In Japanese mythology, Susanoo defeated Yamata no Orochi by tricking it into drinking sake. The creature appears in the eighth-century Japanese chronicles Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, where it is described as an enormous serpent with eight heads and eight tails.
Susanoo discovered that the serpent demanded the sacrifice of a daughter from an elderly couple. He instructed them to prepare eight vats of strong sake and place them behind a fence with eight openings. After Yamata no Orochi became intoxicated, Susanoo cut off its heads and tails.
The sword Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was found inside one of the serpent’s tails. It became one of Japan’s Three Sacred Treasures, although the sword is also called Ame-no-Murakumo in parts of the tradition.
Yamata no Orochi is often called a dragon in modern retellings, but the original Japanese word and descriptions present it primarily as a giant serpent.