370037 4 Tanuki to sono sekai pp 209 212 a b Gensō sekai no junintachi pp 235 240 Sano Kenji et al Minkan shinkō jiten p 184 Miyazawa Teruaki 1978 Tanuki no hanashi 狸の話 Arimine Shoten pp 226 230 a b Mark I West ed 2008 Japanese Dominance of the Video game Industry The Japanification of Children s Popular Culture Scarecrow Press Frenchy Lunning ed 2006 The Werewolf in the Crested Kimono Emerging Worlds of Anime and Manga Volume 1 University of Minnesota Press Our new logo 3 July 2015 Archived from the original on 16 April 2021 Retrieved 15 March 2021 Timmy and Tommy Nookipedia the Animal Crossing wiki nookipedia com Archived from the original on 11 April 2020 Retrieved 3 April 2020 Loughrey Clarisse Zootropolis new anchors change animal depending on what country you re in Archived 8 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine The Independent 7 March 2016 Retrieved 7 March 2016 Team Sonic Racing reveals first Story Mode details new character Dodonpa Nintendo Everything 22 August 2018 Archived from the original on 30 May 2019 Retrieved 16 August 2020 CHARACTER アニメ BNA ビー エヌ エー Studio Trigger Archived from the original on 19 May 2020 Retrieved 21 May 2020 Dictionary entry for tanuki gao Tanukijirue 狸汁会 Tanuki stew ceremony Hozoin Ryu Sojutsu School of spearmanship in Japanese 23 October 2003 Archived from the original on 2 November 2007 Retrieved 16 November 2019 Nicol C W Talking tanuki or whatever you call them Archived 7 January 2015 at the Wayback Machine The Japan Times 4 January 2015 p 21 Itoh Makiko 17 November 2018 A comforting udon noodle recipe for the winter season The Japan Times Archived from the original on 16 November 2019 Retrieved 16 November 2019 Further reading EditHino Iwao 2006 Dōbutsu yōkaitan 動物妖怪譚 Vol 2 Chuō Kōron Shinsha ISBN 978 4 12 204792 1 Katsumi Tada 1990 Gensō sekai no junintachi 幻想世界の住人たち Truth in fantasy Vol IV Shinkigensha ISBN 978 4 915146 44 2 Nakamura Teiri 1990 Tanuki to sono sekai 狸とその世界 Asahi sensho Asahi Shinbunsha ISBN 978 4 02 259500 3 Sakurai Tokutarō ed 1980 Minkan shinkō jiten 民間信仰辞典 Tōkyōdō Shuppan ISBN 978 4 490 10137 9 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tanuki Report Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus in the Integrated Taxonomic Information System Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Japanese raccoon dog amp oldid 1153840001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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