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Kinchou VI, known in Japanese as Rokudaime Kinchou or Kinchou Daimyoujin the Sixth, is a venerable and powerful raccoon dog, or tanuki, from the island of Shikoku in the film Pom Poko. He is regarded as a sage and is one of the three most famous and powerful tanuki elders in Japan, belonging to an ancient lineage of leaders and being the sixth generation of his family to hold the title of Daimyoujin, a term associated with powerful deities in Shintoism. Kinchou VI is the father of a female tanuki named Koharu. He is a figure of great wisdom and authority, deeply committed to the survival and well-being of tanuki kind. His core personality is defined by a profound sense of responsibility and a principled, almost idealistic, belief that no tanuki should be left behind. He values every single member of his species and is unwilling to sacrifice a few for the perceived greater good of the many, a stance that puts him at odds with the more pragmatic perspectives of others.
In the story, Kinchou VI is a pivotal character whose influence extends far beyond his home in Shikoku. His primary role is that of a high councilor and a source of ancient power who is called upon by the tanuki of the Tama Hills, who are facing the destruction of their habitat by urban development. He is the one who accepts the young and eager Tamasaburo as a disciple, training him to master the art of transformation and eventually become his successor. Through this mentorship, Kinchou VI hopes to pass on his immense skills and ensure a future for their traditions. His most significant and tragic contribution to the plot, however, comes from a well-intentioned but disastrous decision. Deeply moved by the plight of the Tama Hills tanuki and frustrated with the failure of their other plans, he is convinced by a fox named Ryutaro that the only path to survival is for tanuki to fully integrate into human society by living and working while disguised as people. Kinchou VI, believing this to be a merciful solution, shares this advice, which inadvertently causes the tanuki coalition to fracture. Some perish in desperate direct confrontations with humans, others are absorbed into the human world, losing their tanuki identity, and a number join a desperate, fatalistic "suicide cult" led by another elder, leading to a period of hopelessness and disbandment for the community.
His key relationships define his role in the narrative. His bond with Tamasaburo is that of a patient and perceptive teacher. In a conversation, Kinchou VI questions Tamasaburo's desire to leave his fellows and train in Shikoku, asking if he is abandoning them for selfish reasons, which shows his concern for both his student's integrity and the larger group's cohesion. He is also a father to Koharu, who helps nurse Tamasaburo back to health when he arrives in Shikoku, and the two later start a family. His most important relationship in terms of plot, however, is his encounter with the fox Ryutaro. In a conversation that takes place in a Ginza bar, Ryutaro argues that the tanuki must be pragmatic like the foxes, who have survived by living among humans, even if it means many of their kind perish. Ryutaro asks Kinchou what will become of tanuki who cannot transform, and the fox's cold answer that "one cannot look after every animal" horrifies Kinchou but ultimately influences his fateful advice.
Throughout the film, Kinchou VI undergoes a notable development. He begins as a distant, almost mythical source of power and wisdom, a member of the ancient council of elders alongside the Sado Island tanuki and Inugami Gyobu. He is a figure of hope and authority. After the failure of the grand "Ghost Parade," a spectacular attempt to scare humans away with a massive display of illusion magic, he is the one who soberly explains the result: the humans will likely dismiss it as a dream or try to explain it with science, which is a devastating blow to tanuki morale. It is in his subsequent despair and desperation that he becomes vulnerable to Ryutaro's persuasive, if cynical, logic. His development is less a personal journey and more a tragic arc from being a source of orthodox power and hope to becoming the unwitting catalyst for his people's final, heartbreaking dissolution. His belief in saving everyone, while noble, ultimately proves incompatible with the harsh reality of humanity's relentless expansion.
