The (The Tanuki War of Awa) is a Japanese legend about a great war between bake-danuki (magical tanuki) that supposedly occurred in the late Edo period in Awa Province (now Tokushima Prefecture). It is also known as the and the (The Kinchà  Tanuki War).
It is one of the most famous tanuki legends among the many found in Shikoku, and often considered the most renowned tanuki story from Tokushima. The story is believed to have originated in the late Edo period. Literary records exist in three handwritten manuscripts from the late Edo period: (Chikagoro Furudanuki Chinsetsu), (Furudanuki Kinchà  Giyà « Chinsetsu), and (Kinchà  Isshà Âki), though their exact dates are unknown. The legend gained widespread circulation through kà Âdan (narrative storytelling) transcriptions published in Meiji 43 (1910): (Shikoku Kidan Jissetsu Furudanuki Gassen), (Tsudaura Dai-kessen), and (Higaino Tomurai Gassen). Popularized through kà Âdan from the Meiji era until the wartime period and later through films in the early Shà Âwa period, the legend has become a theme for community development (') in Tokushima Prefecture since the Heisei era and remains beloved by its residents.
Based on the traditions of Kinchà  Jinja (detailed below) and the book Awa no Tanuki no Hanashi by Tokushima-born archaeologist Kasai Shin'ya, the legend can be summarized as follows:
During the Tenpà  era (1830âÂÂ1844), in Higaino, Komatsushima (now Kandaise-chà Â, Komatsushima City), a man named Moemon (), who ran a dyeing shop called Yamatoya (), saved a tanuki from being tormented by people. Soon after, Yamatoya's business began to prosper greatly. Eventually, a tanuki possessed Mankichi (), an employee at the shop, and revealed its identity. The tanuki called himself Kinchà  (), the 206-year-old leader of the local tanuki. Possessing Mankichi, Kinchà  became renowned for healing the sick and performing divination for customers, achieving great fame.
Some time later, Kinchà Â, who had not yet attained a formal rank among tanuki, decided to seek training under Rokuemon (), the tanuki generalissimo residing in Tsuda (then Tsudaura, Saitsu Village, Myà Âdà  District, now Tsuda-chà Â, Tokushima City). Kinchà  excelled in his training and was on the verge of attaining the coveted rank of Senior First Rank (, Shà Âichii). Rokuemon, reluctant to lose such a promising pupil, attempted to keep Kinchà  by his side by arranging a marriage with his daughter, making Kinchà  his son-in-law and heir. However, Kinchà  refused, citing his obligation to Moemon and his dislike for Rokuemon's cruel nature.
Angered by the refusal and fearing Kinchà  would become a future rival, Rokuemon plotted against him. Along with his retainers, Rokuemon launched a surprise night attack on Kinchà Â. Kinchà  fought back, aided by another tanuki from Higaino named Fuji no Kidera no Taka (, "Hawk of Fuji-no-ki Temple"). However, Taka was killed in the battle, and Kinchà  barely managed to escape back to Higaino.
Moemon, grieving that Kinchà  had died just before achieving the Senior First Rank, personally traveled to the Yoshida Shinto Ritualists (, Yoshida Jingi Kanryà Âsho) in Kyoto and successfully petitioned for Kinchà  to be posthumously awarded the rank.
During the time of the conflict, rumors spread among humans that Kinchà Â's army was gathering in the sacred forest (, Chinju no mori) preparing to attack Rokuemon. When curious onlookers visited the forest at dusk, they heard a great clamor as if many beings were jostling together in the darkness. The next morning, countless tanuki footprints covered the ground, convincing people that the tales of the tanuki war were indeed true.
The legend exists in several variations across different sources, possibly due to the influence of later kà Âdan narratives on the original oral traditions.
One theory suggests the legend originated from an existing local tale of animal gratitude (, dà Âbutsu hà Âontan) from the Tenpà  era, where a tanuki saved by the Yamatoya shop owner repaid the kindness. Later, the factual event of a large number of tanuki carcasses being found on the banks of the Katsuura River one year was incorporated. These elements were then supposedly combined and dramatized, possibly in the style of kà Âdan, into the story of a great clash between the two tanuki powers, Kinchà  and Rokuemon.
Alternatively, some interpret the story as an allegory for human conflicts. The struggles, tragic love, and rivalries depicted are common in human society, suggesting the tanuki war might be a projection of real-world human events onto animal characters.
Specific historical conflicts have been proposed as models:
If these theories based on human conflicts are correct, the somewhat endearing tanuki characters might actually be reflections of foolish human behavior.
