Legendary Creatures: A Look at Mythology in Ukiyo-e Art

Warriors or samurai are ubiquitous in Japanese culture today. Images of samurai are present in anime, Japanese movies, and books to this day. The story is no different in the Ukiyo-e art of the Edo period. Stories of legendary warriors have been around since the tenth century in Japan; like ghost tales, they feature heavily in Japanese culture, including in Kabuki theater, puppet plays, and in Ukiyo-e art. Prints of these warriors were often sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, or in books of Ukiyo-e prints.

Because of the Tokugawa government’s authoritative rule over Japan, and the relatively peaceful moment in Japanese history, samurai were now considered a somewhat redundant group. The retelling of old warrior legends was not just for fun, but out of necessity: the shoguns of the Tokugawa government outlawed the depiction or reporting of any event taking place after 1592, including any mention of the Tokugawa family themselves, and even the publication of calendars.

While many Ukiyo-e artists depicted real warriors of the past, others created art of mythological warriors who battled with evil creatures to protect Japan. In the print “Maple Leaf Viewing,” a warrior is standing midfight with a demon, his hair in the demon’s closed fist. This image was likely a scene from a Kabuki theater performance, judging by the hannya, or mask the demon seems to be wearing.

In another print, “The Warrior Watanabe no Tsuna Fighting the Demon at Rashomon,” a warrior stands on the steps of a temple while a demon tries to remove his helmet, and the warrior tries to escape. This scene was probably not a print depicting a Kabuki play, but instead a depiction of a Japanese story or legend. Both of these images show warriors in precarious situations and fighting demons. Demons were a common way to describe any kind of evil supernatural creature that was a threat to Japan and the Japanese people. In turn, warriors were the people who set out to protect Japan by defeating the demon and bringing peace to Japanese citizens.