Awa Tanuki Gassen

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The Awa Tanuki Gassen (阿波狸合戦) (also called the Awa no Tanuki Gassen (阿波の狸合戦)^[1] or the Kinchō Tanuki Gassen (金長狸合戦)^[2]) is a Japanese legend that takes place in the Awa Province (now Tokushima Prefecture). The legend is about a great war between two tanuki powers.

There are several well-known tales about tanuki in Shikkoku,^[3][4][5] and this one is said to be the most famous among those from Tokushima.^[6] This story first appeared near the end of the Edo Period,^[7] and in literature, it was first published in Meiji 43 (1910) under the title "Shikoku Kidan Jissetsu Furudanuki Gassen" (四国奇談実説古狸合戦).^[8] It was a kōdan from the Meiji period until the time of the war and gained popularity in the beginning of the Showa period as it became depicted in movies. In the Heisei period, it has become a common theme in community development and is widely known in Tokushima Prefecture.