Minamoto Yorimitsu and His Retainers Attack Shuten-doji, 1851 - 1852

Terrific scene from the legendary tale of the Demon of Oeyama, the horrible Shuten-doji, who kidnapped young beauties and held them hostage in his lair on Mt. Oe near Kyoto. The great warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu (Raiko) and his men traveled to the demon's hideout in order to kill him. After lulling him into a drunken stupor, Raiko cut off the monster's head with his sword. Here, the drowsing giant leans against a rocky outcropping, plucking at the arm of one of Raiko's retainers who grips his sword overhead. While the monster is distracted, Raiko aims a blow at his head at upper right, the warrior dressed in a fine suit of armor and a horned helmet. Interestingly, one side of Shuten-doji's face seems human, while the other is dark red and craggy, with a fang protruding from his mouth and an animal-like ear poking up from his shaggy hair. An incredible, dramatic composition, and a fantastic illustration from this famous story.

14 x 28 7/8

With excellent color and detail as shown. Three panels, not attached. Slight paper remnants on reverse. A few small wormholes, repaired, blends well. Creasing, slight soiling, slight rubbing near edges. Please see photos for details. Nice overall.