The monk who destroyed what he was meant to protect. Lu Zhishen - Rochishin in Japanese - started as a soldier who killed to protect the innocent, fled to a monastery, shaved his head, took vows, and then proceeded to break every single one. He drank, fought, and caused chaos wherever he went. His nickname "Flowery Monk" came from the elaborate tattoos covering his massive body, ink blooming across skin that was supposed to remain pure. He was a terrible Buddhist and an unstoppable warrior.

Kyosai captures him in one of his most infamous moments - drunk and enraged on Mount Godai, demolishing a guardian statue that was supposed to be sacred. The loose, energetic brushwork shows Rochishin amid the destruction, his muscular form grappling with the massive statue as it breaks apart. This is from Kyosai's 1881 sketch book, where the artist worked without the constraints of finished prints, letting his brush flow freely to capture raw energy and motion. The sketch style makes the violence feel immediate, chaotic - appropriate for a monk so drunk he's tearing down the very symbols of Buddhism.

This scene became legendary because it showed Rochishin at his most destructive and most honest - a man who took vows he never intended to keep, who brought his warrior's rage into a place of peace, who refused to pretend he was anything other than what he was.

Kaoshō Rochishin (花和尚魯智深) hoisting a Guardian statue on Mount Godai, from "Kyosai Manga" (暁斎漫画) 1881.

Kawanabe Kyōsai (河鍋暁斎, 1831-1889)