Daidarabotchi
Daidarabotchi (ダイダラボッチ) was a gigantic yōkai in Japanese mythology, sometimes said to pose as a mountain range when sleeping.
Mythology
Daidarabotchi's size was so great that his footprints were said to have created innumerable lakes and ponds. In one legend, a Daidarabotchi weighed Mount Fuji and Mount Tsukuba to see which was heavier. But he accidentally split Tsukuba's peak after he was finished with it.
The Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki, a recording of the imperial customs in the Hitachi Province compiled in the 8th century, also told of a Daidarabotchi living on a hill west of a post office of Hiratsu Ogushi who fed on giant clams from the beach, piling the shells on top of a hill.
Izumo no Kuni Fudoki also mentions a legendary king of Izumo, Ōmitsunu, who was the grandson of Susanoo and a demi-god. Having the strength of a giant, he performed Kuni-biki, pulling land from Silla with ropes, to increase the size of his territory.
In Popular Culture
- The Great Forest Spirit in the film Princess Mononoke appears as the Daidarabotchi after sunset.
- Daidarabotchi appears in Yo-kai Watch with the English dub name of Dromp. It is the largest Yo-kai in which anyone it inspirits becomes lost in its mazes.
