Itsumade (illustrated by Max Rugers)

In Dream Hunters, the young Monk enters The Dreaming in hopes of finding a way to revive the Fox sleeping in his small monastery.

Itsumade is the guardian at the gates of The Dreaming.

When the Monk approaches Itsumade asks who he is and why he has entered the Dreaming. The Monk shows him the parchment he received from Binzaru Harada and Itsumade allowed him to pass into The Dreaming.

Itsumade appears in Dream Hunters on page 90, 92-94 and in the P. Craig Russell version of Dream Hunters in issue # 3 on pages 12 and 13.

Itsumade is a kaicho (of strange bird). They appear in the sky during plagues, disasters or battlefields where people have died. Itsumade first appeared in Taiheiki, which is a fictional history of Japan written in the 14th century. Itsumade have the face of a human with a large beak, the body of a snake and the wings of a bird.

In Sandman, the Itsumade has two distinct versions. In the Amano version of Dream Hunters, he resembles a dragon with feathery wing like a colorful bird. In The P. Craig Russell version he looks like a golden dragon.

Max did an awesome job with this portrait. His interpretation resembles that of a wolf with long wispy whiskers and large colorful wings. Max seems to have blended both the Amano and the P. Craig Russell version of the Itsumade into one portrait, which is pretty neat. I really like this portrait from Max. I hope you do as well.