Hokusai’s Illustrated Warrior Vanguard of Japan and China (1836)

Yasumasa subduing Tsuchigumo (dirt spider) evokes similar thoughts as the iconography of St. George defeating the dragon. Many layers of meaning.

> Lines in the background trace the motion of the gigantic arachnid as it tumbles and its sickle-like legs flail in the air, emphasizing the movement and force in a way that resonates

Looks much more convincingly like it's set in the spider's web-lined lair.

> the monster’s eyes meeting our own

Looks anything but to me. And at this point I stopped reading.

Amazing is the word that comes to mind looking at all these many drawings. Many seem to show the decisive moment in a fight between a warrior and his or her foes. In an age without film or video these would have been as close to the action you could get without being there in person.