Tsuchinoko: Japanese Snake-Like Being
A very realistic looking paper model of a Tsuchinoko by Hajime Emoto
Tsuchinoko are a snake-like cryptid from Japan, said to be about the size of a cat with scaly skin and viper-like fangs.
Description of the Tsuchinoko
A drawing of a Tsuchinoko. Photo: Wikipedia
Tsuchinoko, also known as nozuchi or bachihebi are a snake-like cryptid from Japan.
Tsuchinoko are a type of yokai that have a short, stumpy, snake-like appearance, with a body shape that resembles a hammer or a mallet head without a handle.
They have scaly skin in various earth tones with light-colored bellies, and viper-like fangs carrying a lethal venom. Unlike typical snakes, they have eyelids. These creatures can range in size from thirty to eighty centimeters long and are often compared to beer bottles due to their shape and color.
These creatures can be found throughout Japan and are most active during the day from spring through fall. During the winter, they hibernate in nests that they create in holes along wooded riverbanks. Tsuchinoko are known to make a "chee" sound and snore while sleeping.
When they are young, Tsuchinoko feed on insects, but as they grow, they begin to consume larger prey, such as frogs, mice, and sometimes even cats or dogs. Despite their small size, Tsuchinoko are capable of consuming vast amounts of food. They are also attracted to the smell of miso, dried squid, and burning hair, and have a fondness for sake.
Despite their unusual shape, Tsuchinoko are incredibly agile and can move like an inchworm. Their most well-known behavior is their ability to roll and tumble about. Tsuchinoko are also skilled jumpers, able to jump as far as two to five meters.
They can roll sideways like a log, tumble vertically from tip-to-tail, or even swallow their tail to form a ring and roll like a wheel. In this way they are similar to the American Hoop Snake.
In more whimsical accounts of the Tsuchinoko they are said to possess the gift of speech and a tendency to tell falsehoods. They are also rumored to have a liking for alcoholic beverages.
Origin of the Tsuchinoko
An Artist's impression of the Tsuchinoko. Photo: Happy Serpent
Since prehistoric times, Japanese folklore has included creatures resembling Tsuchinoko. Pottery and stone tools from the Jomon period have been discovered featuring motifs resembling short, stumpy snakes.
During the Edo Period, numerous folkloric encyclopedias documented venomous yokai with rolling, snake-like qualities, such as the nozuchi and tsuchi korobi.
The Kojiki, which is the oldest recorded collection of Japanese legends and tales, includes a reference to the Tsuchinoko.
Reported Sightings of the Tsuchinoko
A video telling of the legend of the Tsuchinoko
In the 1970s, Tsuchinoko sightings and reports of live captures garnered national attention, causing a widespread "tsuchinoko boom" and inciting a hunt for these creatures all over Japan.
This craze was further fueled by numerous eyewitness accounts, blurry photographs, and talk show specials, which helped establish Tsuchinoko as a household name.
Since then, Tsuchinoko has continued to be a topic of great interest among cryptozoologists, with monetary rewards sometimes offered to individuals who can provide photographic or physical evidence of their existence.
An annual Tsuchinoko Festival takes place on May 3rd in Higashishirakawa, Gifu prefecture, where the origins of the legend can be traced. The festival involves participants hunting for a tsuchinoko, and a prize of 1,280,000 yen (US$11,449) is awarded to anyone who manages to find one.
In the past, the government of Yoshii, Okayama, offered a 20 million yen (US$200,000) reward for capturing a tsuchinoko.
In June 1994, a man named Kazuaki Noda and his wife claimed to have come across a massive snake with a thick body resembling a beer bottle, and a head that looked like that of a tortoise. Similarly, in May 8th, 2000, a farmer named Sugie Tanaka reported seeing two metallic-colored snakes with "tails like rats."
In June of the same year, a woman named Mitsuko Arima spotted a tsuchinoko swimming in a river.
She recounted her experience, saying, "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."
Have you ever seen a Tsuchinoko? Tell us about it in the comments.
If you enjoyed learning about the Tsuchinoko you might be interested in some other reptilian cryptids such as the grootslang or the Hoop Snake.
In 1923, several residents of Berkshire and Richford, Vermont reported seeing a creature resembling a griffin, with a 20 foot wingspan and a serpentine tail.
In the fall of 1951, English mountain climbers Eric Shipton and Dr. Michael Ward were exploring routes to climb Mount Everest from Nepal. While on this mission Shipton discovered some huge footprints in the snow, possibly belonging to the fabled Yeti.
A massive shark is caught on camera prowling near a research vessel off the Massachusetts coast, creating a buzz on social media. What is the link between NASA Zone F and this elusive megalodon?
The Salt Lake Herald featured a story in 1883 about three businessmen who stumbled upon a wild woman with three children who seemed to be half human and half bear.
The Native American Salish tribe recounts tales of a cryptid known as the Stick Indians, which remarkably mirror many reported sightings of Bigfoot.
In the winter of 1959, at least five eyewitnesses claimed to have seen a huge, bipedal creature resembling an octopus in the area around the Ohio River.
