Mujina

thumb|Depiction of a mujina (from the Wakan Sansai Zue, [[Edo period)]] is an old Japanese term primarily referring to the Japanese badger, but traditionally to the Japanese raccoon dog (tanuki), causing confusion. Adding to the confusion, it may also refer to the introduced masked palm civet, and in some regions badger-like animals or Japanese raccoon dog are also called mami.

== Appearance == The mujina is said to be a raccoon-faced creature in its natural form, with the main body being that of a Japanese badger. In some parts of Japan, they are incorrectly referred to as the tanuki, to whom they are closely related in terms of appearance as well as actions- even though the tanuki are biologically related to the fox and dog. The mujina in specific are known to be able to inflate their bellies, creating music by drumming on it whilst singing. Some tales also describe the badger inflating their scrotum to cover "eight mats", referring to the size of a room. At times, the mujina will also create a "ghost-fire", also called tanuki-bi (狸火), which resembles will-o'-the-wisps. According to the beliefs of the Osaka-Kishû district, these fire-emitting badgers are normally found on rainy nights.