Bunbuku Chagama
Encyclopedia
Bunbuku Chagama is a Japan
ese folktale about a raccoon-dog, or tanuki
, that uses its shapeshifting
powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness.
caught in a trap. Feeling sorry for the animal, he sets it free. That night, the tanuki comes to the poor man's house to thank him for his kindness. The tanuki transforms itself into a chagama (tea kettle) and tells the man to sell him for money.
The man sells the tanuki-teapot to a monk, who takes it home and, after scrubbing it harshly, sets it over the fire to boil water. Unable to stand the heat, the tanuki teapot sprouts legs and, in its half-transformed state, makes a run for it.
The tanuki returns to the poor man with another idea. The man would set up a 'roadside attraction' (a little circus-like setup) and charge admission for people to see a teapot walking a tightrope. The plan works, and each gains something good from the other—the man is no longer poor and the tanuki has a new friend and home.
In a variant of the story, the tanuki-teapot does not run and returns to its transformed state. The shocked monk decides to leave the teapot as an offering to the poor temple where he lives, choosing not to use it for making tea again. The temple eventually becomes famous for its supposed dancing teapot.
.
A character in the manga To Love-Ru
is seen holding the book and commenting that she is taking an interest in Japanese folklore.
In the anime Naruto the spirit of the Ichibi, represented by a tanuki, is mentioned to have originally been sealed into a teapot.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese folktale about a raccoon-dog, or tanuki
Tanuki
is the common Japanese name for the Japanese raccoon dog . They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times...
, that uses its shapeshifting
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness.
Story
Bunbuku Chagama roughly translates to "happiness bubbling over like a tea pot." The story tells of a poor man who finds a tanukiTanuki
is the common Japanese name for the Japanese raccoon dog . They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times...
caught in a trap. Feeling sorry for the animal, he sets it free. That night, the tanuki comes to the poor man's house to thank him for his kindness. The tanuki transforms itself into a chagama (tea kettle) and tells the man to sell him for money.
The man sells the tanuki-teapot to a monk, who takes it home and, after scrubbing it harshly, sets it over the fire to boil water. Unable to stand the heat, the tanuki teapot sprouts legs and, in its half-transformed state, makes a run for it.
The tanuki returns to the poor man with another idea. The man would set up a 'roadside attraction' (a little circus-like setup) and charge admission for people to see a teapot walking a tightrope. The plan works, and each gains something good from the other—the man is no longer poor and the tanuki has a new friend and home.
In a variant of the story, the tanuki-teapot does not run and returns to its transformed state. The shocked monk decides to leave the teapot as an offering to the poor temple where he lives, choosing not to use it for making tea again. The temple eventually becomes famous for its supposed dancing teapot.
Cultural impact
An animated movie based on the tale was produced in 1928 by Yokohama Cinema Shoukai. There is also a reference to this story in Studio Ghibli's 1994 animated film Pom PokoPom Poko
is a 1994 Japanese animated film, the eighth written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli.Consistent with Japanese folklore, the tanuki are portrayed as a highly sociable, mischievous species, able to use "illusion science" to transform into almost anything, but too...
.
A character in the manga To Love-Ru
To Love-Ru
is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi, and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki, creator of Black Cat. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump between April 24, 2006 and August 31, 2009; 18 tankōbon volumes have been published in Japan...
is seen holding the book and commenting that she is taking an interest in Japanese folklore.
In the anime Naruto the spirit of the Ichibi, represented by a tanuki, is mentioned to have originally been sealed into a teapot.
External links
- "The Accomplished and Lucky Tea-Kettle", translation by Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford in Tales of Old Japan
- "The Magic Kettle" adaptation by Andrew LangAndrew LangAndrew Lang was a Scots poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University of St Andrews are named after him.- Biography :Lang was born in Selkirk...
in The Crimson Fairy Book