Moon of the Enemy’s Lair, no. 42 from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon

Yamato Takeru no Mikoto, or Prince Ōsu 小碓命, was a semi-legendary figure of the 1st century AD who appears in Japan’s most ancient historical texts, the Kojiki 古事記 and the Nihon Shoki 日本書紀, compiled in the 8th century. Prince Ōsu was sent by his father to suppress a rebellion. In the scene represented here, the prince, disguised in women’s clothing, is seen sneaking into the rebels’ camp at night in order to kill the two brothers who were leading the uprising. The moon appears in the upper left, illuminating the treetops below.