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Japanese fairy tales Tanuki A Tanuki is a cannin which looks a little like a racoon and so is often translated as raccon or racoon dog. They are more closely related to dogs or foxes then to raccoons. In Japanese fairy tales Tanuki are depicted as being able to change form and use a number of magical powers. Tanuki are often depicted as highly susceptible to flattery which is used in fairy tales as a means of getting revenge on them. They are trickster figures who’s pranks often turn deadly. In one story a tanuki tricks a farmers wife and kills her then takes her form and feeds the unwitting farmer his own wife. Tanuki could also be dangerous to each other going to war with each other much as humans would. Yet Tanuki could also be kind, especially to those who were kind to them. In one story a monk hears a knock on his door in the winter and finds a tanuki standing out in the cold. He lets the little animal in and they soon become friends. The tanuki later works hard to earn enough money so the priest can fulfill his dream.