Tanuki no hara tsuzumi

    Keywords: Tesuji

Chinese 1: 黄莺扑蝶 (huángyīng pū dié) "(the) yellow oriole captures (the) butterfly"
Chinese 2: 蒼鷹搏兔 (cāngyīng bó tù) "(The) goshawk fights (the) rabbit"
Japanese: タヌキ(狸)の腹鼓
Korean: -


The racoon dog drums his belly
A racoon dog drums his belly (netsuke)

One of these colorfully named tesujis, tanuki no hara tsuzumi is usually translated from Japanese as as the raccoon-dog drums his belly. The [ext] tanuki (Nyctereutes viverrinus) 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.

There are two Chinese go terms for this tesuji. The [ext] yellow oriole is a type of bird, as is the goshawk.

The Tesuji

[Diagram]

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

This problem from Gokyo Shumyo illustrates the basic pattern.

[Diagram]

Yellow Oriole captures a 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. See 4463 enclosure second-line side attachment, trick play chapter.


Examples from games

Part of this castle game is analyzed in the book Weird and Wonderful - Volume 1 - Extraordinary Moves by Professional Go Players.

[Diagram]

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


Linguistic notes

Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus
Japanese raccoon-dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides viverrinus)

A tsuzumi (Japanese drum)
A tsuzumi (Japanese traditional drum)

Tanuki statues at a temple in Kamakura
Tanuki statues at a temple in Kamakura

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.

A [ext] tsuzumi is a traditional Japanese drum.


This is a copy of the living page "Tanuki no hara tsuzumi" at Sensei's Library.
(OC) 2023 the Authors, published under the OpenContent License V1.0.
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