Japanese culture has great respect for the intelligence of animals. In Japanese myth, animals are so intelligent that they often play elaborate tricks on humans.

Animals are also considered to have magical or godlike powers. One such magical ability is shapeshifting (obake お化け) to human form. Raccoons, foxes, snakes, badgers, wolves, cats, spiders and dogs are all thought to have this ability.

The purpose of animal shapeshifting is inevitably to play a prank on humans.

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