WBake-danuki (化け狸) are a kind of yōkai found in the classics and in the folklore and legends of various places in Japan, commonly associated with the Japanese raccoon dog or tanuki.
WThe Japanese raccoon dog, also known as the tanuki, is a species of canid endemic to Japan. It is one of two species in the genus Nyctereutes, alongside the common raccoon dog, of which it was formerly thought to be a subspecies.
WBunbuku Chagama, literally "Bunbuku tea-kettle" is a Japanese folktale or fairy tale about a raccoon dog, or tanuki, that uses its shapeshifting powers to reward its rescuer for his kindness.
WDanzaburou-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, they form the "three famous tanuki" of Japan.
WInugami Gyōbu (隠神刑部) or Gyōbu-danuki (刑部狸) is a bake-danuki told about in legends passed down in Matsuyama, Iyo Province. He is known due to appearing in the "Tale of the Matsuyama Disturbance and the Eight Hundred and Eight Tanuki", which is considered one of the big three tanuki tales along with the Shojoji no Tanuki-bayashi and Bunbuku Chagama.
WKachi-kachi Yama , also known as Kachi-Kachi Mountain and The Farmer and the Badger, is a Japanese folktale in which a tanuki is the villain, rather than the more usual boisterous, well-endowed alcoholic.
WTanuki-bayashi (狸囃子) is a strange phenomenon of sound, told about in legends across Japan. In the middle of night, they are musical sounds like flutes or drums heard out of nowhere.
WYashima no Hage-tanuki (屋島の禿狸) is a Bake-danuki , who appears in the legends of Yashima, Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture. He is also called Tasaburō-tanuki (太三郎狸), Yashima no Hage, and Yashima no Kamuro (屋島の禿). He is counted as one of the "three famous tanuki of Japan", along with Danzaburou-danuki of Sado and Shibaemon-tanuki of Awaji. He is also famous due to his appearance in the Studio Ghibli animated movie, Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko.