The story largely aligns with the accounts in the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki, albeit with minor variations: Susanoo’s descent into the land of Soshimori in Silla (modern-day Korea) alongside his son Isotakeru; ...their arrival or "landing" on Mount Torikami (Sentzusan), at the source of the Hi River in the Izumo region of Shimane Prefecture; and the marriage of Susanoo to Kushinada-hime. Later in the Kojiki, the story is told of how Susanoo tricked Yamata-no-Orochi into drinking sake brewed by the earthly deities Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, and then sliced the giant serpent into eight pieces. From each piece, a thunder god emerged and ascended to the heavens.
In the Kakuichi-bon (the eleventh book of the Heike Monogatari), compiled by the blind monk Akashi Kakuichi in 1371, the story of Yamata-no-Orochi is recounted to explain the origin of Tsurugi ("The Sword"). The epic explains how the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi was lost during the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, after Taira-no-Tokiko, clutching the blade, cast herself into the sea along with Emperor Antoku. This gave rise to the belief that the naga Yamata-no-Orochi had reincarnated as Emperor Antoku to reclaim the magical sword. This identification is rooted in another belief: that Emperor Antoku himself was the reincarnation of Itsukushima Daimyōjin, the guardian deity of the Taira clan. The goddess was the third daughter of the Dragon King Sāgara (Sanskrit) or Shakara-Ryūō (Japanese)—one of the eight great dragon kings who gathered for the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra. Sāgara is mentioned in the twelfth chapter of the Lotus Sutra as the father of Nāga Kanyā, or the Dragon Girl (nagini), who attained enlightenment at the age of eight. The word sāgara means "ocean," and the long Āgama Sutra states that the Dragon King Sāgara dwells in a palace at the bottom of the ocean—adorned with seven types of gems and measuring 80,000 yojanas in length and width (equivalent to 640,000 miles).
In Japanese symbolism, Yamata-no-Orochi is identified as the mountain spirit responsible for storms and floods.
In the book Ōeyama, the Naga—in the guise of Ibuki Daimyōjin—was also the father of Shuten Dōji. Thus, the god of Mount Ibuki was Yamata-no-Orochi in disguise; he visited Lord Sugawa’s daughter every night until he impregnated her. Furious at his daughter's pregnancy, Lord Sugawa summoned various priests to exorcise the spirit. This offended the mountain god, who cast a spell on Lord Sugawa, causing him to fall ill. Peace was eventually restored by granting Yamata-no-Orochi worship as Ibuki Daimyōjin.
Buddhism reinterpreted the legend of Susanoo and the Dragon, transforming the giant serpent into the Naga of the Lotus Sutra. The Nihon Shoki Sanso, written in the 15th century by Ichijō Kaneyoshi, recounts that the Naga was an avatar of the giant serpent. According to another account, the Shaku Nihongi states that the Dragon King's daughter was Kushinada-hime, the wife of Susanoo. Kaneyoshi further suggests that Jadokkeshin—or the "Deity of the Poisonous Serpent's Breath" (Dadokuke-no-Kami)—is an incarnation of Yamata-no-Orochi. Jadokkeshin is a little-known deity mentioned in the works of Kujō Michiie as the consort of Gozu Tennō, the god of pestilence; Subsequently, Jadokkeshin was included among the eight children of Gozu Tennō and Harisaijo, known as Hachiōji or the "Eight Princes."