'The Fury of Monk Raigo' by Kobayashi Kiyochika ca. 1900

'The Fury of Monk Raigo' by Kobayashi Kiyochika ca. 1900. This image is also available on:

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In this print the Buddhist monk Raigo disrupts a fire ritual invoking the protection of the Buddhist deity Acala (known in Japanese as Fudo Myo-o), whose fearsome statue is visible in the top right of the picture, looking on in bemused horror from behind the rising flames. The Emperor Shirakawa had promised to fund a new ordination building for the Mii-dera temple Raigo presided over, should Raigo perform the rituals that would guarantee the conception and safe delivery of a son and heir for the Emperor. Raigo devoted himself to prayer and ritual, and a son was duly born. However, when it came time to fulfil his end of the bargain the Emperor caved to pressure from rival temple Enryaku-ji and reneged on his word. Furious at the betrayal, Raigo stormed into the palace during the fire ritual and proceeded to wreck everything in sight in a fit of rage.

So the legend goes. The story is set in the 11th century, over eight hundred years before this print was created, and the events are considered to be semi-historical at best. It is not even the only version of Raigo's revenge - indeed, perhaps the more widespread (if less likely) tale was that Raigo went on hunger strike and starved himself to death, only for his ghost to return as a giant rat, which led an army of rats to Enryaku-ji and devoured all their sacred scrolls.

However, then again there is at least a degree of historical truth to the tale. Emperor Shirakawa and Raigo were both historical figures. Japan in the 11th century was still ruled directly by the Emperors, and the other important political force in the country was the Buddhist temples. Like European monasteries they were endowed with their own fortified compounds and the farmlands to support them, but unlike their Christian counterparts Japanese Buddhist monasteries maintained their own armies of warrior monks as well, acting almost like feudal lords in their own right. Rivalry and conflict between monasteries was common, as they vied with each other for power and prestige. It could well be that this legend is a record of a real political feud between Raigo's Mii-dera temple and Enryaku-ji, preserved down through the generations in folk memory.

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Classic unisex pullover hoodie with pouch, printed on front, available in five different colors.

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Available colors: black, white, gray, blue, navy blue

- Air jet yarn gives softer feel and reduced pilling
- Double-lined hood with color-matched drawcord
- Tear away label
- Double-needle stitching at shoulder, armhole, neck, waistband and cuffs
- Pouch pocket
- 1 x 1 rib with spandex
- Quarter-turned to eliminate centre crease

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