Susano’o no Mikoto subduing the dragon Yamata no Orochi. Ink and color on silk. Kawanabe Kyōsai. Japan, 1887, Meiji Era. Detail Crop+Full image. The composition is organized so the viewer focuses first on the brightly colored figure of Susano’o, before noticing the dragon below… [OC] [1080×608]

…Susano’o no Mikoto was the younger brother of the sun goddess Amaterasu Omikami. After his obnoxious behavior had driven his sister to hide in a cave, plunging the world into darkness, Susano’o was banished from the High Celestial Plane to the Izumo region in western Japan. There, he intoxicated and then slew an eight-headed, eight-tailed serpent (‘yamata no orochi’) and rescued Princess Kushinada. In the tail of the serpent he discovered the sword which became one of the three regalia of the Imperial family.

Kyosai appears to have modified the standard version of the story by showing the snake as a dragon coming up out of a raging sea on a storm-swept rocky coast, and by having Susano’o brandish his sword before the monster has been pacified with drink.

Though trained in the academic Kano school, Kyosai was a master of many painting styles, ranging from highly finished ‘serious’ exhibition pieces like this one to wild, satirical sketches dashed off impromptu under the influence of sake.

As usual, my apologies for inaccuracies and mistakes.