Danzaburou - [yokai]

• About this yokai: The boss and daimyo of all Tanuki on Sado island: Wealthy, Powerful & Cunning, known widely for both his Pranks as well as his Generosity towards the needy. - Strongly associated with mining & gold in the area. He's also said to be the reason why there are no foxes (Kitsune) on the island. - Danzaburou is One of the "three famous Tanuki" of Japan. [along side Shibaemon of Awaji Island & Yashima no Hage of Kagawa.]

Stories of Danzaburo usually surround him stopping foxes from invading the island, such as him asking a Kitsune to transform into a sandal (sometimes a vest) so that he can sneak him onto the island (only for him to throw the article of clothing into the ocean or light it on fire.) - There's another story where he fools a Kitsune into attacking a government procession. [These kitsune/tanuki battles are well known in pop culture so i'll keep this short, for further reading on the subject, I'd highly recommend Hyakkumonogatari's blog on the subject of tanuki/kitsune battles.] Danzaburo is also known for causing mirages & illusions around the island, such as making his nest look like a fancy mansion; causing invisible walls to appear, and a number of other classic tanuki pranks. Its also said danzaburo retired from pulling pranks when he lost a battle of wits when triyng to fool a young man into giving him a piggyback ride. – But for every trick, Danzaburo is also known for generously lending money to those that needed it. (Notes would be left outside his mansion, the next day the money would be there.) His wealth was not ill gotten, as he would also transform into a human to work in the mines and to ask doctors for medical assistance, only to be overly generous in his thanks.

The most famous edo period painting of danzaburo is probably the one by kawanabe kyosai:

[image source: "Danzaburou-danuki of sado provence" (佐渡国同三狸) by Kawanabe Kyōsai. - (mid edo period.) - Front is danzaburou (and his nursing wife?) trading with local merchants. [close up of front below.] - The back... is probably most aptly described as a "Tanuki Kintama car-wash." ]

[close up.]

• History: This Tanuki was (and still is!) venerated at Futatsuiwa Shrine (Near Aikawa, Sado City.) - Danzaburo is thought to be  based on a well known & respected fur trader and merchant who lived in Sado during sometime in the early Edo Period. (1650's) back when the island was flourishing as a town of gold and silver mining. - (The mines where discovered in 1601 and only closed recently in 1989! (It has been said that the dirt and mud on Sado was so rich with gold, that people would pan in the farmlands causing issues for the farmers!) - This merchant would import tanuki from the mainland for the purpose of breeding & farming their useful pelts (In addition to meat, Tanukis stretchy pelts where ideal for creating bellows for furnaces and where famously used for hammering gold (Tanukis 'sacks' are a well known allegory for wealth. - (See also: "Tanuki Kintama.") - Thus; the tanuki where ideal to have around, the imported Tanuki cubs eventually became wild, and so overtime the folklore spread and legend became that Danzanburo was actually a Tanuki in disguise, smuggling his friends over to a fox-free-land. - Later, Danzaburo was enshrined in Futatsuiwa Shrine as "Futaniwa Daimyojin."

[a very cute sign outside of the shrine. image source]

[The famous, V shaped entrance to Sado gold mine, via wikipedia]

• Modern & Pop Culture Appearances: Danzaburo has been made famous as one of the three most famous tanuki in japan, and so of course he quite often appears or has callouts in popular media surrounding the topic: - He famously appears as himself in Pompoko, Gegege Kitaro, Muramasa, Smite, and others. – Although not directly based on Danzaburou directly, Mamizou Futasuiwa of touhou project shares her last name with the shrines location. (二ッ岩大明神) & is likely based on the concept of the three big tanuki in general. - theres probably too much media surrounding the three, its difficult to list everything here!

[Art sticker by samkalensky (Yo, thats me!) part of my yokai collection of stickers, check my shop & follow for much more!]

see also: Tanuki, Mujina, Kitsune.