The Japanese name for the raccoon-dog, Nyctereuctes procyonoides. In folklore the animal is credited with supernatural powers, including shapeshifting, money counterfeiting, and most notably of expanding its already very large scrotum to use as a drum or a weapon. Tanuki statues are a popular part of Japanese kitsch, portraying a jolly, plump little anthropomorphization of the creature, usually with a straw hat, a bottle of sake, a purse of bills for his carousing, and of course his big wrinkly testicles dragging on the ground between his feet.
The Studio Ghibli feature Pompoko was never properly imported to the United States due to its copious and unabashed supply of tanuki balls.
by tengu shoes November 08, 2004
Youkai (written with kanji meaning "bewitching apparition") are traditional Japanese monsters of supernatural origin. The word is often translated as "goblin" or "demon". Youkai are grotesque, diverse, and often as silly as they are terrifying. They were a popular subject in ukiyo-e prints, and the artist Toriyama Sekien is famous for publishing an extensive, illustrated bestiary of the creatures. Some of the best known youkai include oni (large, horned ogre-like demons who punish sinners in hell), tengu (beaked or long-nosed bird-men), kappa (turtle-like water-imps), and kitsune and tanuki (foxes and raccoon-dogs - real animals to whom supernatural powers were attributed).
by tengu shoes November 08, 2004
Mythical bird-man goblins from the mountains of Japan. They have feathered wings on their backs, and either beaks or very long, phallic noses on their faces. They can shapeshift fully into a bird or a human to play tricks on people, or escape from danger. They dress like yamabushi, with pom-pomed sashes and small black wooden skullcaps. They often carry shakujou or magical fans made of feathers.
Tengu are credited with both exceptional skill with a sword and a wicked sense of humor, and in numerous folktales they are portrayed as mischievous, curious, rowdy, and rather gullible. The tengu king Soujoubou is said to have trained the famous warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune, and many ukiyo-e prints show the young Yoshitsune sparring with Soujoubou's bird-billed subjects.
Tengu are credited with both exceptional skill with a sword and a wicked sense of humor, and in numerous folktales they are portrayed as mischievous, curious, rowdy, and rather gullible. The tengu king Soujoubou is said to have trained the famous warrior Minamoto Yoshitsune, and many ukiyo-e prints show the young Yoshitsune sparring with Soujoubou's bird-billed subjects.
by tengu shoes November 08, 2004
The most utterly buttfucking terrifying cartoon I have ever seen. Based on yet-another-monster-battling card game, features a disturbing little anime boy with creepy eyes, starfish hair and a baritone voice.
by tengu shoes November 10, 2004