A lone spider descends from its web, barely visible on an almost-blank paper. In Japan, the spider and its web were considered a sign that someone would be visiting. This belief came from the Chinese superstition that one would have a visitor if a web got caught in one’s clothes. During the Edo period (1603–1868), women in brothels favored the spiderweb as a kimono pattern because they hoped to catch good clients much as the spider catches its prey.
