TSUCHINOKO 槌の子

Pronunciation: TSOO-chee-noh-koh

Translation: Child of the Mallet or Hammer

Also known as: Tsuchinoko has over forty different names across Japan. Some of the cuter variations are Bachihebi (バチヘビ), Nozuchi (ノヅチ), and Tsuchimbo (ツチンボ).

Overview

The tsuchinoko is both a yōkai and a cryptid (an animal that may exist but has not yet been scientifically verified). It looks like a very short, very thick-in-the-middle snake, but with a tiny little tail. You’ll also hear some ancient accounts stating that this legendary beastie has no eyes, nose, or limbs—just that interesting physique and a mouth. (Its name makes sense when you compare its body shape to that of an old-fashioned Japanese mallet, called a yokozuchi. A yokozuchi, used to thresh rice or beat fabric, has a wide round part for pounding and a very short handle.) This beastie’s main purpose is just to frighten you and watch you fall down.

The tsuchinoko was mentioned in both the Kojiki (written in the year C.E. 712), where it was called Kayano Hime no Kami, and again in the Nihon Shoki (C.E. 720), where it was referred to as Kusano Oya Kayano Hime. Both names basically mean “Goddess of the Grass.” The artist Toriyama Sekien made a woodblock print of one of these chubby creepers and called it a nozuchi (野槌), or “field hammer.”

The tsuchinoko’s attack is usually reported like this: You’re out hiking in the woods of Japan when you hear an unsettling cheee! noise. Next, you notice some rustling in the bushes up ahead. Before you can even turn around and run, out rolls a creature that looks like a short, very wide snake. But instead of slithering as snakes are wont to do, it has its tail clenched in its mouth and is rolling, end over end, toward you at a disturbingly high speed. This method of attack comes with one drawback: it can’t change directions quickly. If you need to escape a quick-rolling tsuchinoko, just wait until the last minute and jump out of the way; it will just roll on by.

Tsuchinoko are said to inhabit the mountains and forests all over Japan, except for Hokkaido and some smaller islands. Despite countless comical sightings and harrowing encounters throughout the years, there’s no proof one has been captured—though there are some convincing fakes out there.

Background and Popular Stories

There aren’t a ton of stories, per se, about the tsuchinoko, but there are a lot of observations by those who have encountered them. For example, people have reported the following: