狸 Tanuki

狸, Tanuki an animal indigenous to Japan with relatives on the Asian continent. 狸 Tanuki is often, in English, translated as 'raccoon dog'. -though it is no relation to the raccoon nor the dog.

In Japanese folklore 狸 is mischievous, capricious, and sometimes downright mean and nasty.

He is usually depicted with a straw hat, a jug of sake in hand and a purse of pad hanging on his waist that he uses to write the IOUs for all the sake he drinks.

He is also usually depicted with a grand belly and exceptionally large gonads dragging the ground.

Sumi-e. inks brushed on 'rice' paper, unmounted, 13 by 18 inches.

Thanks for viewing;
Jim (狸爺)