User with this ability either is or can transform into an Tanuki, an animal shapeshifter with great physical strength and supernatural powers. Like the kitsune, they are masters of shapeshifting and disguise and are mischievous creatures taking all sorts of disguises to deceive or annoy travelers or to get such things as saké, food, or women to the point of turning itself into inanimate objects, such as the tea-kettle.