Shinten-o vanquishes a white monkey on the Kiso Mountain during the Yowa period (1181-1182)
The Shiten-o (meaning the 'four guardians of heaven') was a name also applied to the four principal retainers of nobles and generals.
The story represented is Kiso Yoshinaka (1154-84) and his retainers killing a white monkey on Kiso Mountain. Yoshinaka, a samurai-warrior of the Genji clan and dressed in official court robes, is standing in the background in the left panel. He is supervising his retainers who are preparing to attack the giant white monkey (with embossed fur) in its den. The white monkey turns snarling from its prey, a fox. Nearby are bones and a human skull. The incident is taking place at night in an eccentric landscape.
