Tanuki

Evolved from the wicked Chinese trickster fox myth, the Japanese tanuki is a more benign trickster who leads people astray by playing his belly like a drum. The straw hat, the sake barrels, the pot belly and the giant scrotum were Japanese additions made during the 18th and 19th centuries. The tanuki is often mistakenly believed to be a raccoon or a badger. In fact, the tanuki is a real animal.