Reposted by Jigoku Yeah!
Possibly the most comprehensive guide to all the Japanese cultural references in Pom Poko #ghibli #tanuki #notraccoons
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Pom Poko Revealed: The Real Mythology, Folklore & References Explained! It's More than just Tanuki!
YouTube video by StoryDive
![[Top Section] Tonkaraton; Region: Japan
[Middle Section] A guaze-wrapped humanoid grin atop a bicycle, his left eye and his mouth visible and a katana in his right hand. Accompanied by descriptive text.
A late evening bike-riding yokai, wrapped in gauze with a katana sheathed on his back.
Sings "Ton, Ton, Tonkara, Ton." but stops when encountering a person, approaching them and asking them to say "Tonkaraton".
Say it and he will leave. Refuse and he will cut you down, say it before he asks and he will cut you down.
Those cut down will manifest gauze wrapping, becoming a Tonkaraton.
[Bottom Section] Some depictions in popular culture: Dandadan, Ch. 215 - 219 (2025), Gakkou no Kowai Uwada: Hanako-san ga Kita, E10 (1994)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:tsfvgiiehbannefovmdxxk5s/bafkreidzrtl64jwwhfe77lzha35odsdf6aqadqtsvftugvb33o23e6g3oi)
![[Shiro-uneri as it appears in Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Tsurezure Bukuro vol. 1 (1784) - Image source: Smithsonian] "Shiro-Ururi" appears in Essays in Idleness. This Shiro-uneri is an old cloth transformed. I wonder if there are other types. So I dreamed." - (Translation: Japandemonium 2017)](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2qhnojh2joagxxpcyedopa7u/bafkreigzidi2ebzfx5engw5isyjchsosxwtjbtc4gwmxmppprxbfd3koqm)
