Rare
Traditional Yokai

Rokuemon

Rokuemon

Also Known As
Rokuemon
Category
Shapeshifter
Personality
Bearing the heavy burden of standing at the pinnacle of his clan, he is imposing and full of majesty. He is deeply sentimental and possesses the generosity to unhesitatingly offer his own position to a young tanuki he deems worthy; however, if he feels his kindness goes unreturned, he erupts in a fiery rage and absolutely refuses to back down. He is an exceptionally proud veteran general who values his honor and "face" above all else.
Origin
Tsuda-ura (present-day Tsuda, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture; Supreme Commander of the Awa Tanuki)
View on map

Basic Description

Rokuemon was a massive tanuki (raccoon dog) that lived in Tsuda-ura of Awa Province (present-day Tsuda, Tokushima City), revered as the supreme commander who ruled over all tanuki in Shikoku. In the tanuki world of Awa, there existed an anthropomorphic hierarchy where tanuki competed for official court ranks such as "Senior First Rank," with the most powerful ruling as the supreme general. At the pinnacle of this hierarchy stood Rokuemon. He was the head of his clan, bearing a son named Senjutaro, a daughter named Princess Kanoko (Princess Koyasu), and a fiercely loyal retainer, Gon'emon, who would later fall in battle. Remembered in later eras as one of the supreme commanders in the legendary "Awa Tanuki War," he formed a master-and-disciple bond with the young tanuki Kincho, who came to him for training, only for the two to eventually face off on the battlefield as mortal enemies.

Folklore & Legends

According to legend, Kincho, a tanuki from Hikaino who visited Rokuemon for training, was recognized for his outstanding talent. Rokuemon wished for Kincho to marry his daughter and be adopted into the family, thereby inheriting the leadership of the Awa tanuki. However, out of deep gratitude to his master Moemon back home, Kincho refused the offer and returned to his village, an act that reportedly sent Rokuemon into a furious rage. Soon after, Rokuemon led a massive army to attack Kincho. The two forces, totaling over six hundred tanuki, fought fiercely for three days and three nights across the Katsuura River. Tradition holds that Rokuemon was ultimately defeated (some say bitten to death) by Kincho in a one-on-one duel. This epic tale became widely known through the 1910 storytelling book *Shikoku Kidan: Jissetsu Furudanuki Kassen* (Strange Tales of Shikoku: The True Story of the Old Tanuki War), and was later immortalized in the 1939 film *The Awa Tanuki War*, as well as Studio Ghibli's 1994 animated feature *Pom Poko*.

Related Yokai

Yokai deeply tied to this one in legend.

Kindred1
Related1

Detailed Analysis

This is Rokuemon, the supreme commander of the Awa tanuki residing in Tsuda-ura. Ruling as the grand general over all tanuki in Shikoku, he stands as the veteran leader at the pinnacle of the tanuki hierarchy, where they fiercely compete for the title of "Senior First Rank." He once took in Kincho as his disciple and attempted to have him inherit his legacy through a marriage to his daughter. However, after Kincho fled, Rokuemon eventually faced him as a mortal enemy on the banks of the Katsuura River. Following a massive three-day and three-night battle involving over six hundred tanuki, it is said he fell in a final one-on-one duel. Yet his name has been passed down through storytelling, films, and animation, and he remains vividly remembered today as the indispensable co-protagonist of the Awa Tanuki War.

Character Profile

This section is our own creative profile for storytelling. It is not historical fact or scholarship.

Personality
Bearing the heavy burden of standing at the pinnacle of his clan, he is imposing and full of majesty. He is deeply sentimental and possesses the generosity to unhesitatingly offer his own position to a young tanuki he deems worthy; however, if he feels his kindness goes unreturned, he erupts in a fiery rage and absolutely refuses to back down. He is an exceptionally proud veteran general who values his honor and "face" above all else.
Compatibility
He shares a deep connection with those torn between old loyalties and new obligations. If he feels a hard-won bond has been betrayed, he will mercilessly turn on them as an enemy, yet beneath his fierce anger lies a hidden sorrow for the disciple he lost.
Abilities
The leadership to command all tanuki in Shikoku with a single orderThe tactical prowess to manipulate massive armies using shapeshifting and illusions to deceive the enemy
Weaknesses
Bound by his pride and face, he is utterly incapable of suppressing his rage once angered. It is said that he was ultimately defeated by Kincho in a one-on-one duel.
Habitat
He used Tsuda-ura (present-day Tsuda, Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture) as his stronghold, turning the entire Katsuura River area into his battlefield.

For more detailed information and diagnosis results about Rokuemon, Supreme Commander of the Awa Tanuki, please click here.

Interested in this type of yokai?

Discover the yokai most similar to your personality with our yokai diagnosis

Start Yokai Diagnosis

Meet your guardian yokai at the shrine

Draw an omikuji fortune and discover the yokai watching over you today.