In Japanese mythology, what name is given to the storm god Susanoo’s eight-headed serpent?

In Japanese mythology, the storm god Susanoo defeats the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi.

The creature appears in the Kojiki, Japan’s oldest surviving chronicle, completed in 712, and in the Nihon Shoki, completed in 720. Susanoo encounters the serpent after being expelled from the heavenly realm and finding an elderly couple whose daughter, Kushinada-hime, is due to be sacrificed.

Susanoo tricks Yamata no Orochi by preparing eight vats of strong sake. The serpent drinks from them, becomes intoxicated, and falls asleep. Susanoo then cuts off its eight heads and discovers the sword Kusanagi inside its tail.

The tale is often confused with a general dragon story, but Yamata no Orochi is specifically a multi-headed serpent. Kusanagi later becomes one of Japan’s Imperial Regalia, linking the myth to the legendary imperial line.