Japan, Hida-Takayama - Tanuki

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The legendary Tanuki is a mythical Japanese Racoon Dog who supposedly possessed special traits which bring good luck. In Japan, many businesses and residences have a Tanuki statue displayed at their entrances. 

The 8 traits of the Tanuki are typically represented by a hat (for protection against trouble), big eyes (for situation awareness and to be able to see better which is necessary for good judgements), a sake bottle (representing virtue), a large tail (signifying steadiness, strength and resilience), a large scrotum (to ensure financial success or luck), a promissory note (representing trust), a large belly (which symbolises decisiveness) and a smile (for friendliness).

During my many visits to Japan and even to Japanese restaurants outside of Japan, I often came across statues of the Tanuki. These statues were usually made from ceramic materials as pottery ware (also known as Shigaraki ware).

One Tanuki statue I saw in Hida-Takayama particularly caught my attention, probably because of its relatively large size and detailed features. Here is a photo of this unique Tanuki statue captured in one of those photo moments during my travels. It was sighted outside a local eatery in the heart of the city.

Tanuki statue, Hida-Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (2014)

Unlike most photographs in the photo moments series published in this blog, this photograph was taken with a DSLR camera instead of a mobile phone.

Canon EOS70D, Canon EF-S 18-135mm Lens set at 50mm, f/11, 1/180s.

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