News Spider fighting inscribed as 'Heritage for the Future'

Spider fighting was recently recognised as a cultural practice worth preserving. It has been inscribed on the Heritage for the Future list, curated by an organisation aligned with UNESCO's principles for safeguarding traditional culture. The National Federation of UNESCO Associations in Japan (NFUAJ)—a nongovernmental body engaged in domestic and international cultural initiatives—presented the organisers of the spider-fighting events with a certificate of the inscription on 23 March at the Futtsu community centre.




The tradition is said to have begun during the Edo Period. According to the Japanese inscription, the event fosters "community ties spun by spiders" and is recognised as one of Japan's three most prominent spider-fighting events. It is known for deciding the yokozuna, or grand champion. The event is held annually on 4 May at Futtsu Yasakajinja (富津八坂神社) in Chiba Prefecture. This year, it will mark its 24th iteration. The competition involves male Carrhotus xanthogramma, a species of jumping spider about one centimetre in length. This spider exhibits heightened aggression during mating season and is locally called "funchi" (フンチ) in Futtsu.




The practice is said to have gained popularity among fishermen, who would wager on the outcomes of the matches. Historical accounts suggest the custom flourished, particularly during the Kyōhō Era (享保, 1716–1736).

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I always wondered if fear of spiders & snakes is something learned or if you are born with it. I don't remember anyone telling me they were bad , but I've always had fear of them.

Grandpa Frank said:

I always wondered if fear of spiders & snakes is something learned or if you are born with it. I don't remember anyone telling me they were bad , but I've always had fear of them.

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I remember one time at the grocery store when my son was about one riding in the shopping cart I showed him a toy like this off the shelf. And he got upset and recoiled away from it. And it makes sense that something like this found in nature would generally be dangerous. So I think some of these fears are innate.

Grandpa Frank said:

I always wondered if fear of spiders & snakes is something learned or if you are born with it. I don't remember anyone telling me they were bad , but I've always had fear of them.

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I think it's a bit of both (it's always a bit of nature & nurture). It's reasonable to be scared of animals with 'masses of sharp, pointy teeth' or very large animals and we sometimes see that fear extrapolated to phobia of large anything. Have you seen those videos of cats jumping at the sight of a cucumber laid strategically behind them?
I assume it's their snake-like morphology that triggers the cat's startle response and of course some snakes are venomous or constrict.

Spider is another matter altogether that I just can't work out; definitely learned my spider/moth/cranefly fear from my brother but as I've aged the last two have disappeared and I'm only slightly weary of spiders now. However I deliberately moved to a coastal town in Devon as I love the sea but I've gradually developed a mild form of thalassophobia since being here which I'm trying to overcome and feel the inexplicable creeping advance of submechanophobia!

Ukigumo said:

I've gradually developed a mild form of thalassophobia since being here which I'm trying to overcome and feel the inexplicable creeping advance of submechanophobia!

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If you avoid boat and submarine rides you'll be fine.

mdchachi said:

If you avoid boat and submarine rides you'll be fine.

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Going on boats is fine and I'd never go on a submarine! I used to love sea kayaking but alas…

Grandpa Frank said:

I always wondered if fear of spiders & snakes is something learned or if you are born with it. I don't remember anyone telling me they were bad , but I've always had fear of them.

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I cannot think of a better therapeutic means to combat arachnophobia than the spider species featured in this thread, Carrhotus xanthogramma. There are several jumping spiders around you while you read this post. Aren't they adorable?

thomas said:

I cannot think of a better therapeutic means to combat arachnophobia than the spider species featured in this thread, Carrhotus xanthogramma. There are several jumping spiders around you while you read this post. Aren't they adorable?

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I don't like those brown, house spiders that scuttle across one's living room floor in the autumn My other half swore she saw a largish, pale pink spider when we first moved down to Devon. I joked it was probably a crab but apparently pink spiders do live in the drains and sewers

I have no problems with octopus/squid/cuttlefish so it's not due to appendages that trigger 'it'. Also tarantulas or bird eating spiders don't worry me; I've handled them plus hissing cockroaches and large frogs/toads at Edinburgh zoo. I used to mention the Japanese 'gokiburi' in my lectures because they have giant axons (as do squid) that allow them to scuttle away at high speed and are beloved of us neuroscientists, but had to remove the images on my powerpoint slides as they freaked out the students. You'd think students would be used to living alongside cockroaches

Are there particularly nasty-looking spiders in Japan? Just a name will do and I'll look them up…no photos please!

Ukigumo said:

Are there particularly nasty-looking spiders in Japan? Just a name will do and I'll look them up…no photos please!

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Huntsman. Big and lightning-fast. But not dangerous.

The last shokubo I stayed at on Koysan had the wooded hillside behind it. I chose it because it was the only non-communal accommodation available at that temple and would offer me and my girlfriend the privacy we desired. It was a lovely place until nightfall when the multi-legged creatures of the forest decided to visit me and my girlfriend. Shieldbugs were hanging off the light fittings, iridescent beetles crawling along the tatami, crickets with long antennae watching me in the bathroom. My girlfriend and I were continuously on edge, especially at night when sleeping on the floor. Then, in the corridor adjacent to the bathroom, I saw a spider, as large as my outstretch hand, walking very slowly and deliberately, it's legs lifting in a mesmerizing sequence to propel it along the floor. My compassionate side decided to keep the sighting from my girlfriend as she would've been very disturbed by it, but it has haunted me ever since…