I'd never heard the term "UMA" (pronounced "you-mah") until it came up in a meeting with illustrator Morino-san during the making of Yokai Attack. Outside of Japan, these "unidentified mysterious animals" are usually referred to as "cryptids." Whatever the case, I have news. Big news. I found one of my very own!
Hiroko and I were walking in Kichijoji's Inokashira Park two days ago when I noticed this strange carcass behind some bushes. How many pedestrians simply walked past this with their green tea lattes, never realizing the mysteries unfolding in the shrubbery around them?
Note the flattened head and extremely short tail. It isn't a dog. Our best guess is a tanuki (a.k.a. "raccoon dog"), which I've spotted several of in Inokashira Park before, albeit while extremely drunk. At least, I'm pretty sure I did. Whatever. This is real, damn it! I have evidence, and I want some answers.
(Seriously -- anyone have some answers?)
It's cleary an tanuki. Either that or a jack russell terrier..
Posted by: Erik Sjoen | February 26, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I vote Masters of the Universe "Battle Bones", modified and in less than perfect condition.
http://www.ultimatetoycollections.com/assets/images/Battle_Bones.jpg
(sorry, I got MOTU on the brain lately....)
Posted by: NekroDave | February 26, 2009 at 12:08 PM
I imagine you going to work carrying that in one hand and your He-Man lunchbox in the other, Dave.
Posted by: MattAlt | February 26, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Sorry, I don't have a MOTU lunchbox. I do, however, have a Universal Monsters lunchbox (and Monster Balls!)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v448/nekrodave/100_3761.jpg
ps- What the hell is this "work" thing you speak of?
Posted by: NekroDave | February 26, 2009 at 12:16 PM
"Work" is tanuki-hunting in the wilds of Inokashira Park. Great gig if you can swing it.
Posted by: MattAlt | February 26, 2009 at 01:01 PM
http://images.google.co.jp/imgres?imgurl=http://www.geocities.jp/tusu6/image/toukotu/tanuki/tanu091.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.geocities.jp/tusu6/honetanuki.htm&usg=__Ni33kkbiIW8TfQLvDfykqO4HloQ=&h=532&w=800&sz=24&hl=ja&start=3&tbnid=ZI9EYfVghU9RwM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3D%25E3%2582%25BF%25E3%2583%258C%25E3%2582%25AD%25E3%2580%2581%25E9%25A0%25AD%25E9%25AA%25A8%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Dja%26sa%3DG
Looks Tanuki to my eyes.
Posted by: Aceface | February 26, 2009 at 06:23 PM
Yeah, that's the pic i found. Congrats on finding your very first Tanuki corpse. Did the, erm, sack leave massive fossilized residue?! (Or was it a female...?)
Posted by: Alex | February 26, 2009 at 06:37 PM
wow, we have so much roadkill on our street, im amazed u stopped to check it out!!! a dead tanuki... looks like it died without being wounded (perhaps food poison or old age?)
Posted by: Enrique | February 26, 2009 at 11:52 PM
"'Work' is tanuki-hunting in the wilds of Inokashira Park. Great gig if you can swing it."
Hell, I would get sucked in by Iseya and never even make it to "work".
Now back to Dave's monster balls....
Posted by: hillsy | February 27, 2009 at 02:30 AM
Thanks for the image, Aceface. Looks like a definite match. We found it on the bank of the lake, behind some bushes, which would seem to indicate a natural death. And here I thought they were supposed to transform into yokai when they got old!
On that note, no sign of a supernatural sack, I'm afraid. But just to be on the safe side, I did leave a coin and say a prayer in its honor at the local Inari shrine.
Posted by: MattAlt | February 27, 2009 at 09:07 AM
But Inari shrine is dedicated for the archrival of the tanuki,the fox.....
Posted by: Aceface | February 27, 2009 at 10:15 AM
Great. I've angered the local Tanuki population? Now I'm screwed...
Posted by: MattAlt | February 27, 2009 at 10:28 AM
Quick, find a local izekaya with a ceramic tanuki in front, deposit some coins and go inside for a drink.
Posted by: Gilles Poitras | March 01, 2009 at 07:04 AM
Or down a bowl of tanuki soba, maybe?
Posted by: MattAlt | March 02, 2009 at 09:46 AM