One day a logger was going about his work. Since logging is an exhausting business, seeing as how this was Edo period Japan and the chainsaw hadn’t been invented yet, the man decides to take a short break. He hears the crash of a waterfall nearby, and decides that sitting on the stream bank and watching the waterfall would be a pleasant way to spend his lunch break.
However, no sooner has the man settled himself and unpacked his food than a strange something attaches itself to his foot! Puzzled, the man pulls the stick substance off. He sees that it is something like spider silk. He sticks the stuff to a nearby log. A moment later, the log goes zipping across the stream bank, only to disappear beneath the churning waters of the waterfall. Not a little spooked, our logger decides it’s best to take his lunch break elsewhere and he beats a hasty retreat back into the woods.
Our nameless logger might not know it, but he’s just had an encounter with a Jorogumo, whose name translates to either ‘binding bride’ or ‘whore spider’. Jorogumo are said to come to be when a spider, most often a species of orb-weaver, comes to be 400 years old. On its 400th birthday, the spider gains strange powers and becomes the size of a cow. It can then change its shape to a beautiful woman. It uses this shape and its skill at playing biwa (where it learned to play is a mystery–presumably spiders are all music majors?) to lure victims into its traps, where it then binds their feet and stores them away for later feeding.
The story I told above contains the basics of the typical Jorogumo story. The creatures are often, but not exclusively, associated with waterfalls. Many times they are considered malevolent, but in Kashikobuchi, a Jorogumo is worshiped as a protective spirit who saves people from drowning.
Jorogumo appear in stories from the Edo period. Today, the ‘whore spider’ makes appearances in stories, video games, and anime. In particular, there’s a Jorogumo in the anime/manga xxxHolic, who performs a particularly gruesome act during the course of the series (by the way, anyone seen that anime? I haven’t yet).
I haven’t found any modern claims of any Jorogumo sightings, which seems to be unusual as far as Japanese spirits goes. Perhaps no spiders have reached their 400th birthday in recent years…
Sources
Atkinson, W (2003). Wrapping the Hole in the Middle of It all: Tanizaki’s Narrative Packages. College Literature. 30 [3].
Jorogumo, Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jor%C5%8Dgumo
Goldstein, J. 101 Amazing Mythical Beasts and Legendary Creatures.
Rosen, B. (2009). Tsuchigumo. The Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings.
What really happens if the jurogumo is all over u should I stay friends with her or just tell her to leave me alone this is real serious stuff I’m not imagining it what the fuck
I recently had a girlfriend so beautiful until I realised what she is and the way she went on whilst sleeping in a garage roof one night she started acting weird ie the way she moved was like that of a spider I told her to keep her noise down and she leaped up into the rafters of the garage where I was resting and literally chewed on the tops of my fingers the moment I see that happen i started to get very angry and then it was as if she spat the tops of my fingers back on well with that I am now scarred for life mentally also whilst walking along a canal one night with her I know I should not have scared her the way I did I told her that people had been found dead along this canal and the way she shot off ahead was just abnormal in the distance i could see that she’d shapeshifted into about the size of a large dog black as night she shot off ahead of me i couldn’t catch up this world is a very strange one and I’m now still in contact with her trying not to piss her off but i really don’t want to be pray so I’m cautious and wont be put in certain situations where I’m alone with her
I’m not sure why there aren’t any claims of any sightings, couldn’t Indigo People or people with a sharp sixth sense can see them as well? I saw one long before I even knew what it actually was, at an old castle in Kyoto. She perched at a dark corner, had a woman’s head and a huge spider body and legs, watching tourists pass by below her. There are others that I’ve seen in castles, shrines, and forests or even gardens, but still unsure of the name.
Perhaps people are not longer comfortable claiming to see her?
Hi! I was just wondering if you know why it’s called a “Whore spider”? I’ve heard the name for the yokai a couple of times but if they’re made by spider’s becoming 400 years old, I don’t really get it? Like I get that it’s a spider that turns into a woman…. but like… Idk, I was just wondering if you knew the specific reason why it might be called that?
After the spider takes the form of a woman, it uses its new body to attract men to her. Basically, it appears as a prostitute. In some stories men spend the night with her before she eats them.
They moved west. I had one in my mother’s house and in my old house in Idaho. They like Idaho. Go there to see one.
Oakley and Heyburn in old 100 yr old houses
I would be cautious about looking for a jorogumo : ).
What if she’s in love with you is that just a ploy for ulterior motives will I find myself cocooned in the woods one day
Well, there are a few variations of the story. In some, the spider isn’t evil. She needs to be treated right. In others, she manipulates men for prey. In Japanese folklore, there are many creatures that are neutral: good, loyal wives until something contrary happens, such as the Snow Woman.
Yip I’ve read xxxHolic but it only goes up to volume 19 Chapter 213 as of March 2011 and it’s listed as complete but is clearly not.
How would someone get rid of an evil Jorogumo?
According to some folk beliefs, an evil creature like a Jorogumo can be purified and made into a good creature by venerating it and dedicating a shrine to it. An exorcist may also be able to purify one. Otherwise, I’m not aware of any specific way to get rid of a jorogumo.
I want to know who wins in a territorial fight a male (FALSE BLACK WIDOW SPIDERπ) or a male {joro spider}πππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππππ
That’s a good question. But whomever wins gets the dubious honor of being ate by his mate! π