Tanuki no hara tsuzumi

    Keywords: Tesuji

Chinese: 黄莺扑蝶 (huángyīng pū dié)
Japanese: タヌキ(狸)の腹鼓
Korean: -

One of these colorfully named tesujis, tanuki no hara tsuzumi is usually translated as the raccoon-dog drums his belly. The [ext] tanuki (Nyctereutes procyonoides) plays a part in Far Eastern mythology, a prankster and shape-shifter not unlike the fox, but less malevolent. Statues depicting the mythical form of the tanuki are often seen outside of temples and restaurants in Japan. Real tanuki resemble something of a cross between a raccoon and a fox.

The Chinese go term for the same tesuji (黄莺扑蝶) translates into English as the [ext] yellow oriole captures the butterfly.

The Tesuji

[Diagram]

Black to win the capturing race (Gokyo Shumyo, Section 4, Problem 76)

http://www.phong.org/go/tanuki-no-hara-tsuzumi.jpg?alignright.jpg

This problem from Gokyo Shumyo illustrates the basic pattern.

[Diagram]

Yellow Oriole captures butterfly, Raccoon dog drums his belly

Here B5 is the tesuji. Critically, the marked black stones have three liberties. Any fewer and the tesuji would not work. After B7, a and b are miai as are c and d. White can even capture the two stones on the edge, but will never get more than two liberties.


Other Examples

[Diagram]

SegoeTesujiDictionary - Oki section

This example is from Segoe Tesuji Dictionary. There are many problems requiring this tesuji in that collection.

[Diagram]

tesuji in hamete

Knowledge of this tesuji is also a prerequisite for playing and responding to this hamete.

Black must decide now between answering W1 at a or b.

[Diagram]

tesuji in hamete

B2 is the stronger reply.

[Diagram]

tesuji applied ...

The tesuji is applied with B2 and B4.


Examples from games

[Diagram]

Rin Kaiho 9p (black) vs. Kataoka Satoshi 9p move 157


Synonyms

Tanuki no hara tsuzumi is sometimes mistranslated as patting the raccoon's belly. A tanuki (raccoon-dog) is a canid, related to wolves and foxes; it is not a raccoon.


/discussion


This is a copy of the living page "Tanuki no hara tsuzumi" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2009 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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