tsuchigumo

thumb|Tsuchigumo, from Bakemono no e scroll, [[Brigham Young University]] is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, primarily during the Asuka, Nara, and early Heian periods, and also the name for a race of spider-like in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the historical groups include , and for the mythological Tsuchigumo, and . In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the name was phonetically spelled with the four kanji (for the four morae tsu-chi-gu-mo). References to "tsuchigumo" appear in the chronicles associated with Emperor Jimmu, Emperor Keiko, and Empress Jingū, and these words were frequently used in the (ancient reports on provincial culture, geography, and oral tradition) of various provinces, including Mutsu, Echigo, Hitachi, Settsu, Bungo, and Hizen.

The term "Tsuchigumo" (earth/dirt spider) is believed to be derived from an older derogatory term, , meaning "those who hide in the ground". This name likely referred to the fact that many of these clans utilized existing cave systems or built fortified dugouts and earthworks (Japanese: 土窟; tsuchi-muro or iwa-muro) in which to live and defend themselves. The term was used by the Yamato court as a generalized pejorative against chieftains and clans who would not submit to Imperial authority, regardless of their ancestry or location. They were often described in official records like the Nihon Shoki and various Fudoki as possessing "the nature of a wolf, the heart of an owl", being violently resistant, and dwelling in mountain caves or earthen fortifications. Some descriptions portrayed them as having abnormal physical characteristics; the "Jimmu" chapter of the Nihon Shoki describes them as "short in stature but long in limbs, similar to pygmies (侏儒)", while an excerpt from the lost Echigo Fudoki mentions Tsuchigumo with "shins eight 'tsuka' [hand-breadths] long, and possessing great strength." These descriptions likely served to dehumanize these groups and emphasize their "otherness" from the perspective of the Yamato state.