New Perspective Print of Minamoto no Raiko Battling the Earth Spider and Demons

This print by Utagawa Toyoharu depicts a scene in which a large demon, an earth spider, and a host of other smaller ghosts interrupt a game of go, a strategic board game with similarities to chess. Minamoto no Raiko was a celebrated warrior known for achieving great military success early in life, and is the central human figure of this print. A large demon, most likely originally a monk, looms over Minamoto no Raiko and his opponent on the right side of the composition, while a giant fanged spider hangs from the ceiling of an adjacent room. The demon’s red skin, four arms, and grotesque expression contradict the third eye on his forehead, symbolizing spiritual advancement, and the rosary held in one of his hands. This demon is connected by a thread to the spider, and webs spread out behind both, indicating that in his transformation from monk to demon, the larger of the two has taken on some arachnid qualities. In the left half of the print, five other figures, likely Minamoto no Raiko’s retainers, react to the invasion of the demons. Their location, an expansive residence, is shown as a lavish estate through the presence of an open garden space that gives a view of a courtyard wall in the distance, and two decorative screens, one folding and one stand-alone, located in the left half of the composition. However, the estate is in a state of chaos, and these beautiful screens appear to have been ripped in the frenzy. In order to create an unsettling, unnatural atmosphere, Toyoharu has purposefully employed slanted lines in his depiction of architecture to construct depth, a common tactic in supernatural prints. Along with the imposing figures of the monk demon and earth spider, tsukumogami, objects that have come to life, join the fray as the eerie atmosphere heightens the audience’s fear. These tsukumogami include a brazier in the center foreground, just to the left of Minamoto no Raiko, a pot or urn to the left of the other warrior playing go, and a shamisen (an instrument with a long body) and dishcloth in the center midground below the giant spider. Stories of tsukumogami usually explain that the haunted items, gaining sentience after being discarded, seek revenge from those that threw them away. In the context of Minamoto no Raiko’s powerful position as an official and his surroundings in a lavish estate, these tsukumogami may be attacking in vengeance for their mistreatment. This attack on the wealthy references tensions between classes in Japan’s history, and dissatisfaction with the extravagance and waste of the upper classes. This print bears great resemblance to another of Toyoharu’s, Uki-e Chushingura youichi no zu (Perspective Picture of the Night Attack in Chushingura). The two prints are nearly identical in their composition and details, even including a man comedically clinging to a ceiling beam in place of the earth spider. Chushingura is a narrative of those in lower positions rising up against those in power over them, suggesting a similar meaning within the household objects’ attack on Minamoto no Raiko.