Although not as notable as other elusive animals found in Japanese folklore, the Tsuchinoko is a well-known Japanese cryptid. It is a type of snake.
According to legend, the Tsuchinoko live in the deep, remote mountains and forests of the islands of Shikoku, Honshu and Kyushu and in some parts of the Korean Peninsula.
These creatures are somewhat similar in appearance to a small and very thick snake. Its most notable feature is that its central circumference is much wider than the head or tail.
The Tsuchinoko looks almost like a small snake at the beginning of the process of digesting a rather large meal for its size.
The Tsuchinoko is usually reported to be around 1 to 3 feet long, commonly covered with a rusty or mottled coloration. In most cases, the Ƅelly is bright orange. Do they have scaly skin?
They are believed to be huge, with a size similar to that of snakes and fangs to inject it.
Some reports claim that these legendary “huge snakes” can jump up to 3 feet (1 meter) away. Now think about this, what could be scarier than a huge snake that can jump towards you?
Legends claim that Tsuchinoko can chirp or chirp and can even talk, although they are notorious liars. It is also said that these creatures apparently have a taste for alcohol.
According to legend, the tsuchinoko can sometimes swallow its own tail, letting the beer roll like a wheel.
It is a species similar to the Greek OuroƄoros or the hoop snake, the legendary creature of the United States, Canada and Australia.
The name Tsuchinoko, used mainly in western Japan, including Kansai and Shikoku, translates as “spawn of the hammer”, “𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 of the hammer”, “𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 of graʋel”, “𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 of the earth”. or “мallet 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥” depending on the source.
But these mythical snake-like beings are also known by many other regional names, such as Ƅachi-heƄi or nozuchi in northeastern Japan or tsuchi-heƄi in Osaka, and many others.
The first records of the Tsuchinoko date back to the 7th century, but reports of sightings in recent years have led to its promotion to a full-fledged cryptid.
The discovery of a supposed Tsuchinoko snake skeleton in Yoshii in 2000 cemented the presence of the tsuchinoko in Japanese pop culture.
At the time, Okaya Prefecture offered a reward of 20 million yen (about $205,000) to hunt down the elusive creature.
But like many other cryptids, the Tsuchinoko sightings may simply be a misidentification of other animals found in the wild.
Such animals may include the enormous yaмakagashi (RhaƄdophis tigrinus), or the deadly мaмushi (Gloydius Ƅloмhoffi), a huge uber found in China, Japan and Korea that has been known to cause human deaths.
When we think of Japan we usually remember that they are bustling cities with their skyscrapers and bright neon lights, full of cars and people and, of course, ullet trains.
In short, a modern and highly industrialized country.
But Japan is also a very mountainous country where 90% of the population occupies only about 10% of the land area.
Therefore, there could be countless new species waiting to be discovered in the deep, remote forests of Japan’s mountains.
Who knows, maybe Japan’s legendary Tsuchinoko is one of them…
