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


#studioghibli #anime #pompoko #tanuki #folklore