tanuki 狸

racoon dog / Marderhund

In Japanese mythology the mythical creature tanuki is similarly important as the kitsune (fox). Both belong to the so-called yōkai (spirit; phantom), mystical monsters that are often embodied by animals. While the fox is an important sacred symbol of the Shintô, the tanuki is more a symbol of a daredevil drunkard. Tanuki are usually portrayed in a good-natured and rather kitschy way. Sometimes, however, the clay figures look coarse and daring, standing in front of pubs and restaurants with a sake jug in their hands and encouraging people to enter a shop, similar to the waving maneki-neko. Their appearance is typically male, the uncovered testicles unmistakably indicating this. Tanuki, however, can also be female. Their straw hat identifies them as travellers or vagabonds.