Who did the music for “Pom Poko”?
It was done by the Okinawan Rock group, “Shang Shang Typhoon”. “Pom Poko” used much traditional Japanese music, folk music, Kabuki, children’s songs and so forth. Several children’s songs about Tanuki are featured in “Pom Poko”, such as “Shojoji no Tanuki Bayashi”. The song Shoukichi and Okiyo sang when they were playing with a ball was “Antagata Dokosa (Where are you From?)”, a children’s play song for bouncing a ball. In this song, a hunter hunts Tanukis with his gun, boils them, barbecues them, and eats them. Another song is a quite earthy song (therefore, kids love it) about Tanuki’s testicles swinging in the wind.
