Ghibli Tavern - Print: What is the item in Totoro?

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Posted by Draco on 12.15.2018, 09:39 AM:

What is the item in Totoro?

On the night when Totoro helps the planted acorns to grow, in this scene when the two girls are sleeping on the porch under the mosquito netting, the father carries a "pot" from outside back into the house as he bids the girls goodnight. What is this "pot"?

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Posted by arren18 on 12.15.2018, 07:47 PM:

Hmm, I don't remember this detail. Do you have a screenshot? Or somebody else might remember it.

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Posted by Draco on 12.15.2018, 08:45 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by arren18
Hmm, I don't remember this detail. Do you have a screenshot? Or somebody else might remember it.

Sorry. Don't have a screen shot.

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Posted by husky51 on 12.15.2018, 10:36 PM:

I also don't remember this, but I will look.

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Posted by Draco on 12.15.2018, 11:05 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by husky51
I also don't remember this, but I will look.

Thank you. The "pot" is sitting on the porch just outside the mosquito tent. Their father picks it up as he says goodnight and takes it back into the house. The item is about the size of a kitchen cooking pot, with a handle. The only thing I can think of is a citronella candle holder ?????

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Posted by husky51 on 12.16.2018, 04:26 AM:

OK, I cannot post a screenshot because, my DVD player on my laptop quit on me. I guess it is time to buy a new laptop. sigh..

That being said, I have a DVD player that doesn't pause and hold a scene, so I've looked at the scene over and over a number of times and here is what I have...

1. picture a widemouth glass jar about 12 inches (30.5cm) tall and about 5-1/2 inches (14cm) wide. Now visualize it as either glass, porcelin or metal and lay it on its side. now flatten it a bit on the bottom side (to prevent rolling) and put a handle (lengthwise) on the top side...

2. possibly, a coiled, or other shaped, insect repellent that slowly smoulders inside the container appears to be the likely use of the device...

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Posted by Draco on 12.16.2018, 09:42 AM:

Thank you for looking. <thumbs up>

quote:
Originally posted by husky51
2. possibly, a coiled, or other shaped, insect repellent that slowly smoulders inside the container appears to be the likely use of the device...

That's my best guess, with the "citronella candle holder."

We probably need an older Japanese native who lived thru the 50s-60s in rural Japan to identify that thing, but we're not likely to have anyone like that on this forum. They would have to be as old as me -- I'm almost 70.

BTW, I LOVE the movie Totoro. One of my favorite movies of all time.

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Posted by Draco on 12.16.2018, 10:17 AM:

Here it is . . .

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Posted by husky51 on 12.16.2018, 11:31 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by Draco

They would have to be as old as me -- I'm almost 70.

BTW, I LOVE the movie Totoro. One of my favorite movies of all time.

sheesh, you're almost as old as me!

I was having to us a small DVD player and I wasn't able to pause it right on the scene and even then, it went to a white page saying "Press play to start", which in this case didn't help. I wasn't able to get a clear view going by, but now I see that it is in a 'pig' shape and I hadn't seen the legs... Hence my "flatten it a bit on the bottom" comment. My first description mentioned 'short stubby legs', but after I wrote that, I realized that I wasn't able to see it that well, either and deleted it.

Thanks for the screenshot. I've never really paid any attention to that scene before, Now I'll for ever see it

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Posted by husky51 on 12.16.2018, 11:36 AM:

By the way, Draco, Welcome to the Tavern...

I was focusing on the question and hadn't noticed that you were new to the Ghibli Tavern. Always nice to see new blood (so to speak :rolleyes in here.

Again, Welome!

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Posted by Draco on 12.16.2018, 01:52 PM:

Thanks for the welcome.

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Posted by Saddletank on 12.16.2018, 01:53 PM:

It looks like a pig-shaped incense burner to me. Definitely not a "pot".

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Posted by Draco on 12.16.2018, 02:09 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by Saddletank
It looks like a pig-shaped incense burner to me. Definitely not a "pot".

Thanks for posting.

I knew it wasn't a kitchen pot. That's why I put quotes around the word "pot". I mentioned that I thought it might be a citronella candle holder, which is not far off from an incense burner.

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Posted by arren18 on 12.16.2018, 06:37 PM:

Some kind of incense burner makes sense to me too. I think I've seen that sort of shape before.

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Posted by Saddletank on 12.17.2018, 08:26 AM:

Possibly the father is burning citronella or some other insect-repelling incense in it, when it would usually be used for ordinary fragrant incense inside the home.

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Posted by saviour2012 on 12.17.2018, 09:31 AM:

This is for MOSQUITO people

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Posted by Draco on 12.17.2018, 09:38 AM:

Thanks for the replies.

This is another reason I love Miyazaki's work: attention to detail. Details, like this one, that have no real plot furtherance, but add to the richness of the anime experience.

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Posted by husky51 on 12.17.2018, 12:08 PM:

quote:
Originally posted by saviour2012
This is for MOSQUITO people

That was a biting remark, saviour!!!

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Posted by schizboot on 01.15.2019, 09:23 AM:

Yup, incense burner to ward off mosquitos! I had to look this up (even though I've seen them everywhere in Japan in the summer), but they're called かとりぶた (katori buta) -- buta means pig in Japanese, so that explains the little pig shape

Posted by Draco on 01.15.2019, 09:27 AM:

quote:
Originally posted by schizboot
Yup, incense burner to ward off mosquitos! I had to look this up (even though I've seen them everywhere in Japan in the summer), but they're called かとりぶた (katori buta) -- buta means pig in Japanese, so that explains the little pig shape

Thank you!

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