The Japanese myth of the trickster raccoon - Iseult Gillespie

On the dusty roads of a small village, a travelling salesman was having difficulty selling his wares. He’d recently traversed the region just a few weeks ago, and most of the villagers had already seen his supply. So he wandered the outskirts of the town in the hopes of finding some new customers.

Unfortunately, the road was largely deserted, and the salesman was about to turn back, when he heard a high-pitched yelp coming from the edge of the forest. Following the screams to their source, he discovered a trapped tanuki. While these racoon-like creatures were known for their wily ways, this one appeared terrified and powerless.

The salesman freed the struggling creature, but before he could tend to its wounds, it bolted into the undergrowth. The next day, he set off on his usual route. As he trudged along, he spotted a discarded tea kettle.

It was rusty and old— but perhaps he could sell it to the local monks. The salesman polished it until it sparkled and shone. He carried the kettle to Morin-ji Temple and presented it to the solemn monks.

His timing was perfect— they were in need of a large kettle for an important service, and purchased his pot for a handsome price. To open the ceremony, they began to pour cups of tea for each monk— but the kettle cooled too quickly. It had to be reheated often throughout the long service, and when it was hot, it seemed to squirm in the pourer’s hand.

By the end of the ceremony, the monks felt cheated by their purchase, and called for the salesman to return and explain himself. The following morning, the salesman examined the pot, but he couldn’t find anything unusual about it. Hoping a cup of tea would help them think, they set the kettle on the fire.

Within moments, the metal began to sweat. Suddenly, it sprouted a scrubby tail, furry paws and pointed nose. With a yelp, the salesman recognized the tanuki he’d freed.

The salesman was shocked. He’d heard tales of shape-shifting tanuki who transformed by pulling on their testicles. But they were usually troublesome tricksters, who played embarrassing pranks on travellers, or made it rain money that later dissolved into leaves.

Some people even placed tanuki statues outside their homes and businesses to trick potential pranksters into taking their antics elsewhere. However, this tanuki only smiled sweetly. Why had he chosen this unsuspecting form?

The tanuki explained that he wanted to repay the salesman’s kindness. However, he’d grown too hot as a tea kettle, and didn’t like being burned, scrubbed, or polished. The monk and salesman laughed, both impressed by this honourable trickster.

From that day on, the tanuki became an esteemed guest of the temple. He could frequently be found telling tales and performing tricks that amused even the most serious monks. Villagers came from far away to see the temple tanuki, and the salesman visited often to share tea made from an entirely normal kettle.