Kintama

Kintama (Japanese: 金玉, Hepburn: kintama, lit. 'golden balls') is a Japanese slang term for testicles, similar in use and concept to the English slang "family jewels". Sometimes it is used in the back slang form, tamakin.

History

*Tanuki* sheltering from rain using its stretched scrotum, as depicted in *Ehon Hyaku Monogatari*

Use of the term kintama has been traced back to the Edo Period.^[1] According to folklore, the tanuki has magical shapeshifting abilities, including their oversized scrotums (as depicted in art), which the animals could use in multiple ways. In addition, the skin of the tanuki was used traditionally by workers in Kanazawa for the production of gold leaf, linking gold to tanuki and, by extension, testicles.^[2]^[3]

References

^ 穎原退蔵; 尾形仂(編) (2008-11-30). 江戸時代語辞典. 角川学芸出版. p. 463. ISBN 978-4-04-621962-6.
^ Marco (June 20, 2024). "Unraveling the Kintama Meaning: A Glimpse into Japanese Slang and Culture". Tanuki Stories. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
^ 高槻成紀(著者) (2016-01-06). タヌキ学入門　かちかち山から3.11まで身近な野生動物の意外な素顔 (電子書籍) (in Japanese). 誠文堂新光社. ISBN 9784416115473.

External links

Jonny (February 9, 2020). "heavy sigh okay,". tumblr.com.

[1] 穎原退蔵; 尾形仂(編) (2008-11-30). 江戸時代語辞典. 角川学芸出版. p. 463. ISBN 978-4-04-621962-6.

[2] Marco (June 20, 2024). "Unraveling the Kintama Meaning: A Glimpse into Japanese Slang and Culture". Tanuki Stories. Retrieved 20 November 2024.

[3] 高槻成紀(著者) (2016-01-06). タヌキ学入門　かちかち山から3.11まで身近な野生動物の意外な素顔 (電子書籍) (in Japanese). 誠文堂新光社. ISBN 9784416115473.

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