What are the general Japanese myths and folklores involving Tanukis?
There are tons of them. Basically, Tanukis are believed to be able to change their shapes into any forms they want. Tanukis play tricks on humans (for example, changing into a human and buying some sake with fake money made from leaves), the tricks are usually harmless, but they often provoke severe retaliation from humans. In general, Tanukis are depicted as mischievous, but lovable creatures, though some of the folklore is quite cruel. The other characteristic of Tanukis is that their testicles are believed to be quite large (as big as eight Tatamis). This is supposed to bring good fortune (since they are called “Golden Balls”). If you go to Japan, you can see many ceramic Tanuki statuettes standing in front of shops, each with his big testicles and a Sake bottle in his hand. The Tanuki’s big testicles are not a sexual symbol, and the Japanese are more tolerant of low humor than Americans. Some of the Tanuki folklore featured in “Pom Poko” might be available in English, since it is q
