Tsuchinoko

The Tsuchinoko (ツチノコ or 槌の子 , meaning "dirt child" or "child of hammer") is a snake-like cryptid from mountainous regions of western Japan.They have been reported in all regions except Okinawa and Hokkaido, i.e., throughout Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu (one theory is that Iwate and Akita prefectures are the northern limits and that they are not found in Aomori Prefecture). They are reported to be between 30 and 80cm long. The name "Tsuchinoko" is used in western Japan, however it is known as "bachi hebi" in north eastern Japan. It has a total of 50+ names all over Japan.

Appearance[]

Although there are some consistent features throughout the various sightings, the Tsuchinoko is widely regarded as looking like a very wide common snake with a central girth wider than its head and tail. Large, plate-like scales run down its body. It reportedly has fangs and venom similar to common snakes.

Tsuchinoko model — Models showing two types of Tsuchinoko. The upper one is Type A and the lower one is Type B.

According to the website of Akaiwa City, the municipality where Tsuchinoko has been sighted, there are two types of Tsuchinoko: Type A and Type B. Type A has a long torso, large round eyes, a kind face, low leaping ability, and vertical standing behavior. Type B is shorter, leaps higher, and squeals.

Nature and Actions[]

Rolling tsuchinoko — Three types of rotation reported

Tsuchinoko reportedly "rolls" often, sometimes biting her tail and spinning around like a Hoop Snake, and sometimes rolling vertically or sideways in a straight line.

Tsuchinoko is considered to have a very high leaping ability. Often this is described as a 3 foot leap, but according to the description on the Akaiwa City web page this leap distance can be up to 5 meters.

This feature has never been mentioned in sightings, but Chrissy Stockton wrote in a web article, "Some people claim Tsuchinoko have the ability to speak, but even if you meet a talking Tsuchinoko, they are not to be trusted. Apparently Tsuchinoko is known to lie”.

They are also said to have a taste for alcohol. This property is so commonly known that it is used in traps for capturing Tsuchinoko, but this is a kind of folklore; there have been no sightings of Tsuchinoko consuming alcohol.

Sightings[]

The tsuchinoko is a popular and well known cryptid in Japan, with many residents believing in its existence or claiming to have seen it. On May 3rd an annual Tsuchinoko Festival is held in Higashishirakawa in Gifu prefecture where the roots of the legend can be traced. At this festival, participants go Tsuchinoko hunting with a 1,280,000 yen (US$11,449) award for anyone who can find one.

The government of Yoshii, Okayama once offered a 20 million yen (US$200,000) award for the successful capture of a Tsuchinoko. In June 1994, a man named Kazuaki Noda and his wife reported having come across a huge snake with a thick body like a beer bottle and a head described as being like that of a tortoise. On May 8th, 2000 a farmer named Sugie Tanaka reported having come across two metallic coloured snakes with "tails like rats." In the same year in June, a woman named Mitsuko Arima reported a Tsuchinoko swimming along a river. She describes her experience as follows: "I was surprised. I just pointed at it and asked ‘Who are you? Who are you?’ It didn’t answer me, but just stared. It had a round face and didn’t take its eyes off me. I can still see the eyes now. They were big and round and it looked like they were floating on the water. I’ve lived over 80 years, but I’d never seen anything like that in my life."

One notable case involves a farmer allegedly spotting the Tsuchinoko while cutting grass. He described it as having a face similar to that of Doraemon (a popular Japanese cartoon character). He reported having injured it with his weed whacker before the creature made its escape. A few days later, an old woman discovered its dead body lying by the side of a stream and buried it, not realizing how important it was. When word eventually got out, the local government sent out a team to dig it up and send it to the local university for examination. The professor who examined the creature said it may have been a Tsuchinoko but “scientifically speaking, it was a kind of snake.” Many other bodies and shed skins have been found but these are mostly thought to be from known species of snakes.

The sudden rise in sightings was caused by the "Tsuchinoko Boom" which was caused by some books being published on searching for this peculiar creature. The most famous is "Run away, Tsuchinoko" (逃げろツチノコ) which is a book about the author of it and his team and the sightings/incidents he investigated that involve the Tsuchinoko. Because of this, old people started to talk about the snake. Even if someone saw a Tsuchinoko, it was a taboo to say you did as people believed they would be cursed.

Explanations[]

Most Tsuchinoko sightings are thought to be misidentified known species of snakes. It is also possible that the sightings could be of snakes that have recently fed, giving them a bulging middle. They could also be misidentified sightings of blue tongued skinks, which are kept as pets by some Japanese people. It is possible that they may have escaped from their homes and been spotted by other people. If not, it is possible that the Tsuchinoko may be a new species of snake altogether.

However, the blue tongued skink misidentification theory can't explain most of the sightings until they became common in the pet trade. They were first brought to Japan in 1970 but it was still very rare. Misidentifications of snakes can't explain the body shape of the Tsuchinoko in credible photos.

In Popular Media[]

Metal Gear Solid series: Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops, in which it is edible, you can also keep it for some unlockables.
Castlevania series: As an enemy - the series is known to include several other, popular cryptids.
Yo-Kai Watch: It is a yokai, known as "Noko" in the English dub.
Space Dandy: In the episode "Nobody knows the Chameleon alien, Baby" QT discovers his love for Tsuchinoko fishing, which leads to him catching an extremely rare alien that has shape-shifted into a Tsuchinoko.
It appears in a Japanese online fake dead creature/carcass website.
"After Man" book: As a creature named fatsnake which resembles a Tsuchinoko.
Monster Hunter World: The 3.0.0 update of the game added a capturable Tsuchinoko which could be added as a pet to the player's room.
Kemono Friends: Tsuchinoko featured in episode 4, titled "Desert Area" having a more human-like appearance and is a character in the episode. Character designer Mine Yoshizaki gifted an art piece of this character for the 2017 Tsuchinoko Festival.
Pokémon: Dunsparce and its evolution, Dudunsparce, are based on the tsuchinoko, Dunsparce's Japanese name, Nokocchi, is an anagram of Tsuchinoko.
Yu-Gi-Oh!: In the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game, Tsuchinoko appears as one of the monsters from the "Danger!" archetype as Danger!? Tsuchinoko.
The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: In season 2 episode 4 of the anime, the Taniguchi family find a dead Tsuchinoko to become the 'garbage champions' during one of the episode's skits.
Pretty Cure: In episode 27 of Wonderful Precure a Tsuchinoko was featured as one of the Garugaru where it demonstrated the ability of petrification when angered.
Ready Player One: During the final battle a Tsuchinoko can be seen attacking a group of Sixers.

Gallery[]

Sources[]

Akaiwa City(https://www.city.akaiwa.lg.jp/annai/yoshii/shiminseikatsu/shisei/tutinoko/2248.html)
The Mysterious Tsuchinoko of Japan (https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2015/07/the-mysterious-tsuchinoko-of-japan/)
Everything To Know About The Tsuchinoko, The Creepiest ‘Animal’ You’ve Never Heard Of (https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2018/06/facts-about-the-tsuchinoko-the-creepiest-animal-youve-never-heard-of/)
Higashishirakawa Village (https://jal.japantravel.com/gifu/higashishirakawa-village/1542)
Kemono Friends Character Designer Draws Tsuchinoko for Yearly Festival (https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2017-05-01/kemono-friends-character-designer-draws-tsuchinoko-for-yearly-festival/.115563)
Tsuchinoko Festival home page (Japanese only)
WEBムー　捕獲時には生きていた！　衝撃の「ツチノコのミイラ」発見現場へ突撃／山口直樹　https://web-mu.jp/paranormal/10484/