The Rape of a Bathing Lady By Raijin the Thunder God
In the Edo period, people believed that when a woman was taking a bath during a thunder storm she would be raped by the demon (oni) Raijin (aka. Kaminari-sama), a god of lightning, thunder and storms (in the Shinto religion and Japanese mythology).
‘Raijin raping a bathing lady‘ (c.1840) by an unknown member of the Utagawa school
Thunder God Raijin
In this arresting and dynamic depiction the thunder god Raijin is molesting and penetrating a bathing lady. She defends herself vigorously grabbing one of his horns. On the ground lay various drums that were used to create thunder. The drums feature the tomoe symbol. The dramatic effect is enhanced by the lighting above them. A superb scene that displays a strong mythical and cultural context.
Click HERE for an interesting article on the womanizer Kiyohito who was punished by Raijin !
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Found other designs with the same theme. In this case the encounter is voluntary. Striking are the heavily-tattooed arms of the woman. It was published circa 1810s and is attributed to Keisai Eisen (1790-1848).
Photograph from woodblockprints.org
Bonus images:
‘Thunder God Raijin falling from the sky‘ (c.1839) from the series ‘Kaidan hyaku bobogatari’ by Keisai Eisen (1790-1848)
‘Raijin making love to a female deity‘ (c.1890) by an anonymous Meiji artist
‘Raijin and Benzaiten (Buddhist Goddess)‘ (c.1870s) by Utagawa school
'The thunder god Raijin (aka. Kaminari-sama) making love to the Buddhist goddess Benzaiten' (c.1826) from the series 'Keichu Ichakurige' by Utagawa Kuninao (1793-1854).
Click HERE for the sensual adventures of the Thunder God Raijin and a corpulent bathing lady