Tsuchigumo (play)
is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the mythological ''Tsuchigumo'' include and . In the ''Kojiki'' and in '' Nihon Shoki'', the name was phonetically spelled with the four kanji (for the four morae ''tsu-chi-gu-mo''), and these words were frequently used in the of Mutsu, Echigo, Hitachi, Settsu, Bungo and Hizen as well as others. The name is believed to be derived from . means "earth" and means "hiding". The word is thought to have referred to a local clan of powerful people who did not obey the imperial court and lived in caves. As a local clan, the were described as short in stature but long in limbs, with the temperament of a wolf and the heart of an owl, and living an uncivilized life. Historian Sōkichi Tsuda ( ja) points out that unlike Kumaso and Emishi The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean " ...
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