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Daidarabotchi (ダイダラボッチ, 大座法師) was a gigantic type ofyōkai inJapanese mythology, sometimes said to pose as a mountain range when sleeping.
The size of a Daidarabotchi was so great that his footprints were said to have created innumerable lakes and ponds. In one legend, a Daidarabotchi weighedMount Fuji andMount Tsukuba to see which was heavier, but he accidentally split Tsukuba's peak after he was finished with it.
TheHitachi no KuniFudoki, a recording of the imperial customs in theHitachi 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. In the largerIbaraki Prefecture, Daidarabotchi was considered a benevolent giant, moving mountains to aid the people of Ibaraki. InMito, Ibaraki, a 15-meter statue was erected in Ogushi Kaizuka Park to commemorate the yōkai and its myths.[1]
Izumo no Kuni Fudoki also mentions a legendary king of Izumo, Ōmitsunu, who was the grandson ofSusanoo and a demi-god. Having the strength of a giant, he performed Kuni-biki, pulling land fromSilla with ropes, to increase the size of his territory.
The Daidarabotchi was also said to reside atMount Togakushi, where there exists a pond on its south side bearing its name.[2]
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