While the veracity of the tanuki war itself is legendary, Moemon is confirmed to have been a real person. The 1939 film ' was based on both the kà Âdan transcriptions and oral accounts passed down within the family of Moemon's direct descendants. Furthermore, some suggest that the incident of the tanuki possessing Mankichi was a real, separate event, later woven into the tanuki war narrative by kà Âdan storytellers.
According to tradition in Tokushima Prefecture, during the era of the Tokushima Domain, a toki no taiko (time-keeping drum) was used to announce the hour. However, in the Tomita à Âmichi area of the castle town (now à Âmichi, Tokushima City), the drum was never struck at the Hour of the Serpent (around 10 AM, corresponding to "four" in older counting), and in the Teramachi area, it was never struck at the Hour of the Monkey (around 4 PM, corresponding to "six"). This was supposedly because Kinchà Â's successor (the second Kinchà Â) was enshrined as "O-Yotsu-san" ("Mr./Ms. Four") at a subsidiary shrine of the Konpira Shrine in Tomita à Âmichi, and a female tanuki connected to the war was enshrined as "O-Roku-san" ("Mr./Ms. Six") at Myà Âchà Â-ji Temple in Teramachi. It was believed that striking the drum at the hour corresponding to their names would invoke a curse. An alternative explanation for the silence at the sixth hour in Teramachi is that Rokuemon's successor (the second Rokuemon) was enshrined there.
In May 1939 (Shà Âwa 14), following the massive success of the film ', Kinchà  Jinja Shrine (later known as Kinchà  Jinja Hongà « - the original shrine) was established in the mountains of Mount Himi (, Himine-san) as an expression of gratitude. The annual "Kinchà  Rei Taisai" (Kinchà  Grand Festival) began at the shrine in 1946 (Shà Âwa 21), and in 1955 (Shà Âwa 30), the "Kinchà  Hà Âsankai" (Kinchà  Reverence Association) was formed to organize the yearly festival honoring Kinchà Â.
In 1956 (Shà Âwa 31), Komatsushima City, seeking to honor Kinchà Â's virtue of profound gratitude and loyalty (, hà Âon kansha) and to develop him as a tourism resource, requested the relocation of the Kinchà  Daimyà Âjin shrine, which until then had been a private household shrine (, yashikigami) in the garden of Moemon's descendants, the Umeyama family. The shrine was moved to Nakata-chà  within the city, and the new Kinchà  Jinja was formally established the following year, 1957 (Shà Âwa 32). Nagata Masaichi, who had been the studio head at Shinkà  Kinema during the production of the 1939 film and was president of Daiei Film at the time of the shrine's construction, regarded Kinchà  as the savior who rescued the nearly bankrupt Shinkà  Kinema. He donated a then-staggering one million yen, which covered most of the construction costs. The names of Nagata, as well as popular actors like Ramon Mitsusaburà Â, Kazuo Hasegawa, and Machiko Kyà Â, are inscribed on the shrine's ornamental fence (, tamagaki).
Kinchà  Daimyà Âjin is revered as the "Hà Âtoku Tanuki" (, Gratitude-Repaying Tanuki) for his loyalty to Moemon, and is also known as a god of good fortune and protection (, kaiun shugo). He is particularly believed to grant blessings for business prosperity. It is one of the most representative tanuki shrines in Tokushima. Locals often refer to him affectionately as "Kinchà Â-san," interacting with him with a familiarity distinct from typical deities. The shrine appears in the Studio Ghibli animated film Pom Poko. Reflecting Kinchà Â's protection of the Yamatoya, descendants of Moemon have served as the shrine's priests (, gà «ji) since its establishment. As of 2014, the priest was the 6th generation descendant from Moemon.
Being more accessible than the original shrine (Hongà «) deep in the mountains, the Kinchà  Jinja in Nakata-chà  attracts worshippers not only from Tokushima but also from the Kansai region. It continues to receive visitors even in recent years. Meanwhile, the Kinchà  Jinja Hongà « on Mount Himi is less known today due to its mountain location, and the fact that there are two Kinchà  shrines in Komatsushima is not widely recognized.
In 2017 (Heisei 29), facing potential demolition due to urban redevelopment plans in Komatsushima, a group of volunteers formed the "Kinchà  Jinja o Mamoru Kai" (Association to Protect Kinchà  Jinja). They conduct activities, including using blogs and Twitter, under the names "Kotaka" (, Little Hawk) and "Kumadaka" (, Bear Hawk), who were Kinchà Â's tanuki followers in some versions of the legend, to raise awareness and support for preserving the shrine.
