The lucky tea kettle of Morin Temple (Morinji no bunbuku chagama), from the series New forms of thirty-six ghosts

This is the story of a tanuki (raccoon-dog) that turned itself into a teakettle to thank a woodcutter who rescued him from a trap. The woodcutter sold the kettle to Morin Temple but it became so annoyed when it was used that it turned back into a tanuki and tried to escape. In one version of the story, the tanuki returned to the woodcutter and helped him make money as an entertainer by dancing and doing tricks. In another, the monks realised the kettle was special and it was awarded a life of comfort and ease. Here the tanuki is shown napping in the temple wearing a priest’s robe. The nearby kettle is a reminder of his past.