Japanese Folk Tale

164 The Yanagita Guide to the Japanese Folk Tale
This story is told as a legend in some examples, but it probably
was originally a story about destroying something.
Aomori, Hachinohe: MK II 10 16, "The water-spider" No.2 (Mizugumo).
This is handed down as a legend about destroying a water-spider.
A beautiful robe was left at the foot of a tree to fool the ghost.
This seems more like a folk tale than the one above, which is
now the usual form.
Iwate: Kunohe 468, "The Spider Spirit in Tohei Pond" (Toheibuchi ni
wa kumo no nushi). This is a legend about Tohei Pond at Kawai in
Yamagata-mura. Once upon a time when Tohei was fishing, he
heard voices shout together in the pond, and the stump beside him
was pulled in. The voices laughed.
Kamihei-gun: Tono 275 No. 183. No title. When a spider web at
Kotorigawa got onto a man's face, he moved it to a willow tree.
The tree was pulled off at its roots into the water. What he
thought were fish were willow leaves.
Miyagi, Sendai: MK II 10 16, "The water-spider" (Mizugumo); Nihon den
124, "The water-spider" (Mizugumo). The first story. Voices called
"Clever, clever!" at the end.
Fukushima, Date-gun: Nihon shu, j6 47, "The water-spider" (Mizugumo).
Example.
Yamanashi, Nishiyatsushiro-gun: Kai 123, "The spider and the man fishing
for salmon" (Kumo to yamame tsuri); Zoku Kai 124, "Spider
Pond" (Kumobuchi). This is a legend about Kumobuchi at Shimokuishiki.
Voices in the pond said, "Yoi-sho."
Aichi, Hakuri-gun: Aichi 27, "The old pile in the river" (Kawa no naka
no furui kui). This is a pond at Higashiasai. A great snake disguised
as a spider fastened a thread. It came again disguised as a
sea tortoise, but its ear was cut off by a very strong man. After
that it lived as a great snake with only one ear.
Tottori: Inpaku min I 4 189, "Yaroku Pond" (Yarokubuchi). It is told as
a legend. When somebody in the pond called, "Yariko ee ka" [are
you ready?] the man answered, "Ee-wa" [ready]. He was pulled in.
The man's name was said to be Yaroku, but that is a later change.
Tokushima: Awa Iyayama 64, "Juzaemon Falls" (Juzaemon taki). Two
men met the ghost of a water spider.
Kumamoto, Kikuchi-gun: Nihon den 125, 126, "The waterfall that restored
strength" (Ikiyoi gaeshi no taki) and "Otoroshigabuchi."
Further reference:
Takagi Toshio, Nihon densetsu shu. At Meguro, Meiji-mura, Kitauwa-gun,
Ehime a hunter saw an earthworm, a frog, and a deer, each
eaten by something stronger. He decided to give up hunting and started
home. A yamajiji in the top of a tree beside him called, "That's a
good idea, hunter!"
This is something brought from China. It was used in a sermon, but
only the moral was changed.
Koshi no {usa, go 3 (In Essa sosho 6, 109). From Niigata, Minamiuonuma-gun.
A web was tied to a man's toe. After he moved it to a
willow tree, it was broken off at the root.