Is This Creature a Dog or a Raccoon?

Many tales from Japanese folklore often feature a fascinating character called the tanuki. Depending on the story, this creature might be mistaken for a badger, a fox, or even something akin to a raccoon. As whimsical as its legendary reputation is, however, the tanuki is actually a real animal. So, what exactly is a tanuki?

What Is a Tanuki?

Endemic to Japan, the tanuki (Nyctereutes viverrinus) has charmed its way into the hearts of people through centuries of captivating stories. These little animals are about the size of your average domestic housecat, typically weighing 10 to 16.5 pounds and measuring 20 to 26 inches long. They have a rather roly-poly body with short legs and a fluffy, short tail. Their fur is soft yet thick, usually a mix of grayish, reddish, or brownish hues, with black tips on the longer hairs. But their most striking feature is their face. Like a raccoon, tanuki have dark patches around their eyes that contrast with their lighter snout and face. If you ever happen to see one in the wild, you might have trouble figuring out what it is — a raccoon, a badger, a dog, or a fox? And that’s just based on their appearance!

Their behavior can be just as perplexing. Tanuki are mostly nocturnal, much like raccoons, and in some areas, they even raid garbage cans for food. However, the sounds they make are more reminiscent of a cat, and when spooked, they arch their backs to appear larger, much like a frightened feline. To show submission, they crouch down and roll over with their bellies up, similar to a dog. While they’re not exactly picky eaters — munching on everything from dead animals and garbage to fish, birds, and rodents — their primary diet actually consists of fruits and a wide variety of plants. They even scale trees in search of tasty nuts, berries, and fruit.

The Japanese Raccoon Dog

Despite its confusing appearance and behaviors, the tanuki is actually a canid, which places it in the same family as wolves, dogs, and foxes. But it is neither a dog nor a raccoon. While there are other raccoon dog species in Asia, the Japanese raccoon dog is its own unique branch of the family tree. Japanese raccoon dogs have 38 chromosomes, while their relatives on the mainland have 54. Their fur is also less insulating, which makes them less equipped to handle harsh cold temperatures.

Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanuki, arrived in Japan sometime between 18,000 and 12,000 years ago, likely migrating from Korea or through Sakhalin. Once there, they quickly adapted to Japan’s mild climate and reliable food sources.

Centuries of Tanuki in Japan

Over many centuries, the tanuki has transformed from a mischievous (and sometimes ominous) creature into a beloved symbol of good fortune and fun. Historically, the tanuki is a prominent type of yōkai, a type of supernatural being in Japanese folklore. Specifically, it is a henge, or shapeshifter. The two most famous shapeshifters in Japanese culture are the kitsune (a fox) and the tanuki (a Japanese raccoon dog), both of which are notorious tricksters.

Portrayals of the tanuki in folklore often vary. Sometimes it is jolly and slightly gullible, while other times it is dangerous and malevolent. It is also known as bakedanuki, especially when its supernatural skills are involved. It can shapeshift into pretty much anything — humans, animals, terrifying monsters, or even a small tea kettle. Some tanuki love to shapeshift and spend time with humans, joining their parties, drinking, and generally having a good time. Some even live alongside people for years without ever being discovered. Often, tanuki use these transformations to play tricks on humans — some are just harmless pranks, while others are much more sinister.

The Tanuki’s Role in Japanese Folklore

Tanuki have appeared in Japanese folklore and stories for centuries, making their mark as far back as the Nihon Shoki (720 CE), where they’re noted for their ability to turn into humans and sing songs. For many centuries, tanuki portrayals appeared as realistic animals, albeit with a supernatural twist. Some were simply mischievous, while others, as seen in the chilling tale of Kachi-kachi Yama, were outright villainous. In this particular story, a farmer catches a tanuki and plans to turn it into stew. However, the cunning creature convinces the farmer’s wife to set it free, only to then kill her and cook her body into a soup. It then shapeshifts into the wife and tries to serve the gruesome meal to the unsuspecting farmer.

Thankfully, not all tanuki tales are quite so horrifying. In many stories, tanuki are harmless tricksters who delight in playing pranks on humans. A common depiction shows them beating their bellies like drums in the forest to spook unsuspecting travelers. This supernatural quirk likely stems from real-life Japanese raccoon dogs, which often live deep in the forest and can make some rather unusual (and occasionally terrifying) sounds, particularly at night.

The Japanese folktale Bunbuku Chagama tells the story of a tanuki who also transforms into a tea kettle. In some versions of the tale, the tanuki’s transformation is a way to thank a kind man who rescues it from a trap. However, the tanuki quickly finds that it cannot stand the heat of the fire and cannot fully change back into its original form. So, the tanuki — still in its tea kettle form — becomes a performer. It tightrope walks and does other tricks to help the man earn money.

One notable version of this tale comes from the Morinji Temple in Tatebayashi, Gunma. In this particular tale, the tanuki’s transformation results in a magical tea kettle that never runs empty. Local legend claims that this very same kettle is still at the temple today.

The Modern Tanuki as a Lucky Charm

In more recent times, the tanuki has moved beyond its more ominous reputation and transformed into a cherished symbol of good fortune. The modern tanuki has become a charming caricature of the real animal. It is often depicted as a jolly fellow sporting a straw hat, a round belly, and a bottle of sake. Today, tanuki often represent merriment and fun, with just a hint of their traditional mischievousness. You’ll find statues, mascots, stuffed animals, and art featuring tanuki all over Japan.

Located in Kōka City, Shigaraki may be home to the most tanuki statues in Japan. You will see thousands of these charming figures throughout the city, ranging from palm-sized miniatures to those taller than a human. A 16-foot rendition guards the entrance to Shigaraki Station, and you can dine at Tanukiya Bunpuku, a local restaurant built in the shape of a giant tanuki!

One of the more unusual features of these modern tanuki, however, is their surprisingly magical testicles, known as kintama. In Japanese, “kintama” is a homonym — a word that is pronounced the same but has different meanings. On one hand, it can mean “testicles” or “scrotum,” but on the other, it means “golden jewels.”

Surprisingly, this particular aspect of the tanuki is not as modern as it might seem. Two woodblock prints from the Meiji period (1868 to 1912) illustrate the many bizarre ways tanuki transform their “kintama” into useful objects. These depictions show tanuki playing them as a drum, slinging them over their shoulder like a mailbag, and even using them to catch fish!