Once, a poor man was walking through the woods. He found a tanuki (raccoon dog) caught in a trap. Overcome with pity, he set him free. That night, the tanuki visited the poor man. The tanuki said, “Thank you for your kindness. As a token of my gratitude, I will tell you something very important. The priest at the Morinji temple is looking for a tea kettle. I will disguise myself as a tea kettle and then you sell it to him.” The tanuki transformed himself into a wonderful gold tea kettle. The man was surprised. He took the kettle to the priest who was glad to see it. He paid a high amount for it. The priest took the tea kettle to the temple and ordered a new priest to wash it. The new priest went to the river and started washing it. Suddenly the tea kettle cried, “You’re hurting my bottom!” The new priest was shocked, and told the priest. But the priest did not believe him.
The Tanuki
The priest, then, boiled some water. He filled the tea kettle and placed it on the fire. The tanuki screamed, “It’s hot!” Unable to bear the flames, the tanuki transformed back into his true form and rushed back to the poor man. The tanuki gave an idea to the poor man. “Let’s go into the town. I will remain in this tea kettle form and perform a tightrope walk.” The next day, they went to the town for a show. “Come and see the amazing tea kettle tightrope walking show!” he loudly announced. Inside, the tanuki tea kettle lightly walked across the rope and sang. Quickly, the word spread that there was a magic tea kettle that performed stunts. It became famous and the spectators kept increasing. The poor man became rich. Eventually, the tanuki remained in the form of the tea kettle, and lost its ability to move. It was returned to the priest at the temple and kept as a valuable temple treasure.
