Victoria Eichbauer (Nara)
Journey to the Heart of Shigaraki Pottery From Testicles to Tea Ceremony If you have never heard of the animal turned Japanese monster, raccoon dog (often known as tanuki), then you might not be aware of its two biggest . . . assets. Since ancient Japanese times, tanuki have been associated with mischief and indulgence. In more modern times, households have used statues of tanuki as a way to bless a newly established home or business with good fortune and protection against natural disasters. (3) These statues are formed, fired, and created in one place, Shigaraki in Shiga Prefecture. A city that maintains much of its old traditional charm, sitting high in the mountains near the border of Nara and Mie. The climate makes for rich soil and clay that lends to its well-known and unique style of pottery, shigarakiyaki. (2) Not only the minerals and flora but also the fauna is in plethora, including the famous tanuki that became an inspiration for the pottery motif.
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The current amalgamation of the tanuki statue is a recent development in history and its popularity started with the Showa Emperor, Hirohito. On his visit to Shigaraki in 1951, he was greeted by many Japanese flags and tanuki statues. Taken by the spectacular sight, he created a poem which he used as a greeting that day and thus the tanuki was solidified as a popular pottery product. (2) Though still ever-popular, and despite my having studied abroad in Shiga for one year, I never visited the homeland of the coveted tanuki statues. I was only ever disturbed by the overspill that had spread to the area around my campus, sometimes even startling me with their looming and indulgent figures. The tanuki statues were everywhere. I couldn’t escape. It wasn’t until my second stay in Japan that I made the trek to the famous location to satisfy my perturbed curiosity and potentially quell my ever-growing disgust with the exhibitionist form.
