Database and Lore

Saburo No Hage (NSFW)

Japan is often a great source of a variety of strange creatures, both mythical and legendary. The stories that come from the island nation are abundant and awe-inspiring. When that is all said, though, among one of the more unusual creatures and characters is that of Saburo No Hage. The question is, who is he, and what part does he play on Earth? Japan is known for its many creatures. Among one is the famed tanuki often blown out of proportion by various media outlets, literature, movies, video games, and stories abounds. In some writings, raccoon dogs are often mistaken for raccoons and even badgers. The tanuki in real life are the raccoon dogs of Japan, a subspecies of the raccoon dogs of Asia. As time progressed however and society grew, so did the stories of the small animals. Legends seemed to sprout, and eventually, the tanuki was turned into probably one of the more odd creatures ever to walk Japan, mythically speaking. Among the mythical stories of the tanuki are the magical capabilities that are told to children of this day. The raccoon dogs include the ability to shapeshift into different people, possess people, and probably what they are known for the most is their magical testicles. It is often stated that the ability of the testicular powered tricksters is not out of sexual prowess but the ability to use them in a variety of capabilities. The tanukis has had a long history of ancient drawings and stories that portray them with the ability to use their testicles to create drums, weapons, fans, fishing nets, and umbrellas, just to name a few. Some drawings even have the tanuki transform their testicles into long mats where they can sit comfortably on the ground. This magical testicle capability has led many scholars in an attempt to figure out why such a story came into existence. In the original stories of the tanuki, many were considered to be tricksters, malevolent, or benevolent (depending on the character), or devious to achieve their goals. In the later years, however, the best-explained reason to why the stories turned so wild on the tanuki was because of gold. It was believed that the miners of Kanazawa, Japan would use the raccoon dog’s scrotum to wrap up thin sheets of gold for travel purposes. The skin of the scrotum of the tanuki could stretch quite well. As the years would pass, it was here that the tanuki would be more depicted as creatures of fortune, luck, and wealth. In Japan, there are three famed tanukis often told as great stories of the magical raccoon dogs. This includes Yashima No Hage-tanuki, Danzaburou-danuki, and Shibaemon-tanuki. According to legend, Shibaemon-tanuki was killed by a dog during a human performance. Danzaburou-danuki would serve as a Tanuki commander in the Sado Island, and Yashima No Hage would become the god of happiness, entertainment, and marriage in Takamatsu. In Tales of Heroes, the Tanuki race (not to be confused with the ordinary Tanuki of Japan) very much exists. In fact, the stories of the magical testicle creatures were proven very much in the Coalition of Deities, at least when they were encountered. Sadly, the real tragedy of the tanukis was simply the fact that most of them would disappear or be wiped out by the destructive entity known as Cataclysm. In the end, only characters such as Yashima No Hage-tanuki would survive Cataclysm to vanish to Manchuria similar to the original myth of the character. It seemed the tanuki were doomed to extinction as the ranks thinned out among the Coalition of Deities. Efforts were always put in to find them, but the ranks of the Coalition are too few to make a thorough investigation to find the mischievous characters. However, as the 20th century comes into play, so too does many incredible things. In the early 1970s, a Japanese girl by the name of Rie would come to a statue to see an aura around it. Curious, she would stay with the figure until the creature could no longer hold his shape. Rie was one of the hundreds of thousands of humans that had the gift of “Sight,” an ability to see the aura generated from mythics when they turn into something that is not their original form. Rie had caught the magical raccoon dog hiding as one of the many Tanuki stone statues. The tanuki was friendly and even called himself Saburo No Hage- tanuki, the supposed son of Yashima No Hage- tanuki. Saburo already serves the Coalition of Deities, but the mythics must have times to themselves. It was a matter of time before some human would encounter him, but he decided to entertain the child. The tanuki would become a friend of Rie. Throughout the child’s life, the tanuki would always turn invisible, transform into something else to hide when other humans were about, and help her in day to day life. The parents would sometimes swear that they would hear the sounds of drums being played from Rie’s room. When they enter her room, there would be nothing there. Rie was used to the odd creature, and she always heard of the kitsunes, the kappa, and the tanuki when it came to magic. If anything, she considered herself very lucky to have him as a friend. As it progressed into the 1980s, Rie had grown up. She had found a spouse of her own and planned on getting married. Saburo seemed happy that she was doing well and had a mission to carry out for the Coalition of Deities. He had said his goodbyes to her since he would not return for over a year. It was here that fortune would not follow Rie. Tragedy struck her hard one day as a fatal car accident would not only claim her husband but her parents that were in the same vehicle. Rie was devastated. Her close family and lover were all gone from one single moment. Each day she cried more and more until she couldn’t take it anymore. She was convinced the best course of action was to take her own life. Saburo would finally return from his mission to find the home of Rie vacant. He searched around the area and eventually found the bridge where Rie stood. She had closed her eyes and prepared to jump when Saburo jumped into her body and possessed her. Using his powers, he pulled her body away from the bridge and saved her from committing suicide. Rie would be in a depression for months, but Saburo never left her side. Swearing to never leave her again, the tanuki vowed to protect her and make sure she brings no harm to herself. Rie would slowly recover, and it was here that a slow- growing intimate relationship would develop. It would take over a year before she told him that she never wanted to leave his side. Saburo, surprised at the confession from her, had no issue with this. Mythics were too few and far between, and there weren’t exactly any female tanuki walking around that he knew. They had been friends since she was a child. He relented and decided to marry her. Here seen above, is one of the many romantic nights they would spend together. Like anything, fertility magic is a beauty that can't be ignored. Technically, tanukis and humans can't have children together. Even the magical testicular creatures, such as the raccoon dogs of Japan, have their limits. Of course, for Rie, a character like Saburo has his advantages in bed and beyond. Saburo was a character that has his ties with the Coalition of Deities. Magic and resources are always at your doorstep whenever you need it. There are many advantages of being with a mythic. When one comes to you, it is often best to accept their proposals and enjoy the good life. Rie and Saburo ultimately decided in the desire to have children. With the gift of fertility magic, Rie announced that she was pregnant. Much like the intended wishes of the Coalition of Deities, while they never officially push human/mythic couples to have children, it is often a silent recommended course of action. The mythics are few, and the numbers need to be increased. In the case of Rie and Saburo, it was just another welcome sight to see a woman pregnant bearing the future son of Saburo No Hage. Seen in the picture above, the two enjoy a nice walk together. A few human mortals would wonder who is the father of Rie's child. The only answer to that question is if they can see him. One thing nice with the ability to be invisible is only the other mythics, and the few humans can ever see Saburo, to begin with. Rie would ultimately become a mother of three sons for Saburo. The line of the Tanukis as humanity proceeds into the 21st century and beyond is in all due thanks to Rie and her husband. Maybe one day, you will walk in the park of Japan to encounter one of these mischievous significant magical testicular characters. Only time will tell.