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.
 
More racoon dogs and their monstrous testicles, after the jump…