Japanese · No. 013

Plump Tsuchinoko

Real myth

Plump Tsuchinoko
It jumps, rolls, laughs and vanishes. No one believes those who saw it.
Rarity
Common
Category
Monster
ATK
600
DEF
700
Level
2
Type
Serpent
Element
Earth
Constellations
Feather · Leviathan

The myth

Tsuchinoko is a creature of Japanese folklore described as a short, fat snake with a belly as wide as a wooden mallet. It is said to leap great distances, roll downhill biting its own tail, speak, snore and even enjoy sake. Scholars link it to the nozuchi, an eyeless, noseless serpent from old accounts and Edo-period prints, whose name recalls Nozuchi, the kami of fields mentioned in the Kojiki. In the 1970s the tsuchinoko became a national craze, and several towns still offer prizes to anyone who catches one alive.

Why it has this power

A Common level-2 Earth Serpent with 600 ATK and 700 DEF: small and weak, but hard to catch. Earth comes from the fields and banks where it hides; Feather recalls its impossible leaps, Leviathan the serpent family. A cheap card to hold the line early in the duel.

Did you know

The name tsuchinoko means something like "child of the mallet", after its body's resemblance to the tsuchi, a mallet used in farm work.

Connections

  • In Aiko, Dojo Apprentice's deck
  • In Kenji, Kamo River Fisherman's deck
  • In Kaguya, Guardian of the Torii's deck

Where to get it

  • Campaign drop: Kenji, Kamo River Fisherman (Archipelago of the Kami) — grade D: 13%
  • Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
  • Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
  • Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
  • Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
  • Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
  • Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
  • Craft with card dust: 40 dust
  • Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

  1. Kaii・Yōkai Denshō Database (folklore of strange phenomena and yōkai) — International Research Center for Japanese Studies (Nichibunken)
  2. Kayanohime — Encyclopedia of Shinto — Kokugakuin University