Omukade is giant centipede youkai in Japanese mythology. Ōmukade is very cruel and ferocious. It is a threat to all living things where they appear. Its favorite food is people.
It has a dark body, bright orange legs and head. The exoskeleton is so hard that it cannot be penetrated by a weapon. No one has clearly stated the size of an Omukade, but it is described as as big as a dragon, and in fact, the venom from its bites, even dragons are feared. What's more terrifying is, Omukade's venom is rarely enough to cause death but cause the victim to suffer a prolonged pain. It's very painful, but I can't die. That's why many people use this monster's venom for more torture purposes.
Omukade usually lives in caves deep in the mountains, dark and damp places or anywhere that can accommodate its huge size. Omukade also transforms into a half-human and half-centipede form with the upper body of a maiden and the lower body a hideous centipede. It uses that form to lure men into the trap, then will use venom to make the victim hallucinate. It likes to entertain its victims before officially butchering them.
However, Omukade has a fatal weakness that if its poison combines with the victim's saliva and is passed back into this monster's mouth, it will cause it to lose its life. Just by smearing saliva on the weapon, you can completely pierce the monster's armor.
Legend
A long time ago, a large snake suddenly appeared in Shiga Prefecture. It used its huge body to stretch up the Seta no Karahashi bridge and didn't move for days. That scared the villagers too much to come. They dared not approach the snake, and could not cross the bridge.
One day, a brave warrior named Fujiwara no Hidesato came to this area. He was not afraid to the snake, and he crossed the bridge, stepping on the large body of the snake. The snake molded its large body at the warrior's feet. Then it slithered into the lake, and disappeared.
That night, a beautiful woman came to see Hidesato. She introduces herself as the daughter of the dragon king of Like Biwa. The Dragon King sent her to Hidesato to ask for his help. Her family is being tormented by an ōmukade living on Mount Mikami. She knew that Hidesato must be a brave warrior, because he had trampled her body fearlessly. Hidesato agrees to help the dragon king. He picked up his sword and bow and headed towards the mountain.
Upon reaching Mount Mikami, Hidesato sees a giant centipede coiling around its top. It was so long that its body wrapped around the mountain seven and a half times. He shot his arrow at it until only one was left, but he was unable to penetrate the beast's armor. Hidesato soaked the arrowhead with saliva and prayed to Hachiman, the warrior god. This time his arrow really hits, and he knocks down the ōmukade.
The dragon king’s daughter was so grateful to Fujiwara no Hidesato that she gave him marvelous gifts: a bag of rice which never became empty no matter how much rice was taken from it; a roll of silk which never ran out no matter how much was cut from it; a cooking pot which always produced the most delicious food without the need for fire; and a large temple bell, which Hidesato donated to Mii-dera. The grateful dragon king also told Hidesato the secret to defeating Taira no Masakado, the rebel whom Hidesato had been charged with bringing down.
📚 Explore more of the Mystical Creatures series here: Dive into the Enchanted Realms of Mythology
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