Mythological and legendary Japanese snakes

Japanese dragon

In Japanese folklore, the , literally translating to "child of hammer", is a snake-like being. The name tsuchinoko is prevalent in Western Japan, including Kansai and Shikoku; the creature is known as in Northeastern Japan.

right|thumb|240px|"Kiyohime becomes serpent-bodied at Hidaka River" (1890) (or just Kiyo) in Japanese folklore is a character in the story of Anchin and Kiyohime, which dates back to the 11th century. In this story, she fell in love with a Buddhist monk named Anchin, but after her interest in the monk was rejected, she chased after him and transformed into a serpent in a rage, before killing him in a bell where he had hidden in the Dōjō-ji temple.

right|thumb|upright=.85|"Nure-onna" (ぬれ女) from the Hyakkai-Zukan by Sawaki Suushi. right|thumb|upright|"Nure-onna" (濡女) from the Gazu Hyakki Yagyō by [[Toriyama Sekien]]

Takeminakata (タケミナカタ), also known as Minakatatomi or Takeminakatatomi, is a kami in Japanese mythology. Also known as or after Suwa Grand Shrine (Suwa Taisha) in Nagano Prefecture in which he is enshrined alongside his consort Yasakatome, Takeminakata is historically worshiped as a god of wind, water and agriculture, as well as a patron of hunting and warfare, in which capacity he enjoyed a particularly fervent cult from various samurai clans during the medieval period such as the Hōjō or the Takeda. Takeminakata was also held to be the mythical ancestor of certain families who once served at

thumb| alt=“Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari” (#7, pp. 4–5), ca. 1850 hanshita-e artist: Kanwatei Onotake 8.5 x 6 inch pages, woodblock print book Coppola Collection|thumb|