In Japanese folklore, the Ōmukade is a giant yōkai centipede said to haunt Mount Mikami.
The name combines ō, meaning “giant” or “great,” with mukade, the Japanese word for centipede. Folklore portrays the Ōmukade as an enormous, dangerous creature capable of attacking humans and even threatening dragons.
One famous legend concerns Tawara Tōda, a warrior who agrees to kill a gigantic centipede terrorizing Lake Biwa. His ordinary arrows reportedly fail until he moistens one with saliva, after which he defeats the monster. This story appears in medieval Japanese tale traditions and helped establish the Ōmukade as a formidable legendary beast.
The Ōmukade is different from a normal mukade, although real Japanese centipedes are also feared for their painful bites. It is also distinct from the Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed serpent defeated by Susanoo.