Bunbuku Chagama
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A tanuki transformed into a teapot as in the story, Bunbuku Chagama. |
Bunbuku Chagama (
Japanese: ) is a
Japanese
folk tale about a raccoon-dog, or
tanuki, that uses its
shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness.
Bunbuku Chagama roughly translates to "happiness bubbling over like a tea pot." The story tells of a poor man who finds a
tanuki 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 and tells the man to sell him for money.
The man sells the tanuki teapot to a monk, who brings 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.
An animated movie, that bases on the folklore, was produced in
1928 by
Yokohama Cinema Shoukai.
