Mizuno Toshikata

In this scene from the Chinese novel Water Margin (Shuihuzhuan; J., Suikoden), Lin Zhong fights Yang Zhi at Liangshan. This battle determines that these two righteous outlaws will eventually join the renegade band that hides out at Liang Mountain, visible on the right in the far distance. Both warriors are identified by their nicknames as well as their given names: “Blue-Faced Beast” Yang Zhi is on the left and “Panther-Headed” Lin Zhong on the right.

Yang Zhi (“Blue-Faced Beast”) and Lin Chong (“Panther Head”) are two of the heroes of the Chinese novel Water Margin (Shuihuzhuan), a tale of righteous outlaws who fight against injustice. This encounter is critical in determining that both of these great warriors will eventually join the outlaw band that hides out at Liang Mountain, on the right in this depiction.