The Great Tanuki War of Awa: Kincho, Rokuemon, and Tokushima's Battling Raccoon Dogs

Tanuki, in Japanese folklore, are lovable tricksters: they fool people a little, then give themselves away by letting their tails show. But in Tokushima, on the island of Shikoku, there's a story of tanuki who split into two armies and fought an all-out war. It's known as the Great Tanuki War of Awa. The tale was later told by professional storytellers and, in the Showa era, turned into a film, which made it famous across Japan.

Shikoku, the land of tanuki

Shikoku has long been home to an unusual number of tanuki tales. There's even a legend that the great monk Kobo Daishi drove the foxes out of Shikoku, which is why the tanuki came to rule the island. Villages and temples each had their own famous tanuki, loved or feared as local bosses.

Awa, today's Tokushima Prefecture, is said to be a true treasure house of tanuki stories. And its most famous tanuki of all is Kincho of Komatsushima.

A tale that begins with a debt of gratitude

According to the legend, Kincho was a tanuki who owed a kindness to the master of a dye shop in Komatsushima. Kincho never forgot it and began to watch over the shop, which is said to have prospered greatly. In time, Kincho took possession of one of the shop's people and spoke through them, telling the story of his life. That strange scene is where the tale begins.

To earn proper rank as a tanuki, Kincho went to train under Rokuemon, an old tanuki living in Tsuda. Rokuemon was the great boss of all the tanuki of Awa. Kincho's skills grew fast, and Rokuemon, impressed, is said to have asked him to marry his daughter.

A refused marriage, and a war

But Kincho, who cared most about repaying the dye shop, turned the offer down. Rokuemon, perhaps fearing that this rising talent would one day threaten his own position, attacked Kincho and his companions. One of Kincho's friends was killed, and Kincho gathered an army to avenge him.

So, the story goes, the tanuki of all Awa split into Kincho's side and Rokuemon's side, and the great war began. After fierce fighting, Kincho's side won, and Rokuemon fell. Yet Kincho himself is said to have died later from the deep wounds he took in the battle. It's a victory with a touch of sadness to it.

In Komatsushima there is still a shrine dedicated to Kincho, and tanuki figures turn up all over town. The tanuki of the old story is treasured as a point of local pride.

Masters of the shapeshifting contest

Beyond Kincho, Japan has plenty of famous tanuki: Inugami Gyobu of Iyo (Ehime), Danzaburo of Sado Island (Niigata), Shibaemon of Awaji Island (Hyogo), and Bunbuku Chagama, the tea kettle of Morinji Temple in Joshu (Gunma). Pixel Yokai plans to introduce each of them one by one.

When it comes to contests of skill, many places also tell a folktale about a "bakekurabe," a shapeshifting match between a tanuki and a fox. A well-known version goes like this. The tanuki says, "Tomorrow I'll pass by disguised as a lord's procession. Watch me." The fox waits by the road. When the procession arrives, the fox, sure it's the tanuki in disguise, leaps out to cheer, "Bravo, bravo!" But it was a real lord's procession after all.

The bake-danuki page in the Yokaipedia covers the leaf on the head and the belly drumming. Take a look at the tanuki's rival, the yoko (fox spirit), too. You'll find Kincho of Komatsushima on the Yokai Map in Tokushima.