Japan: Actor Nakamura Utaemon III as the Thunder God Raijin, from the series 'Dance of Nine Changes' (Kyu Henge No Uchi). Utagawa Kunisada (1786-1864), 1815

Utagawa Kunisada (also known as Utagawa Toyokuni III) was the most popular, prolific and financially successful designer of ukiyo-e woodblock prints in 19th-century Japan.

In his own time, his reputation far exceeded that of his contemporaries, Hokusai, Hiroshige and Kuniyoshi.

Raijin is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in the Shinto religion and in Japanese mythology. He is typically depicted as a demonic spirit beating drums to create thunder, usually with a tomoe symbol drawn on the drums.

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