Tanuki are Japanese racoon dogs. Mischievous looking critters with a dog-like face and the body of a racoon. In ancient Japanese folklore these mammals were viewed as either gods of nature or troublesome yōkai. From the twelfth century on, tanuki were seen as humorous characters on account of their rather large testicles which artists grossly exaggerated for comic effect.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) was one of the last great masters of the ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings. He was famous for his pictures of samurai, animals and mythical creatures. He also created a sideline series of comic pictures depicting tanuki and their giant space hopper-sized gonads.
 

An ever-expanding nut sack will help you catch fish.
 

Stay dry in the heaviest of downpours with your scrot-umbrella.
 

Catch birds in flight with one toss of your ‘tanuki’ scrotum.
 

Stop bad fish from causing earthquakes with your big balls.
 

Pull any weight across tremendous distances.
 

Or use your nuts as a portable weight-lifting set. The possibilities are endless.
 

Even when you’re resting you can use your bawbags to sell advertising space.
 

Or set up shop.
 

Rent out your scrotum as a sumo mat.
 

Why not keep warm at night wrapped up in your ‘tanuki’ testicles.
 

Dress your friends up in their very on ‘tanuki’ testicle costume.
 

Use your ‘tanuki’ testicles to make a scary monster and frighten all your friends.
 

Make a ‘safe space’ for all your fishy friends.
 

Soon all your bros will want a pair.
 
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Cat Tattoos, Tattoo’d Cats and Tattoo’d Cats giving other Cats Tattoos
Bizarre and beautiful Japanese prints depicting the Catfish who causes earthquakes
Curious depictions of syphilis, measles, gonorrhea and other diseases from the 9th century
 
Via io9 and Pink Tentacle.