The Ogre's Head and the Heavenly Kings (鬼頭天王)
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図, Kyōsai Hyakuzu)
One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (暁斎百図) - The Ogre's Head and the Heavenly Kings (鬼頭天王)
This woodblock print by Kawanabe Kyōsai, from the series One Hundred Pictures by Kyōsai (狂斎百図), depicts the triumphant return of the warriors who defeated Shuten-dōji, one of the most famous demons in Japanese folklore.
According to legend, Shuten-dōji lived on Mount Ōe, near the border of the historical province of Tanba, in what is now the Kyoto and Hyōgo prefectures. The demon and his followers terrorized the capital, attacking its inhabitants and abducting women. A group of five warriors set out to destroy the monster: Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata Kintoki, Usui Sadamitsu, Urabe no Suetake, and Fujiwara no Yasumasa. The first four were the celebrated retainers of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, known as the Four Heavenly Kings.
Disguised as mountain ascetics, or yamabushi, the warriors entered the demon's dwelling. Knowing Shuten-dōji's fondness for sake, they offered him and his followers a special drink called Shinben Kidoku-shu, a miraculous sake poisonous to demons. According to the legend, the drink had been given to the heroes by divine manifestations of Sumiyoshi, Kumano, and Hachiman. Once Shuten-dōji and his companions had become intoxicated and fallen asleep, the warriors attacked and beheaded their leader.
Kyōsai depicts not the battle itself but its triumphant conclusion. A noisy procession of victorious warriors advances through the streets of the capital toward the Imperial Palace. At the center of the composition is the enormous horned head of the defeated demon, its face frozen in a terrifying expression. The head is carried on the men's shoulders, secured with ropes and a net. The procession includes armed warriors and women rescued from captivity. Among the trophies are iron clubs and large battle-axes formerly wielded by the demons.
The participants wave fans bearing the characters Waka and Shiba. The first refers to the name of the Wakasa-ya merchant house, while the second indicates Shiba-Shinmei, the district where its shop was located. The victorious warriors loudly announce their success, assuring the townspeople that they no longer need to fear the demon. The entire scene resembles a lively popular festival, with music, shouting, and the festive atmosphere associated with processions carrying portable shrines, or mikoshi.
One particularly significant detail is the net wrapped around Shuten-dōji's severed head. Its purpose is not simply to secure the heavy trophy but relates to an old legend about Taira no Masakado. According to the story, Masakado's severed head rose into the air and flew back toward the Kantō region. The net surrounding the demon's head is intended to prevent a similar supernatural escape.
The composition also has a more specific historical source. The motif of Shuten-dōji's enormous head, bound in a net and carried in a ceremonial procession, appears in an illustration by Hasegawa Settan entitled The Kanda Myōjin Festival, published in the celebrated illustrated guide to Edo, Edo Meisho Zue.
The Kanda Myōjin festival was held every two years on the fifteenth day of the ninth month according to the traditional calendar. Residents of different neighborhoods organized processions featuring richly decorated floats, elaborate constructions, and figures representing historical and legendary events. One of these spectacles was The Triumphant Return from Mount Ōe, a festive reenactment of the victory over Shuten-dōji.
Hasegawa Settan's illustration shows an enormous banner inscribed The Triumphant Return from Mount Ōe, with calligraphy by Sawada Tōkō (1732–1796), together with a gigantic demon's head displayed on a ceremonial offering stand known as a sanbō. This festive representation provided the direct visual model for Kyōsai's composition.
The print thus combines two distinct traditions: the ancient legend of the defeat of Shuten-dōji and the festive processions of Edo. Kyōsai transforms the warriors' return into a noisy, almost carnivalesque scene, in which the terrifying head of the demon becomes the central feature of a public celebration.
Kyōsai's interest in earlier illustrations by Hasegawa Settan can also be observed in other works. Similar motifs associated with the festivals and urban customs of Edo appear in compositions inspired by Tōto Saijiki, as well as in the album Shōjō Kyōsai Gachō.
According to legend, Shuten-dōji lived on Mount Ōe, near the border of the historical province of Tanba, in what is now the Kyoto and Hyōgo prefectures. The demon and his followers terrorized the capital, attacking its inhabitants and abducting women. A group of five warriors set out to destroy the monster: Watanabe no Tsuna, Sakata Kintoki, Usui Sadamitsu, Urabe no Suetake, and Fujiwara no Yasumasa. The first four were the celebrated retainers of Minamoto no Yorimitsu, known as the Four Heavenly Kings.
Disguised as mountain ascetics, or yamabushi, the warriors entered the demon's dwelling. Knowing Shuten-dōji's fondness for sake, they offered him and his followers a special drink called Shinben Kidoku-shu, a miraculous sake poisonous to demons. According to the legend, the drink had been given to the heroes by divine manifestations of Sumiyoshi, Kumano, and Hachiman. Once Shuten-dōji and his companions had become intoxicated and fallen asleep, the warriors attacked and beheaded their leader.
Kyōsai depicts not the battle itself but its triumphant conclusion. A noisy procession of victorious warriors advances through the streets of the capital toward the Imperial Palace. At the center of the composition is the enormous horned head of the defeated demon, its face frozen in a terrifying expression. The head is carried on the men's shoulders, secured with ropes and a net. The procession includes armed warriors and women rescued from captivity. Among the trophies are iron clubs and large battle-axes formerly wielded by the demons.
The participants wave fans bearing the characters Waka and Shiba. The first refers to the name of the Wakasa-ya merchant house, while the second indicates Shiba-Shinmei, the district where its shop was located. The victorious warriors loudly announce their success, assuring the townspeople that they no longer need to fear the demon. The entire scene resembles a lively popular festival, with music, shouting, and the festive atmosphere associated with processions carrying portable shrines, or mikoshi.
One particularly significant detail is the net wrapped around Shuten-dōji's severed head. Its purpose is not simply to secure the heavy trophy but relates to an old legend about Taira no Masakado. According to the story, Masakado's severed head rose into the air and flew back toward the Kantō region. The net surrounding the demon's head is intended to prevent a similar supernatural escape.
The composition also has a more specific historical source. The motif of Shuten-dōji's enormous head, bound in a net and carried in a ceremonial procession, appears in an illustration by Hasegawa Settan entitled The Kanda Myōjin Festival, published in the celebrated illustrated guide to Edo, Edo Meisho Zue.
The Kanda Myōjin festival was held every two years on the fifteenth day of the ninth month according to the traditional calendar. Residents of different neighborhoods organized processions featuring richly decorated floats, elaborate constructions, and figures representing historical and legendary events. One of these spectacles was The Triumphant Return from Mount Ōe, a festive reenactment of the victory over Shuten-dōji.
Hasegawa Settan's illustration shows an enormous banner inscribed The Triumphant Return from Mount Ōe, with calligraphy by Sawada Tōkō (1732–1796), together with a gigantic demon's head displayed on a ceremonial offering stand known as a sanbō. This festive representation provided the direct visual model for Kyōsai's composition.
The print thus combines two distinct traditions: the ancient legend of the defeat of Shuten-dōji and the festive processions of Edo. Kyōsai transforms the warriors' return into a noisy, almost carnivalesque scene, in which the terrifying head of the demon becomes the central feature of a public celebration.
Kyōsai's interest in earlier illustrations by Hasegawa Settan can also be observed in other works. Similar motifs associated with the festivals and urban customs of Edo appear in compositions inspired by Tōto Saijiki, as well as in the album Shōjō Kyōsai Gachō.