Big Scrotum - 大きな陰嚢 - [Yokai]

“Big Scrotum” - [大きな陰嚢] 

• About this yokai: This yokai was included in "怪奇談絵詞" Kaikiden Ekotoba: The author of the scroll is Unkown as well as the exact date of production. [1741? its thought to be late Edo Period Early-meji-period] - The scroll in question contains a total of 33 bizarre tales, including political satires, as well as some early examples of UMA cryptids or ‘rare animal’ pictures (including a very ordinary looking seal & a few bizarre looking toads.) – Rather uniquely, the scroll also illustrates biographies about 4 'strange human performers’ (such as a man with a head which can be squished like a lantern, a lady with ox horns for feet.) ...The script included with this yokais picture scroll roughly translates as so:

 “A Long time ago, A man with massive testicles made a living as a sideshow attraction on the Old Tokaido Road on Mt Sattva in Shizuoka Prefecture, His scrotum is said to have measured about a meter across.”

With Nuts so massive, You might have thought that he would have been a tanuki  playing a prank, but... Nope!! - Hes a regular old dude with a massive sack living his best life and that's it!

To the best of my knowledge The mountain in question doesn’t seem to exist in shizuoka, but it could perhaps be be a coy way of saying he’s a monk (‘sattva’ as in 'bodhisattva' perhaps?) A lot of the yokai in the same scroll seem to be pointed satire towards monks.) - he also somewhat resembles another yokai: Umi-zato, so it could be a parody. The truth is perhaps lost to time. 🤷‍♀️

Sticker Art by @Samkalensky (yo thats me!) - Part of my Night parade of 100 Demons - Yokai & Japanese folklore sticker collection, weather-resistant 4" Glossy sticker. Check my shop & follow @samkalensky for many more!