Yashima no Hage-Tanuki (屋島の禿狸 Yashimanohagetanuki) is a tanuki.
Appearance[]
Yashima no Hage is a tanuki with tan fur, a round head and body, small, oval-shaped eyes, sharp eyebrows, a human-like nose, long, puckered lips, and long whiskers.
History[]
Video Games[]
- Yashima no Hage appears in GeGeGe no Kitarō: Yōkai Yokochō as an E-Rank yōkai.
Legend[]
Illustration of Yashima-no-Hage
Yashima no Hage-Tanuki, also known as Tasaburō-Tanuki, Yashima no Kamuro, or simply Yashima no Hage, is a famous tanuki from Sanuki Province (now Yashima, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture). He was mostly known for his kindness towards both humans and other tanuki.
In the past, a tanuki got injured by a near-fatal arrow shot, but was saved by Taira no Shigemori. To pay his debt of gratitude, the tanuki swore to protect the Taira clan. This wounded tanuki is said to be the descendant of Yashima no Hage-Tanuki.
Aside from this, there are many other different facts and stories of Yashima no Hage-Tanuki. Hage-Tanuki is said to have been the best henge in Japan in the art of transforming, and achieved the rank of supreme commander of the tanuki in Shikoku. Whenever the weather was cold, 300 tanuki of Hage-Tanuki's household would gather together, and he would show phantom magic to Minamoto no Yoshitsune's Yasō Tobi and Yumi Nagashi, as they happened during the Genpei War. Hage-Tanuki was also a Buddhist, and became one after helping guide the monks Jianzhen and Kukai when they visited Yashima. After his training, Hage-Tanuki taught the rest of the tanuki population in Shikokou Buddhism while also using his transformation skills, telling them to no longer attack humans but to instead protect them, saying "Tanuki are the messengers of Gods and Buddhas." Hage-Tanuki's Buddhist devotion also made him devote to his wife, despite the rest of the Japan practicing polygamy at that time. In one story, after the Genpei War devastated the Taira Clan, Hage-Tanuki gathered the surviving members and made them repopulate in a kakurezato deep in the mountains of Sanuki and Awa, and afterwards became the protector deity of Yashima-ji, the 84th temple on the Shikoku 88-temple pilgrimage. In another story, Hage-Tanuki led his troops to Manchuria during the Sino-Japanese War and Russo-Japanese War. In some retellings of the Awa Tanuki Gassen legend, the descendants (in some versions specifically the sons) of both Kinchō-Tanuki and Rokuemon started a "mourning war" to avenge their forefathers, however Hage-Tanuki stepped in and stopped the conflict once and for all. He was able to be successful in his protest, as he was the teacher of Rokuemon's son, a tanuki named Senju Tarō (千住太郎).
Yashima no Hage-Tanuki is said to have died after being killed by a human, though there are multiple variations of the exact story. In one version, Hage-Tanuki met up with Dansaburō-Danuki and Shibaemon-Tanuki to tell each other how they were the best tanuki in Japan. Hage-Tanuki embarked towards Awaji, and challenged Shibaemon to a contest of disguises. On the day of the match, Shibaemon saw multiple naval ships appearing at sea. While Shibaemon was still in a state of surprise, believing war had broken out, the boats disappeared, and Hage-Tanuki appeared. The fleet was actually just Hage-Tanuki's disguise, which successfully tricked Shibaemon. In response to Hage-Tanuki's boasts of victory, Shibaemon said that he would disguise himself as the daimyō's royal procession. The next day, a similar procession appeared, which made Hage-Tanuki praised Shibaemon in a loud voice. This attracted a soldier, who reprimanded Hage-Tanuki, and he was killed by a spear, as it was the real daimyō's procession! Shibaemon, who felt bad, courteously gave Hage-Tanuki a funeral service. In another version, Hage-Tanuki was simply shot by a clueless hunter. After his death, Hage-Tanuki's soul traveled to Awa Province (now Tokushima Prefecture), and started to possess humans. During the Kaei era, in Hayashimura, Awa district (now Awa city), Hage-Tanuki possessed a female hairdresser by doing Tanuki-Tsuki and predicted the future.
Eventually, Yashima no Hage-Tanuki was enshrined in Yashima-ji as Minoyama Daimyōjin, turning into the god of family happiness, marriage, and entertainment, bringing good luck to children.
Out of all the stories of Yashima no Hage-Tanuki, Shigeru Mizuki's illustration of him seems to be based off the one of his spirit possessing a hairdresser.
Trivia[]
- While he has yet to have made an appearance in the anime, Yashima no Hage-Tanuki was one of candidates for the 47 Yōkai Warriors of Kagawa Prefecture in the 2007 anime adaptation.