Comical Raccoon Dogs as...

(Dôke tanuki no..., 道化狸の...)

Publisher: Ise-ya Kisuke

1846

This series of comic prints alludes to the supposed ability of raccoon dogs to voluntarily enlarge their scrotums. It is not listed in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961). The prints are each about 14 by 10 inches (36 by 25 centimeters), a size known as ôban.

	Title: Comical Raccoon Dogs as the Six Immortal Poets (Dôke tanuki no Rokkasen, 道化狸の六花撰) The poets are: Ôtomo no Kuronushi: Ôtama “Big Balls” no Kuronoshi (大玉の黒主) Sôjô Henjô: Hachijô “8 Mats” Henjô (八畳遍照) A tanuki’s scrotum is said to stretch to 8 tatami mats. Ariwara Narihira: Kawara Narihira possibly “Taking the form of a flat riverbed” Pun that includes 狸 tanuki read as “ri”. Ono no Komachi: Tama no Komachi (玉の小町) “Belle of the Ball”. Fun’ya Yasuhide: Kinya Yasuhide (きんやの康秀) “Gold Expanding” (Tanuki skin was used for beating out gold leaf, part of the origin of the expanding scrotum reputation.) Kisen Hôshi: Risen Hôshi, “Practicing Indulgence”, includes 狸 tanuki read as “ri”.
	Title: Comical Raccoon Dogs as Various Ôtsu-e Characters (Dôke tanuki no Ôtsu-e, 道化狸の逢都絵)
	Title: A Comical Collection of Tanuki Family Jewels (Dôke tanuki no kintama zukushi, 道化狸の金たまっ尽)
	Title: A Comical Collection of Ball Songs (Dôke tanuki no mariuta, 道化狸のまりうた) NOTE: A mariuta is a traditional Japanese ball-bouncing song, often used as a mnemonic for children.
	Title: Comical Tanuki as Seven Puzzles (Dôke tanuki no nana fushigi, どふけ狸の七ふしき) NOTE: This print illustrates word games like ta-nu-ki reversed to become ki-nu-ta (fulling block). I am grateful to Michael O’Clair for this image.
	Raccoon dogs in winter and summer fur from Reisen und forschungen im Amur-lande in den jahren 1854-1856 by Leopold von Schrenck. The raccoon dog is also known as Nyctereutes procyonoides, magnut and tanuki (タヌキ, 狸, 貍, or たぬき). It is the only extant species in the genus Nyctereutes.

“Robinson” refers to listing of the series in Kuniyoshi by Basil William Robinson (Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1961).

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