The Cornwall Owlman is a Mothman-like creature spotted repeatedly since the 1920’s in a churchyard in the UK.
In August 1817, the skipper of a trading ship entering Gloucester Harbour, Massachusetts, witnessed a baffling 60-foot long, leathery sea creature. This spectacle birthed the story of the Serpent of Gloucester.
In December 1964, a man named Robert Le Serrec witnessed a 75-80ft long creature underwater near Hook Island, Queensland.
Kasai Rex is a gigantic lizard creature that has been spotted several times in Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa. Some believe it may be a surviving species of dinosaur.
Several people have reported seeing a huge, bigfoot-like creature with glowing orange eyes around Mansfield, Ohio.
In 1959, a group of three men from Ohio reported an encounter with a mysterious being near Charles Mill Lake. They described the creature as an immense humanoid devoid of arms, sporting luminous, green eyes, and webbed feet.
The Re’em is a creature mentioned nine times in the Bible, translated in the King James Version of the Bible as “unicorn”. Does this mean that Unicorns existed in Biblical times?
In 1942, a bigfoot-like creature was spotted in Cedar Bog, Ohio. This creature was blamed for the disappearance of a group of teenagers, and its legacy still haunt locals to this day.
An article in the Western Star from 1882 tells of a child being taken by a giant snake-like creature. The story was verified by the local doctor and a judge.
In September 2019, an extraordinary video emerged from China, showing footage of a massive and unusual sea creature swimming through the water.
Tsuchinoko are a snake-like cryptid from Japan, said to be about the size of a cat with scaly skin and viper-like fangs.
During the early 1900s, American lumberjacks told terrifying stories of encounters with the Slide-Rock Bolter - a whale like creature living in the mountains.
In Peru, there is a legend that if you commit incest, as a punishment, God will transform you into a monstrous llama with a human face, known as a Jarjacha.
The Nandi Bear is a ferocious cryptid spotted in the highlands of Kenya during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The Squonk is said to be the ugliest creature in the world. It is so ashamed of its appearance that it will hide from anyone who approaches and, if caught, it will dissolve into a puddle of tears.
The Shunka Warak’in is a hyena-like creature from Native American mythology that has been spotted in the Rocky Mountains. A museum in Montana claims to have one on display.
The Thunderbird Cryptid is a giant bird resembling a condor or vulture that has been seen all over the United States.
The Germantown Werewolf was a mysterious creature spotted in Defiance, Ohio, several times in 1972. It was a 6ft tall, bipedal wolf that was said to carry a plank of wood In its front paws.
The Black Bird of Chernobyl was said to be about the size of a small airplane, with glowing red eyes and a wingspan of over 20 feet.
Air rods, also known as "flying rods" or "sky fish," are a phenomenon that been captured on cameras and mobile devices worldwide.
A hoop snake is a creature that's said to be able to bite down on its own tail and roll after its prey like a wheel. Hoop snakes have been seen in the USA, Australia and Canada.
The Oklahoma octopus is said to dwell in several man-made freshwater lakes in Oklahoma such as Lake Thunderbird, Oologah Lake, and Lake Tenkiller, where it allegedly preys on unsuspecting swimmers.
The legend of Sheepsquatch is a folk tale from the Appalachian region of the United States. According to the legend, Sheepsquatch is a creature about the size of a bear with white fur and big horns.
The "third man factor" is when someone in a dangerous or high-stress situation hears a voice giving them encouragement or advice. This voice is seen as coming from a spiritual or supernatural source, not just their own thoughts.
Polish woman Katarzyna Zowada was tortured then skinned alive in 1998 by Robert Janczewski. He then fashioned her skin into a body suit and wore it.
The true story of Barbora Skrlová is almost stranger than fiction. When she was 33 years old Barbora convinced a family that she was a young child and got them to adopt her.
Whispers have circulated online about a town called Doveland in Wisconsin that suddenly disappeared. Is this just another internet hoax or is there something substantial behind the mystery?
Johnny Frank Garret was executed for a crime he claimed he didn’t commit. Within a few years of his death 14 people who had played a part in his conviction were dead. Was this a result of the curse of Johnny Frank Garret?
Henry McCabe, a 31 year old father of two, went missing and was later found dead after sending a strange voicemail to his wife.
Langville, Montana was supposedly a real town in Montana that disappeared at some point before the 2000’s. While all evidence of the town has been wiped from existence some claim the residents were mysteriously “turned inside out” and a cover up has taken place to avoid panic.
In 1996 and 1997 a man named Mike Marcum appeared on Coast to Coast Radio, to talk about his experiments with time travel. A few months later someone he had disappeared and someone called in to Art’s show with a story about a man who was found dead on a California beach in the 1930’s that matched Marcum’s description. Could this be the first documented case of time travel?
The Schooner Jenny was missing for 20 years before the ship was found with the crew frozen solid, standing at attention on the main deck.
Just like the infamous Silver Bridge Mothman sightings, witnesses claim seeing a strange, 7ft tall flying humanoid in the weeks before the collapse of the I-35W bridge in 2007.