Relating to Rokuemon's side:
In the late Meiji period, Kanda Hakuryà «, a prominent kà Âdan storyteller active in Osaka, performed the legend on stage, bringing it to national attention as urban entertainment. His performances were transcribed by the stenographer Maruyama Heijirà  and published in 1910 (Meiji 43) as a three-volume set: (Jissetsu Furudanuki Gassen, True Tale of the Old Tanuki War), (Furudanuki Kidan Tsudaura Dai-kessen, Strange Tale of the Old Tanuki: The Great Tsudaura Decisive Battle), and (Furudanuki Kidan Higaino Tomurai Gassen, Strange Tale of the Old Tanuki: The Higaino Mourning War). Around the same time, another popular tanuki kà Âdan was the tale of Inugami Gyà Âbu from Matsuyama, Iyo Province (now Ehime Prefecture), titled (Matsuyama Sà Âdà  Happyakuya-danuki Monogatari). However, that story featured human protagonists, whereas Hakuryà «'s Awa Tanuki Gassen was notable for centering on the tanuki themselves as main characters.
Hakuryà «'s kà Âdan largely followed the oral tradition's plot but enhanced it with detailed descriptions of actions and added dialogue, increasing the realism of battle scenes. A key feature was portraying the tanuki not just as comical animals but as warriors with human-like emotions and motivations. Many scenes absent from the original legends appear in the kà Âdan, likely creative additions. For example, the kà Âdan includes a detailed battle between the second-generation Kinchà  and Rokuemon, featuring complex military strategies unlikely for tanuki. Since no pre-kà Âdan sources describe this, it is considered a fabrication by the storyteller, who specialized in military chronicles (, gunki-mono). Hakuryà « himself acknowledged that parts of his version differed from the original sources.
The kà Âdan's popularity coincided with the period of the First Sino-Japanese War, a time when tales of military campaigns, bravery, and revenge resonated with the public. The narrative of tanuki helping each other, fighting honorably, and sometimes dying heroic deaths likely felt relatable to audiences. Additionally, tanuki leaders like Kinchà  and Rokuemon, often enshrined as local deities and featured in numerous anecdotes, were familiar figures. Sharing stories about these local heroes may have strengthened community bonds among those who shared the same knowledge and regional identity.
Over 80 years later, in 1996 (Heisei 8), a renewed version titled "Ritai Kà Âdan Awa Tanuki Gassen" (, Three-Dimensional Kà Âdan: Awa Tanuki War) was performed in Komatsushima. In 1998 (Heisei 10), Komatsushima City initiated a project to train citizens as storytellers (, kataribe) to preserve this cultural heritage. Professional kà Âdan performers and scriptwriters were invited from Tokyo to lead workshops. A recital held in 1999 was highly successful. After the official program ended in 1999, twenty graduates formed the "Komatsushima Kataribe Kyà Âkai Otogi-shà «" (, Komatsushima Storytellers Association - Narrators Group) the same year. They performed kà Âdan and humorous skits at nursing homes and community events, eliciting both laughter and tears. However, due to aging membership and other factors, by 2008 only the group's original representative remained active as a storyteller.
KÃ Âdan's peak popularity faded around 1904 (Meiji 37), and the tanuki story found new life in the emerging medium of film.
Tanuki-themed films continued to be produced and remained popular through the 1950s and 1960s.
In 2011 (Heisei 23), the Media Design Department of the Faculty of Human Life Sciences at Tokushima Bunri University produced an animated adaptation of the Awa Tanuki Gassen. The project was suggested by painter and professor emeritus Iihara Kazuo. As part of a regional revitalization initiative, screenings of the first part were held in December 2011, and it was also shown during Iihara's painting exhibition at the Tokushima Castle Museum in 2012 (Heisei 24).
The legend continues to be adapted into new formats. In 2015 (Heisei 27), an e-book version was released, produced by students at Tokushima Bunri University with illustrations and text by Iihara Kazuo. It is accessible for free without registration on the Tokushima City Digital Library website.
Komatsushima City actively utilizes the Awa Tanuki Gassen legend and related sites for community development (machizukuri). Tanuki serve as the town's symbol, with monuments and wall art visible throughout the city.
In the Tsuda district of Tokushima City, Kinchà Â's rival, Rokuemon, is embraced as the local symbol. In the legend, Kinchà  is often portrayed as righteous and loyal (due to repaying Moemon's kindness), while Rokuemon, partly due to the influence of the 1939 film, has often been cast as the villain. This portrayal has caused dissatisfaction among some Tsuda residents. However, perceptions have evolved; even in Komatsushima, where Rokuemon was once strongly viewed negatively, the post-war era of peace has led some to re-evaluate him, acknowledging his role as Kinchà Â's teacher.