Yamata no Orochi

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This article is about the Japanese mythological creature. For the supercar, see Mitsuoka Orochi. You might also be interested in the Oroch people of Eastern Siberia.

Yamata no Orochi (八岐の大蛇, "big snake of eight branches"), often called Orochi or the Eight-Forked Serpent in English), is a dragon- or serpent-like creature in Japanese mythology. In the ancient Japanese scripture, the Kojiki, after Susanoo is expelled from heaven, he encounters two earthly deities near the head of the Hiigawa River in Izumo Province. They are weeping because they have had to give the Orochi one of their daughters once every year, and now they must sacrifice the eighth and last, whose name is Kushinada.

The monster is described as having eight heads and eight tails and eyes as red as winter-cherries. It is so long its body extends over eight valleys and eight hills, its belly is always bloody and inflamed, and its back is covered with moss and hinoki and sugi trees.

Susanoo asks for Kushinada's hand in marriage, and then transforms her into a comb which he places in his hair. He then asks her parents to brew some liquor that has been refined eight times, and then build a round enclosure with eight gates, each with a platform and a liquor vat. They fill the liquor vats and wait, and sure enough the Orochi appears. It dips a head into each vat, and is soon intoxicated, allowing Susanoo to cut it into pieces. When he cuts the middle tail, his sword is chipped, and there he finds the legendary Kusanagi sword.

[edit] References

• Sacred Texts: The Kojiki - The Eight-Forked Serpent (B.H. Chamberlain, translator 1882)
• Hyakkai Ryūran: Yamata-No-Orochi

[edit] Popular Culture

• In the CCG Legend of the Five Rings 'Orochi' is the name of a race of serpent creatures.
• In both The Three Treasures and Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon, Susanoo fights and kills Orochi.
• The 'Grasscutter' story arc of the Usagi Yojimbo comic tells a version of the story of Susanoo and the Orochi in a flashback to explain the origin of the sword Kusanagi.
• In The Eight-Headed Giant Serpent Strikes Back, a biomechanical version of the Orochi is sent by aliens to destroy the Earth.
• The Orochi is a boss monster in the role-playing game Dragon Quest III.
• The Orochi was inspiration for Orochimon from Digimon, an eight-headed, dragon-like Digimon.
• In Shaman King, Tokagero's Giant Oversoul form is called Yamata no Orochi.
• In the animated series Blue Seed, Orochi is the first of the Aragami, a race of plant-based demon-beings, to appear.
• The Orochi is a character in King of Fighters.
• In the action game Otogi, the main character Raiko must escape from the Yamata no Orochi.
• In the anime series Kannazuki no Miko, the Orochi is the name of the god of darkness.
• In Samurai Warriors, Nobunaga Oda's 5th Weapon is called "Orochi".
• Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks introduces Orochi Hellbeast, a towering, demonic creature from the Netherrealm.
• In Final Fantasy, the Yamatano Orochi is a multi-headed enemy fought in random encounters.
• In Golden Sun: The Lost Age, the Orochi is portrayed as a Chinese dragon that has to be weakened by light orbs before it can be killed.
• In the game Mega Man Zero, there is a mechaniloid boss called Orochi-Arm Metalcore.
• In the manga and anime Ranma ½, the character Orochi is similar to its mythological counterpart with the exception that one of the heads actually makes up its main body.
• In Yu-Gi-Oh! there is a monster card called the Yamata Dragon.
• In the manga and anime Naruto, there is a character named Orochimaru who uses a number of snake-oriented ninja techniques and who wields the Kusanagi.
• Orochi is a minor boss in Metal Saga.
• In the CCG Magic: The Gathering: Kamigawa, Orochi is a term for a four-armed snake-person who dwells in the forests. An eight-headed serpent named O-Kagachi is also based on the Orochi.
• An Orochi is featured in the first season of Akazukin Chacha.
• In the video game Ōkami by Capcom, Orochi is the main antagonist during the first half of the game, and the killing of Orochi by Susanoo occurs more or less as it did in the myth.