Inugami Gyà Âbu (é ç¥ÂÃ¥ÂÂé¨) or Gyà Âbu-danuki (Ã¥ÂÂé¨ç¸) is a bake-danuki (a monster tanuki) told about in legends passed down in Matsuyama, Iyo Province (now Ehime Prefecture). He is known due to appearing in the "Tale of the Matsuyama Disturbance and the Eight Hundred and Eight Tanuki" (æ¾山é¨ÂÃ¥ÂÂå «ç¾堫ç¸ç©èªÂ, Matsuyama Sà Âdà  Happyakuya-danuki Monogatari), which is considered one of the big three tanuki tales along with the Shojoji no Tanuki-bayashi and Bunbuku Chagama.
The "Tale of the Matsuyama Disturbance and the Eight Hundred and Eight Tanuki" was based on the historical record "Iyo Nagusa" (ä¼ÂäºÂÃ¥ÂÂèÂÂ) that told of the O-Ie Sà Âdà Â, which occurred during the Great Gyà Âhà  Famine in 1805, and in the Edo period, and according to the kà Âshaku storyteller Nanryà « Tanabe, it was a ghost story that added elements of tanuki and yà Âkai to it and became known through kà Âdan. For this reason, there are several variations depending on which particular kà Âdan storyteller told it, but the story mainly went as follows.
In Shikoku, there are many folk tales and legends about tanuki, but the tanuki of Matsuyama in particular has a history of them that goes back to the beginning of history in the ages of Emperor Tenji, and as a result of tanuki giving birth to tanuki, there were 808 of them. Its leader was Inugami Gyà Âbu. He lived in an old cave in Kumayama, and was a bake-danuki that continued to protect the Matsuyama Castle, and from his household of 808 tanuki, was also called "Eight Hundred and Eight Tanuki (å «ç¾堫ç¸, Happyakuya-danuki)." He was said to have the greatest divine power in Shikoku.
The part of his name "Gyà Âbu"(Ã¥ÂÂé¨: lit. penal affairs) was a title awarded by an ancestor of the lords of the Matsuyama Castle, and he received faith from the vassals in the castle, and had a deep connection with the local people. In the era of Matsuyama Oki no Kami (æ¾山é å²Âå®Â), the O-Ie Sà Âdà  occurred, and Inugami Gyà Âbu was used by the rebel side, and he gave commands to his follower tanuki to cause strange occurrences to support the insurrection.
However, in the ghost story Inà Âmono no Roku, the feudal warrior Inà  Budayà « (稲çÂÂæ¦太夫) punished Inugami Gyà Âbu with a divine rod that he received from Usa Hachiman Dai-bosatsu, and as a result, Inugami Gyà Âbu and the 808 of his household was sealed in Kumayama. The cave remains even today in Kutaninagumi (ä¹ è°·ä¸ÂçµÂ), Matsuyama city, and is known as Yamaguchi Reishin (å±±å£éÂÂç¥Â).
As stated previously, the "Tale of the Matsuyama Disturbance and the Eight Hundred and Eight Tanuki" has several variations, and because Inugami Gyà Âbu, who was supposed to have been the protector of the castle, supported the O-Ie Sà Âdà Â, there are various tales about the particulars of how Inugami Gyà Âbu was defeated by Budayà «.
Just the opposite of Inugami Gyà Âbu being defeated by Budayuu, there are also stories where Inugami Gyà Âbu stood with the righteous side, but since he was not able to make a dent to the forces of the rebel side, he called Budayuu for help. There are also other variations, including stories where Budayuu does not play a part.