Tsuchigumo

Common card · No. 244160

Tsuchigumo (土蜘蛛; also written 土雲, literally "dirt/earth spider") is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, primarily during the Asuka, Nara, and early Heian periods, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the historical groups include kuzu (国栖), and for the mythological Tsuchigumo, yatsukahagi (八握脛; roughly "eight-grasp shins," referring to their long legs) and ōgumo (大蜘蛛; "giant spider"). In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the name was phonetically spelled with the four kanji 都知久母 (for the four morae tsu-chi-gu-mo). References to "tsuchigumo" appear in the chronicles associated with Emperor Jimmu, Emperor Keiko, and Empress Jingū, and these words were frequently used in the Fudoki (ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition) of various provinces, including Mutsu, Echigo, Hitachi, Settsu, Bungo, and Hizen. The term "Tsuchigumo" (earth/dirt spider) is believed to be derived from an older...

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