#ponc'tan

Okami InkTober Day 20: Deep

The Poncles are based on a race of small people from Ainu lore, the koro-pok-guru, whose name is interpreted to mean "the people beneath butterbur leaves", as they are said to live in pits covered by butterbur leaves. Somewhat similarly, the Poncles live in a hollowed-out tree stump. The koro-pok-guru vary in size among descriptions, but generally they were not as small like the Poncles, maybe two or three feet high. The size of the Poncles was probably derived from Issun (as Issunboshi, the One-Inch Boy). The koro-pok-guru hated to be seen, but they were on good terms with the Ainu people until a curious man tried to capture one. After that, they were never seen again. 

A statue of a koro-pok-guru holding a butterbur leaf.

The koro-pok-guru also made pottery, unlike the Ainu of the region, perhaps explaining the pots in the official art.