Giant Spider Yokai Tsuchigumo Confronts Minamoto No Yorimitsu And Something Strange Happens

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com –  Despite their generally small size, spiders are often feared by many people.

The origins of arachnophobia, or the fear of spiders, have been debated for some time. Is the fear of spiders embedded into us as a species or a learned behavior influenced by cultural factors? A study by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Germany suggests that the fear of snakes and spiders is evolutionarily rooted. They concluded that our brains possess mechanisms similar to those found in primates, which allow us to quickly identify and react to objects perceived as ‘spiders’ or ‘snakes.’¹

Looking back at historical events, myths, and legends from across the world, we notice our ancestors were sometimes also frightened when they came across a spider, especially if they were much larger than ordinary arachnids. This brings us to the curious story of Tsuchigumo, one of the most scary spiders mentioned in Japanese mythology.

The giant spider Tsuchigumo is mentioned in many Japanese tales. Tsuchigumo is a fearsome shapeshifting Yokai that relies on deception. In traditional Japanese folklore, Yokai, which translates to “strangeness, mystery, or suspicion” in Chinese kanji, are peculiar entities believed to inhabit the borderlands and intermediate spaces. These Yokai beings encompass many supernatural creatures, including ghosts, monsters, and spirits. They are known to manifest in diverse forms and can have both negative and positive impacts on humans.²

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