Tawara Toda and the Giant Centipede: From the Serpent on Seta Bridge to Mount Mikami

Mount Mikami, in Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture, has such a gentle cone shape that it's nicknamed "the Fuji of Omi" (Omi is the old name for Shiga). Legend says that this pretty mountain was once home to a centipede so enormous it could wrap around the whole mountain seven and a half times. The one who defeated it was the Heian-period warrior Fujiwara no Hidesato, better known as Tawara Toda. And the story begins not on the mountain, but on a bridge over the river that flows out of Lake Biwa.

The serpent on Seta Bridge

Seta no Karahashi is a bridge over the Seta River, which flows out from the southern tip of Lake Biwa. It stood at a key point on the road linking the capital, Kyoto, with the provinces to the east, and people have crossed it for centuries.

According to the legend, a huge serpent once lay across this bridge, blocking the way. People were too frightened to cross. Then along came Toda. Without a trace of fear, he simply stepped right over the serpent's back and walked on as if nothing were there.

The dragon god's request

That night, a woman came to visit Toda. She revealed that the serpent on the bridge had been her own disguise, and that she was connected to the dragon god of Lake Biwa. In some versions she is the dragon god's daughter; in others, the visitor appears as a small man instead.

Here is what she told him. A giant centipede had settled on Mount Mikami and was tormenting the dragon god's family. Having seen the courage Toda showed in crossing the bridge, she begged him to slay it. Toda agreed, took up his bow and arrows, and set out for Mount Mikami.

The last arrow

Late that night, a long chain of lights came moving down from the direction of Mount Mikami. What looked like a line of torches, the story goes, was really the centipede itself.

Toda drew his bow and let fly, but his arrows bounced off its hard body. So he took his last remaining arrow, put some of his own spit on the arrowhead, and shot again. The arrow pierced the centipede between the eyes, and at last the great body lay still. It's said that an old belief, that centipedes hate human spit, lies behind this scene.

Another famous story of a warrior shooting down a monster is that of Minamoto no Yorimasa and the nue. It can be fun to read the two side by side.

Gifts from the Dragon Palace

To thank him, Toda was invited to the Dragon Palace beneath Lake Biwa and given many treasures. The best known is a bale of rice that never runs out, no matter how much you take from it. Some link his nickname "Tawara" (rice bale) to this gift, though there are other theories about where the name came from.

At Mii-dera (also called Onjo-ji), a temple in Otsu, there is also a story of a temple bell said to have been brought back by Toda from the Dragon Palace. Mount Mikami, Seta Bridge, Mii-dera: this legend is still told as part of the land around Lake Biwa.

Meet the centipede on the map and in the Yokaipedia

On Pixel Yokai's Yokai Map, the giant centipede pops up at Mount Mikami and Seta Bridge in Shiga. On the omukade's Yokaipedia page, we drew it with glowing yellow eyes like torches, white fangs, and a winding red body lined with rows of golden legs.

The tsuchigumo, or earth spider, is another monster famous for being defeated by a warrior. If you ever get a chance to see the Fuji of Omi, try picturing the enormous centipede said to have wrapped around it seven and a half times.