As for notable abilities, Kinchou VI is an extraordinarily skilled master of the tanuki's legendary art of transformation. As a Daimyoujin and one of the great elders, his magical power is immense, allowing him to perform feats beyond ordinary tanuki. He is capable of training others, such as Tamasaburo, in these complex arts, which indicates a deep, practical mastery of illusion and shape-shifting. He is one of the key figures who leads the massive, coordinated magical ritual to create the ghostly procession, a testament to his power and his ability to command the spiritual energy of many tanuki. His true strength, however, is not just in raw magical power but also in his long memory and his understanding of tanuki history and tradition. He is a living repository of their ancient lore and a symbol of their connection to the spiritual world, a connection that is ultimately broken by the advance of modernity.
In the story, Kinchou VI is a pivotal character whose influence extends far beyond his home in Shikoku. His primary role is that of a high councilor and a source of ancient power who is called upon by the tanuki of the Tama Hills, who are facing the destruction of their habitat by urban development. He is the one who accepts the young and eager Tamasaburo as a disciple, training him to master the art of transformation and eventually become his successor. Through this mentorship, Kinchou VI hopes to pass on his immense skills and ensure a future for their traditions. His most significant and tragic contribution to the plot, however, comes from a well-intentioned but disastrous decision. Deeply moved by the plight of the Tama Hills tanuki and frustrated with the failure of their other plans, he is convinced by a fox named Ryutaro that the only path to survival is for tanuki to fully integrate into human society by living and working while disguised as people. Kinchou VI, believing this to be a merciful solution, shares this advice, which inadvertently causes the tanuki coalition to fracture. Some perish in desperate direct confrontations with humans, others are absorbed into the human world, losing their tanuki identity, and a number join a desperate, fatalistic "suicide cult" led by another elder, leading to a period of hopelessness and disbandment for the community.
His key relationships define his role in the narrative. His bond with Tamasaburo is that of a patient and perceptive teacher. In a conversation, Kinchou VI questions Tamasaburo's desire to leave his fellows and train in Shikoku, asking if he is abandoning them for selfish reasons, which shows his concern for both his student's integrity and the larger group's cohesion. He is also a father to Koharu, who helps nurse Tamasaburo back to health when he arrives in Shikoku, and the two later start a family. His most important relationship in terms of plot, however, is his encounter with the fox Ryutaro. In a conversation that takes place in a Ginza bar, Ryutaro argues that the tanuki must be pragmatic like the foxes, who have survived by living among humans, even if it means many of their kind perish. Ryutaro asks Kinchou what will become of tanuki who cannot transform, and the fox's cold answer that "one cannot look after every animal" horrifies Kinchou but ultimately influences his fateful advice.
Throughout the film, Kinchou VI undergoes a notable development. He begins as a distant, almost mythical source of power and wisdom, a member of the ancient council of elders alongside the Sado Island tanuki and Inugami Gyobu. He is a figure of hope and authority. After the failure of the grand "Ghost Parade," a spectacular attempt to scare humans away with a massive display of illusion magic, he is the one who soberly explains the result: the humans will likely dismiss it as a dream or try to explain it with science, which is a devastating blow to tanuki morale. It is in his subsequent despair and desperation that he becomes vulnerable to Ryutaro's persuasive, if cynical, logic. His development is less a personal journey and more a tragic arc from being a source of orthodox power and hope to becoming the unwitting catalyst for his people's final, heartbreaking dissolution. His belief in saving everyone, while noble, ultimately proves incompatible with the harsh reality of humanity's relentless expansion.
As for notable abilities, Kinchou VI is an extraordinarily skilled master of the tanuki's legendary art of transformation. As a Daimyoujin and one of the great elders, his magical power is immense, allowing him to perform feats beyond ordinary tanuki. He is capable of training others, such as Tamasaburo, in these complex arts, which indicates a deep, practical mastery of illusion and shape-shifting. He is one of the key figures who leads the massive, coordinated magical ritual to create the ghostly procession, a testament to his power and his ability to command the spiritual energy of many tanuki. His true strength, however, is not just in raw magical power but also in his long memory and his understanding of tanuki history and tradition. He is a living repository of their ancient lore and a symbol of their connection to the spiritual world, a connection that is ultimately broken by the advance of modernity.