Story · Japanese Mythology · 4 chapters

Susanoo Slayes Yamata-no-Orochi

On his way down from the banished heaven to the earthly realm (Izumo), Susanoo meets the weeping parents of a family whose daughters are being devoured by the eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi; seven of the eight daughters have already been eaten, and the last, Kushinada-hime, is next [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. Susanoo asks for her hand, turns himself into a hair-comb, and has her wear it in her hair [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. He prepares eight vats of sweetened sake and sets out eight cutting-stations; when the serpent drinks and comes to drink, Susanoo slays it, and in its tail he finds the sword Kusanagi (Ame-murakumo-no-tsurugi) [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. He rescues Kushinada-hime and marries her [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗. This is the archetypal Japanese monster-slaying myth and the origin of the sacred sword Kusanagi [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch.

living religious tradition

Shinto is a living religious tradition. These narratives are presented as the tradition's own mythic heritage, with the historical layers (Kojiki 712 CE, Nihon Shoki 720 CE, shrine engi) made visible. Modern state-Sinto and pop-culture readings are labeled separately from the primary texts.

Susanoo, Yamata-no-Orochi, Izumo — Susanoo-no-Mikoto Slays Yamata-no-Orochi in Izumo
Susanoo-no-Mikoto Slays Yamata-no-Orochi in Izumo · Tsukioka Yoshitoshi · c. 1880 (Meiji) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
⚠ Scholars disagree

The method of the slaying (the eight vats of sake, the cutting-stations) and some details differ between the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗[S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch.

CHAPTER 01

The Weeping Parents

Susanoo meets the weeping parents whose daughters are being devoured by the serpent [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
Sources[S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗
Susanoo, Yamata-no-Orochi — Dragon: Susanoo-no-Mikoto and the Water Dragon
Dragon: Susanoo-no-Mikoto and the Water Dragon · Utagawa Kuniyoshi · c. 1840s (Edo) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
CHAPTER 02

The Comb

He asks for the last daughter, turns himself into a hair-comb, and has her wear it [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
Sources[S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗
CHAPTER 03

The Slaying

With eight vats of sweetened sake and cutting-stations, he slays the serpent [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
Sources[S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗
CHAPTER 04

The Sword and the Bride

In the serpent's tail he finds the sword Kusanagi; he rescues and marries Kushinada-hime [S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗.
Sources[S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗
Susanoo, Kushinada-hime — Susanoo Rescues Kushinada-hime
Susanoo Rescues Kushinada-hime · Toyohara Chikanobu · 1886 · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
Variants of this story (2)
Kojiki Orochi myth

The full account: the weeping parents, the comb, the eight vats of sake, the slaying, and the sword in the tail.

Nihon Shoki Orochi myth

A related account with different wording of the method (the sake, the cutting) and some details.

Primary sources[S1]S1 · *Kojiki* ('Records of Ancient Matters', 712 CE), trans. Basil Hall Chamberlain (1882/1933) — PRIMARY TRANSLATION — https://sacred-texts.com/Open source ↗ [S2]S2 · *Nihon Shoki* ('Chronicles of Japan', 720 CE) — PRIMARY TEXT (annalistic + mythographic) — (translation: G. Cameron, 1968; see Internet Arch