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| Yoshitsuya: Shuten Dōji's Head Attacking Raiko's Band of Warriors |
Shuten-dōji is a mythical creature, a yokai and an oni leader residing in Ooe-yama (Mount Ooe). He is sometimes considered one of the "great three evil yokai". There are severel different stories about his ancestry, birth and life, but he is inherently evil. The emperor in Kyoto wants him killed and sends the legendary samurai Minamoto "Raiko" Yorimitsu to defeat Shuten-dōji. Raiko gives Shuten-dōji poisoned sake, and when he drinks he falls asleep and his head is cut off. The cut-off head, however, is still alive and tries to bite Raiko, who finally wins with the help of a magical helmet.
This print is Shuten Dōji's Head Attacking Raiko's Band of Warriors, from 1858. The artist is Utagawa Yoshitsuya (1822-1866).