Minamoto no Yorimitsu
Works such as the 14th-century picture scroll "Tsuchigumo Sōshi" and the 15th-century Noh drama "Tsuchigumo" envision various versions of a legend in which Minamoto no Yorimitsu, also known as Raikō, a famous 10th-century general and ancestor of the Minamoto clan defeat an enormous spider "yōkai" referred to as a "tsuchigumo" or "yamagumo" ("earth spider" or "mountain spider", respectively). In some versions, Yorimitsu and his retainer Watanabe no Tsuna pursue the spider, which takes various forms such as a beautiful woman, and when they defeat it they cut it open and skulls pour out of its torso, while in others, Yorimitsu is incapacitated and a young retainer hunts the spider down in his stead.