Japan’s foremost collection of spiders

Takeo Yaginuma’s collection of spiders

After graduating from Tennoji Shihan School, Takeo Yaginuma took a position on the staff of Otemon Gakuin University. There, he clarified the classification system of spiders in Japan, which no one had attempted previously, and advanced his research on it. The results were published in Spiders of Japan in Color, and reflected in the discussions of the Arachnological Society of Japan, many of whose members were taught about surveys and research by him. While containing mainly specimens of spiders from the Kansai region including the city of Osaka, it also includes some exotic specimens, such as tarantulas and scorpions. As a private collection, it is regarded as one of the best in Japan in both quantitative and qualitative terms. It also contains original drawings of his pictorial books.