Stories of the Japanese 00301 [Mid-Heian Period] The Taira no Masakado Rebellion: Slaying the Centipede*

Now that Fujiwara no Hidesato has made his first appearance, let us introduce the famous legend of how he slew the centipede at Seta Bridge.
Seta Bridge is a bridge spanning Lake Biwa, and it still exists today in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture. It was a battlefield during the Jinshin War and the Fujiwara no Nakamaro Rebellion.
As Hidesato was crossing it alone, a giant serpent was lying across the bridge. It was a monster with eyes that glared brilliantly, iron fangs in its mouth, and a crimson tongue that looked as if it were about to spew flames. While an ordinary person would have been terrified out of their wits, Hidesato was not intimidated in the slightest and stepped over the serpent to continue across the bridge.
After Hidesato finished crossing the bridge, a woman approached him. The woman said,
“I am the serpent you saw earlier, and I am the daughter of the Dragon God. You are the first person I have ever seen with such courage. Would you please slay the centipede on Mount Mikami (Yasu City, Shiga Prefecture) that is tormenting our clan?”
Hidesato agreed to this and was led by the daughter back onto Seta Bridge, where a giant centipede attacked them.
At this time, Hidesato had three arrows. The first and second arrows hit the center of the centipede's brow one after another, but the centipede did not budge. Hidesato spat on the tip of his third arrow and fired it at the exact same spot between its brows; this arrow pierced through from the brow to the throat, and the centipede collapsed while thrashing about.
The overjoyed daughter invited Hidesato to the Dragon Palace. Hidesato was treated to a lavish feast by the Dragon God, and in the end, he received treasures from the daughter, such as:
・A rice bale that never runs out
・A roll of silk that never runs out even when used
・A bronze hanging bell
He received these treasures.
Hidesato, who was now able to live a life where he would never have to worry about rice bales again, came to be called “Tawara Toda” (Tawara Toda).
And Hidesato said,
“A bell is something that should be placed in a temple,”
and he donated the bronze hanging bell to Onjo-ji Temple (Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture).
Later, during the battle between Onjo-ji Temple and Enryaku-ji Temple, this bell was cracked by the violent warrior monk Musashibo Benkei of Enryaku-ji. However, it is said that one day, a small snake came along and struck the fragments of the bell with its tail, and the bell returned to its original state. The snake must have been a messenger of the Dragon God.This bell is still enshrined at Onjo-ji Temple today, and you can see the scars where Benkei cracked it.