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Last Updated:11.27.06
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Orochi addresses Amaterasu prior to battle (Okami, np). Orochi is described as a "giant serpent deity who according to ancient Japanese beliefs resided in the mountains; orochi also refers to huge snakes in general" (Addiss, 90). In Okami, Orochi appears as the player's main enemy for the better part of the game. The eight-headed serpent is perhaps better known for his part in the myth "Susa-no-o and Serpent." Michael Ashkenazi describes the tale as such: In his wanderings [...] Susano-wo came upon an elderly couple whose daughters, all but one, had been sacrificed to an eight-headed serpent. Susano-wo ordered them to prepare eight barrels of special sake for the serpent. Once the serpent had consumed these and become drunk, Susano-wo emerged from a hiding place, cutting off the serpent's heads. He cut open the serpent's tails and found the great sword Kusanagi, which he gave, as an apology, to his sister (260).  Kien Keisei, Susa-no-o Defeats the Eight-forked Serpent (detail) The early part of Okami closely parallels this story. Players are introduced to the plight of a village that, 100 years ago, was terrorized by an eight-headed serpent which demanded a sacrifice each year on a full moon. The monster was defeated, and a time of peace ensued, but now the threat seems to be back (np). That's where players come in. After working their way up to the showdown with Orochi, players learn that there's only one way to defeat the beast. 
Indeed, players are tasked with defeating Orochi by literally drowning it in sake before attacking its many heads. But what of Susa-no-o? After all, wasn't he the one who ultimately defeated the serpent? Well, Okami sticks to the myths here, too, as once Orochi has been weakened enough, Susa-no-o appears on the scene to deliver the final blow. 
You might also notice the presence of a particular woman, Kushi, in several of the above screenshots. She bears mentioning as well, since she also appears in the myth regarding Susa-no-o and the serpent. F. Hadland Davis explains the story of the serpent in further detail, mentioning that "Kushi-nada-hime" was the name of the last remaining daughter, and that Susa-no-o transformed her into a comb and stuck her in his hair prior to confronting the monster (29). The first similarity that comes to mind is that of the names--"Kushi" within the game is merely a shortened version of "Kushi-nada-hime." Also, the in-game Kushi is slated to be Orochi's next sacrificial victim before the player defeats the demon, just like in the myth. Finally, though Kushi isn't turned into a comb within the game, her hair is very reminiscent of old Japanese combs, which seems to be another reference to the tale. Lastly, there's another element that Okami incorporates from the serpent story, and that is of the sword being found in Orochi's corpse.  (Okami, np) Ashkenazi describes how "[Susa-no-o] cut open the serpent's tails and found the great sword Kusanagi, which he gave, as an apology, to his sister" (260). A very similar event occurs in the game. After Susa-no-o arrives and helps Amaterasu (whom the player is controlling) fell Orochi, a sword appears and is given to the player. Since the player is controlling Amaterasu, who in the myths is Susa-no-o's sister, and the player receives the sword, the whole event transpires almost exactly like the myth. One last thing to point out is the name of the sword. In most myths it's referred to as "Kusanagi" or "Murakumo-no-Tsurugi," but in the game it's known as "Tsumugari," which seems different. According to Wikipedia, however, "Kusanagi" can also be called "Tsumugari-no-Tachi," which is what it's called in Okami ("Kusanagi...," np).
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