Emperor Jimmu is said to have defeated the tsuchigumo here and buried its head, body and legs separately. A "spider mound" said to be its grave remains in the shrine grounds.
Legend Site
Katsuragi Hitokotonushi Shrine (Spider Mound)
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Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
| Encyclopedia | Tsuchigumo (Earth Spider) |
|---|---|
| Location | Nara Gose |
| Type of place | Shrine or temple |
| Map position | Approximate position (Municipality), not the exact place |
A yokai known as a giant spider. Originally, in the ancient chronicles and provincial records, "tsuchigumo" was a name for local peoples who would not submit to the imperial court. The legend of Minamoto no Raiko slaying the earth spider is famous.