The Lucky Tea Kettle of Morin Temple
The next day, the tanuki accompanied the woodcutter to the market, yet again in the form of an iron tea kettle.
Long ago, there was a woodcutter. The man was kind and hardworking, but very poor.
One day, the woodcutter came across a tanuki (racoon dog). The tanuki was in grave danger, and the woodcutter went out of his way to save its life. In gratitude, the tanuki transformed into a tea kettle and suggested that the woodcutter sell him for a good price to the Buddhist priests at the Morin Temple in the town of Tatebayashi. Life was not so easy for the tanuki as a tea kettle in this new home. The priests hung the kettle over the fire to boil water, and the tanuki yelped as it felt the hot flames lick its body. Terrified, the kettle sprouted two furry legs and scrambled away, fleeing at high speed from the surprised priests. The tanuki found its way back to the woodcutter, who greeted it with open arms. While telling its story of the close call at the temple, the tanuki had another idea for how the woodcutter could make some money.
“What’s a woodcutter doing with a boring old tea kettle?” the people mused.
“Just you wait and see!” thought the tanuki . Suddenly, a pair of legs sprouted from the kettle and began a spirited dance.
“Wow! I can’t believe it! A dancing tea kettle!” shouted the onlookers.
A cheering crowd formed, with hundreds gathering to leave coins and watch this extraordinary show. The two took this show on the road and traveled together far and wide. The tanuki became known as the lucky dancing tea kettle that helped earn a fortune for its benevolent woodcutter friend.
The Lucky Tea Kettle of Morin Temple by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839–1892)
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