Tsuchinoko – Mysterious Snake Like Creature in Japan

Updated on February 27, 2020
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What is Tsuchinoko?

Tsuchinoko is a mythical Japanese legendary animal that looks like a snake. Its is better known as snake-like Cryptid in Japanese Folkore. Tsuchinoko comes under a group of reptile animals. It was first described in “Kojiki,” an eighth-century book. “Kojiki” is one of the oldest books written in Japanese.

tsuchinoko real

The name “Tsuchinoko” is widespread in an area of Kansai and Shikoku in western Japan, is also known as “Bacha Hebi” in northeastern Japan.

In Japanese, the word “Tsuchinoko” means “Child of Hammer” or “Child of Art”. The name “Child of Art” may be due to the fine texture on his body and the various colors of his appearance. It is said to be having seen with mottled black or rust color having orange color on his belly in most of the cases.

People have admitted encounters with this legendary serpent. Recently, the Tscuhinoko became news when they made an appearance in the leading video game titles like Monster Hunter World, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. It has also appeared in the role-playing series of the Yo-Kai watch.

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At first, both snake and Tsuchinoko look identical. But Tsuchinoko is short in length. Tsuchinoko has a length of 30-80 cm. Its head is quite similar to a snake but the central girth is wider than its head and tail. It is also said to have fangs and venom similar to that of a viper.

Tsuchinoko photo

According to some legends, this snake-like serpent has the ability to speak up and lie. It is also said that they can consume alcohol. Legends also mention that in some cases they swallow their own tail and roll like a wheel similar to the American legend “Hoop Snake”.

Hoop snake

Tsuchinoko is said to be found in remote locations of Shikoku, Honshu, the Kyushu islands and on the Korean peninsula like mountains, forests and also near the river. They live on ground camouflaged into leaves and ground debris.

Is Tsuchinoko Dangerous?

Tsuchinoko is known as a venomous animal having the ability to spit venom from a distance. However, It is known as peace-loving and is more likely to flee from aggressor instead of attacking. Some also state that these creatures have an odor of chestnut tree flowers.

Tsuchinoko struture

This snake-like creature is also known for jumping up to certain meters along with enormous hop one after another. They are also supposedly known for their swimming skills and mostly dwell near the bank of rivers.

This mystery creature is also reported for making an incredibly wide range of sounds like barks, chirps, snores, moans, growls, snarls, grunts, squeaks. According to some legends, Tsuchinoko can learn and adopt any voice. It can also converse with people.

Is Tsuchinoko real?

The existence of this mysterious animal was first found in eight century. It was mentioned in a book called “Kojiki” which dates from 712. This is one of the oldest books in Japanese histories.

News published in JapanTimes, “Town touting mythical snake find; is ‘rare’ creature really a cash cow?” on 16th June 2001 mentions that a local from Mikata found one snake-like animal. It had a length of 1-meter resembling ancient legendary animal Tsuchinoko.

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Mikata town made headlines in the year 1989. This was when the former Mayor Tsujio Yoshida announced a reward of around 331 sq.mtrs of land to the person who captures a Tsuchinoko.

The government of Yoshi, Okayama also offered 20 million yen to any person who captures Tsuchinoko.

Where to Find Tsuchinoko?

In Japan, there is a watchpoint located in Kurosawa, Akaiwa, Okayama where a dead Tsuchinoko was buried by a woman.

Also, you can find and hunt for Tsuchinko at your home while playing some famous game titles. For that visit:

If you catch a live Tsuchinoko in Japan then you will get rewarded. Do let us know if you find one.

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