Tsuchinoko
In Japanese folklore, the tsuchinoko (ツチノコ or 槌の子), literally translating to "child of hammer," is a snake-like being. The name tsuchinoko is prevalent in Western Japan, including Kansai and Shikoku; the creature is known as bachi hebi (バチヘビ) in Northeastern Japan.
Grouping | Yokai |
---|---|
Sub grouping | Reptile |
Other name(s) | Tsuchinoko (Romaji), Bachi-hebi (North Japan) |
Country | Japan |
Tsuchinoko are described as being between 30 and 80 centimetres (12 and 31 inches) in length, similar in appearance to a snake, but with a central girth that is much wider than its head or tail, and as having fangs and venom similar to that of a viper.[1] Some accounts also describe the tsuchinoko as being able to jump up to 1 metre (3.3 feet) in distance followed immediately by a second jump while still in the air.[2]
According to legend, some tsuchinoko have the ability to speak and a propensity for lying, and they are also said to have a taste for alcohol. Legend records that it will sometimes swallow its own tail so that it can roll like a wheel, similarly to the "hoop snake" of American legend.[3]
In Popular Culture
Games
- It is possible to capture a tsuchinoko in Metal Gear Solid 3 and Metal Gear Solid 5
- In YuGiOh several cards depict and utilize the name of the tsuchinoko
Manga and Anime
- the tsuchinoko acts as a source of conflict in the episode I Found a Tsuchinoko! of the 1979 Doraemon anime
- the tsuchinoko appears in the episode A Giant Tsuchinoko Appears! of Mob Psycho 100
- the tsuchinoko appears in the episode The Tenacious Mythological Snake! Tsuchinoko!! of GeGeGe no Kitarō
See also
References
- Moriguchi, Kenzo (2001-06-16). "Town touting mythical snake find; is 'rare' creature really a cash cow?". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2010-05-10.
- Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.
- Pruett, Chris (November 2010). "The Anthropology of Fear: Learning About Japan Through Horror Games" (PDF). Interface on the Internet. 10 (9). Retrieved July 26, 2018.