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Studio Ghibli’s 1994 film Pom Poko, is perhaps more steeped in Japanese mythology and folklore than any other film in the Ghibli catalogue. As I did for Spirited away, Princess Mononoke and Ponyo, in this video, I will breakdown all the cultural references and real-world mythology you may have missed in Pom Poko. It’s so much more than just the Tanuki! 00:00 Intro 01:12 What is a Tanuki? Basics 02:03 Takahata’s 3 Tanuki Forms 02:34 Takahata’s inspiration 03:45 What does “Pom Poko“ mean? 04:12 Tanuki Children’s Songs 04:34 The Story of Pom Poko 05:52 “Bunbuku Chagama“ reference 06:06 Tanuki “Leaves“ 06:18 Tanuki Statue Tranformations 07:17 The Tanuki Scrotum Explained 08:09 Tanuki disguised as Humans 08:32 Tanuki using Leaves as Money 08:49 Tanuki vs Foxes 09:19 The Twin Star Children 09:43 The Ghost Orbs / Fireballs 10:12 Chōchin-Obake / Tsukumogami 10:33 Oiteke Bori Ghost Story Reference 10:50 Mujina (Faceless Yōkai) Ghost Story Reference 11:34 The Shikoku & Sado Tranformation Masters 11:53 The Legend of Kincho 12:22 The Legend of Yashima no Hage 12:58 The 3 Famous Tanuki of Japan 13:19 The Legend of Inugami Gyōbu 13:54 The 3 Gods reference 14:25 Kachi Kachi Yama reference 14:40 Tanuki and the Moon 15:00 The Samurai Nasu no Yoichi Reference 15:20 Operation Spector & The Rooster 16:46 Ghibli Character Easter Eggs 16:58 The Yōkai Parade (Hyakki Yagyō) 17:34 ALL Yōkai References (Almost) 20:58 The Funeral of Inugami Gyōbu 21:28 The Kitsune Make Contact 22:04 The White Snake 22:20 Hage’s Treasure Ship (Takarabune) 22:57 Gonta’s Final Fight (Tsurube-otoshi) 23:31 The Final Illusion 24:06 Outro
