His (the eight-tailed dragon?s) eyes are like red ground cherries; his one body has eight heads and eight tails. On his body grow moss and cypress and cryptomeria trees. His length is such that he spans eight valleys and eight mountain peaks. Then Paya-susa-no-wo-no-mikoto unsheathed the sword ten hands long which he was wearing at his side, and hacked the dragon to pieces, so that the Pi river ran with blood. (Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters), compiled in A.D. 712. Translated by D. L. Philippi)