HIGHLIGHT

An illustrated handscroll depicting the story of the Heian-period warrior Minamoto no Raikō and his Four Heavenly Kings subduing the demon Shuten-dōji, said to dwell on Mount Ōe in Tanba Province or Mount Ibuki.

The theme was established during the Muromachi period and became highly popular, inspiring numerous handscrolls and Nara ehon (illustrated books) through the Edo period, including an Important Cultural Property attributed to Kanō Motonobu in the collection of the Suntory Museum of Art.

The present work appears to be a copy after one such version. As the scroll progresses toward the latter sections, the backgrounds are rendered in line drawing only, while the figures remain colored.