After years of marriage, a childless couple begged the gods for a child, even if they were as small as a fingertip. And thus, the gods took their words literally, and Issun Bōshi was born.
When he turned fifteen years old, Issun traveled to the capital of Kyoto, bringing with him a rice bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and a needle inside a bamboo sheath. He went down the river using the bowl as a boat, and the chopsticks as oars. When he arrived to the city, the boy was employed under the service of a noble family, working hard to win the respect of his new masters.
One day, Issun was escorting the nobleman's daughter to a shrine, but on their way they were attacked by two gigantic oni (ogres). Issun called for their attention as a diversion for the girl to escape. One of the oni ate him, but the tiny hero grabbed his needle and pinched the oni's stomach walls. So, without stopping his attacks, Issun climbed his way to the ogre's throat. The latter spit the boy out as soon as he got to his mouth. The second oni tried to smash him, but Issun jumped at his eye with his needle sword.
The oni ran and got away, but one of them left his mallet behind. Issun and the young lady he protected noticed right away it was a magical instrument, and so they hit the ground with it making a wish at the same time. Suddenly, the tiny Issun grew up to a normal size, dressed up with a samurai armor, as he had shown the virtues of such warriors.
Thankful, his master was happy to give the daughter's hand in marriage to Issun, and ever since he was a faithful husband and shared his good fortune with his old parents.
Yamata-no-Orochi & Susanoo
The inspiration for Orochi and Susano.
Susanoo, Amaterasu's older brother and god of the seas and storms, was rejected by his father, Izanagi because he was short-tempered and ordered him to be banished from the heavens. Because of the rivalry between Amaterasu and Susanoo, Susanoo had gone to bid farewell to his sister but she threatened him with a bow and arrow. After he explained it was a farewell, Amaterasu became suspicious and made a test. Each one of them had to create humans from the objects of the other; Susanoo created five men from Amaterasu's necklace and Amaterasu created three from Susanoo's sword. Because the necklace was hers, Amaterasu claimed the five men and thus won the challenge. Furious and in a fit of rage, Susanoo destroyed her rice crops, killed an attendant, and in some versions, hurled a flayed horse at her loom. Filled with grief and anger, Amaterasu hid in a cave and the world was consumed in darkness.
Using a mirror and a necklace, they managed to lure her out with the help of Ame-no-Uzume, goddess of mirth and later sunrise, who had turned a tub over and danced naked to call for her attention. When Amaterasu emerged, she explained what Susanoo had done and he was banished to the realm of mortals. Once there, he traveled to the province of Izumo where he met an old couple that was crying in grief. When he asked them what had happened they explained that a 8-headed serpent as big as mountains, named Yamata-no-Orochi, had devoured 7 of their daughters and was ready to claim their last, Kushi-inada-hime. Susano promised he would defeat the serpent if they would let him marry Kushi-inada-hime.
Turning Kushi into a comb, he hid her from Yamata-no-Orochi and built 8 gates that lead to huge bowls of Sake and he hid, waiting for the right moment to strike. When Yamata-no-Orochi arrived, he quickly smelled his favorite drink but the smartest of the heads expected an attack and suggested he would drink first. When he did, nothing happened and all the heads began to drink, which later became intoxicated by the excess of sake and fainted. Susanoo managed to use the opportunity and slayed all the heads and from Yamata-no-Orochi's tail came a legendary sword, which he named Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi ("Heaven's Cloud-Gathering Sword"), later known as the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi ("Grasscutting Sword"), and presented it to Amaterasu as a gift of pardon. She accepted and gave the sword to her first son, and first emperor of Japan, and later presented his powers with a mirror and necklace.
