Summoning Monsters: From Jiraiya to Naruto

"The Tale of Jiraiya Goketsu" is an entertainment novel published in serial form from the late Edo through the early Meiji period. The main character "Jiraiya" uses his power to defeat his enemies.

The chivalrous outlaw Jiraiya battles his nemesis Orochimaru using sorcery.

“Senso-Sennin” is the spirit of a toad. Jiraiya receives the gift of sorcery at Mt. Myoko in Echigo Province.

This is Jiraiya’s wife Tsunade. She has supernatural powers and uses “slug sorcery” to battle Orochimaru alongside Jiraiya.

At the feet of Sennin is a toad with a skull in its mouth.

At the feet of Jiraiya, Tsunade’s slug.

At the feet of Tsunade, a snake symbolizing Orochimaru.

The toad is said to be vulnerable to the snake, with the snake vulnerable to the slug, while the slug is vulnerable to the toad.
These are the so-called “Three Binds.”

This triptych painting bluntly expresses the narrative of The Tale of Jiraiya Goketsu. Just like modern manga, we can imagine that it offered great entertainment to the commoners of Edo.