Danzaburou-danuki ( 団三郎狸 , Danzaburō-danuki ) is a bake-danuki passed down in stories on Sado Island , particularly in Aikawa and Niigata . In Sado, tanuki were called "mujina (狢)", thus he was also referred to as Danzaburou-mujina (団三郎狢). In the Ukiyo-e , its name was written as 同三狸." Together with the Shibaemon-tanuki of Awaji Island , and the Yashima no Hage-tanuki of Kagawa Prefecture , they form the " three famous tanuki " of Japan.
4-404: The supreme commander of the tanuki on Sado Island, most tales of Danzaburou focus on his trickery of humans. He would create wall-like structures to block people's paths at night, fooled people with mirages and sold leaves from trees by making them look as if they were made of gold. He also created mirages to lure people into his lair (said to be a hole in the ground or a cellar), making it appear as
8-440: A splendid estate. If he ever became ill, Danzaburou would disguise himself as a human and visit human doctors for treatment. His reputation was not all bad, however. He was said to have often lent money to people struggling with financial troubles, though said funds were in all likelihood obtained by him fooling people into working for him, or otherwise embezzled. Some tales actually purport that Danzaburou would repay what he stole;
12-488: A story from the town of Orito (near Aikawa ), reported that the tanuki left a sealed promissory note with the victim's name, the sum of money taken and the date it was to be returned. When the day came, the victim found the note had disappeared and the payment was left in its place. Afterwards, Danzaburou was deified in Aikawa as Futatsuiwa Daimyoujin (二つ岩大明神), into which people heartily put their faith. It has been said that
16-577: The reason why there are no kitsune (foxes) in Sado is that Danzaburou drove them out, detailed in two legends: There several more tales of Danzaburou's antics, but also a legend that he once lost to a man in a battle of wits, and ceased tricking humans. In Meireki 3 (AD 1657), tanuki were farmed and their skins were used in the crafting of bellows . Danzaburou was the name of a human merchant in Echigo , who purportedly began caring for and trying to conserve
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