"Susano-o no Mikoto, Shinto's Mythical Ruler of the Tides"

A depiction of Susano-o no Mikoto, the Shinto deity of storms, seas, and the underworld, whose myths appear in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as some of the most dramatically eventful in the Japanese pantheon. Gekko shows Susano-o in a display of divine power appropriate to his dominion over the tides and tempests—possibly in the moment of his famous expulsion from the heavens, or wielding his sword Totsuka no Tsurugi against the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi. The composition likely employs vigorous diagonal movement, churning water or storm clouds rendered through energetic line work and dense pigment applications, with Susano-o's figure large and forceful at the center. Meiji-era interest in Shinto mythology intensified following the Meiji Restoration's elevation of State Shinto, giving mythological subjects new cultural currency. Gekko's treatment draws on both the dramatic conventions of [musha-e](/glossary/musha-e) warrior prints and the atmospheric landscape tradition to convey divine scale.