Hi everyone!
Hanyuu is a huge topic I’ve thought about for so long, many years in my mind’s brew. At first, her character’s origins completely confused me and the tale of Oyashiro-sama something completely off hand.
However, now armed with knowledge and studies of Shinto, I was surprised she is an incredibly nuanced character with a lot of references to local worship traditions, and oni kami traditions.
Even for the average Japanese person, her character wouldn’t be readily understandable in the spiritual or folkloric sense, especially because the connections I found are very local folk traditions and not at all mainstream Jinja (presently modernized and organized, post 1868, Meiji era) Shinto.
I really like @Ebola’s theory of her as a virus, too. It makes me think of how Ryukishi is always going between either a more spiritual/magical approach or a cold hard physical approach.
Especially as this idea was explored more deeply and a major theme of Umineko. I’m personally on the perspective he writes both these stories with both themes - (with Takano and Hifumi exposing the scientific/viral nature of Hinamizawa Syndrome and Hanyuu, and Rika being on the spiritual side of Hanyuu as kami) as so to as if to say, there’s truth in both, it’s not one or the either, black or white; depending on one’s understanding, both can come to be true.
As far as the alien theme, I don’t know where exactly it may have come from, but I noticed a lot of similarity in theming with “Signs” (by M. Night Shyamalan, released in 2002) and some themes of Higurashi - especially how the aliens in that movie were more like spiritual beings, and the dilemma between religion (though in that case Christianity) and aliens, and the power of not giving up hope. (Before anyone is wondering why an American movie though, for context, American Hollywood movies are really popular here in Japan, even playing in theatres with subtitles, and on evening Television)
Ryukishi probably wrote with both physical/scientific and spiritual in mind. For Hanyuu to seem like a symbol of the virus/parasites itself, aliens, especially with how it’s written in Kamikanshi-hen, divorcing her from spiritual connections and alluding to a more virus one.
But he also brings her deity connection back around in Kamikanshi-hen with the character Tamurahime no Mikoto (I was surprised Ryukishi used a full kami’s name directly, instead of a character with inspirations, like Hanyuu.
Tamurahime no Mikoto is a real kami actually enshrined at the Ise Shrine (Most highest ranked shrine in Japan and in Jinja Shinto) networks, so Tamurahime no Mikoto’s words to being a noble kami hold weight!
Her love of harvest/rice also comes from the fact she is a harvest kami of rice paddies). So I think really he’s doing a mix of both. However it seems in the theme of Kamikanshi-hen that deities and kami are looked at a bit in the sci-fi sense, so it could be a biased theme.
As I understand it, mileage on Kamikanshi-hen and Outbreak/Kaku may vary, so I’ll focus mainly on the original arcs and story, (From Question Arcs to Answer Arcs).
I won’t touch on how (Umineko spoilers) Featherine Augustus Aurora, as the witch/creator herself, not so much Ikuko Hachijo adds to her character, since I will just focus on Hanyuu for now. But she also is tied into this, but for the sake of length I will try to keep it as short as possible!
For the record before we start, my own personal opinion: I don’t know if Ryukishi really drew inspiration from these places and local faiths, or if it was other staff members or people who worked with him on Higurashi. If I remember correctly part of Hanyuu’s design and attributes can be from ZUN (creator of Touhou Project, who is well versed in local /folk Shinto lore, could have also said some of these tales).
As well, there are distinct/unique aspects, such as “Feather” being a symbol of her, and that no one can enter or leave Hinamizawa are not part of kami lore, or any Shinto reference or traditions. (Well, at most, maybe the realm of Yomi, but it’s a vague connection). That is more a part of general Japanese horror, which we all know Ryukishi is well versed in as well with Higanbana and recently, Hotarubi.
I think Hanyuu herself, and Hinamizawa as a whole, is drawn from a plethora of inspirations, tales, folklore, stories, theories, and so on, that Ryukishi has brilliantly woven into his own original work and character, and village.
I don’t write this to say Ryukishi stole or was even taking/bastardizing from these faiths or folklore because he wasn’t at all - Hanyuu, Hinamizawa syndrome, Hinamizawa itself, Furude family and shrine, it’s all as unique and an incredibly interesting world as it gets. As well, I respect he made it unique and was respectful to the local faiths, to not just turn the local lore into his own story.
So please don’t take this the wrong way! I just wanted to share some things I noted and learned and was surprised to find myself - so please read freely! And of course, I really want to hear your theories and opinions too!
With that introduction, I will talk about this quite generally as I can go on forever in the form of a full essay! But I will focus about Hanyuu in the Shinto context.
It will go as follows, for reference sake!
- What is “kami” in the context of Shinto, it’s more nuanced than deity - Hanyuu as a mitama no kami and ujigami of Hinamizawa
1a. Name of Oyashiro-sama
1b. Statue of Oyashiro-sama and it’s Buddhist look
- Hanyuu’s character inspired by an amalgamation of oni kami folklore: Korean peninsula “oni”
2a. “Ushitora”, Demon’s Gate, connection to Oni and Ainu: possible reference for Hanyuu’s name
2b. Oni Jinja and Onizawa Village, in Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku region
2c. Oni kami in Okayama prefecture: Kibitsu Jinja and Ki no Jou (Inspiration for Hairyuun’s outfit before she came to wear her usual miko-style outfit)
2d. Oni kami in Okayama prefecture: Ushitora no Konjin, Seven Killings of Konjin, and Tenchi Kane no Kami
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Other Oni Kami
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Theory about why Shirakawa Go and any connection with Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine to Hanyuu?
Each numbered area may be as short as a few sentences. But if you want to skip to a topic, you can do so via the numbers! It makes for a more comfortable read. Since I can’t summarize this too concretely, I figured it would be the best way to digest the whole content if you so choose to read!
- What is “kami” in the context of Shinto, it’s more nuanced than deity - Hanyuu as a mitama no kami and ujigami of Hinamizawa
So “Kami” first and foremost is where we have to start. “Kami” is often mistranslated as “god” or “gods” but, truly “god” or “deity” does not encompass what a kami is entirely.
Kami is a spirit or soul that is to be respected and revered - which often, but not always leads to worship.
Kami is to be revered and respected, and can be understood as deities; but also, spirits or souls of people who have passed away (specifically they are called mitama no kami), spirits or souls of nature and natural bodies (often aligning to an understanding of deity in the Western sense, in Shinto), souls of animals who have passed away, youkai (kind of supernatural spirits with powers) and so on.
Hanyuu, in this sense, would be considered less like a youkai kami (though she has connection to, and even is an oni/demon, this is the one being that is very nuanced in Japan; unlike tengu, for example, famous youkai kami.)
She could be considered one though, as well, but in the story itself, she is written more like a mitama no kami, or an ancestral kami of the Furude family. This doesn’t mean she is a “lesser” kami than a “deity” kami, because in Shinto, mitama no kami /ancestral kami are the same as “deity” kami, and same power. It is not like the Western concept, or even other Eastern faiths concept of deity.
For example, a famous kami, Tenjin-sama, was once a living human, and is worshipped the same as ancient, more deity-like (in a Western sense) kami, such as Susanoo no Mikoto, for example. In fact, “deity” kami often are said to have living descendants too, such as Ame no Uzume being an ancestor/ originator of the Sarume clan. Hanyuu would be like an ancestor of the Furude clan.
As well, because the Furude family (Hanyuu and Riku) founded the start of Hinamizawa (mixing of oni and human blood), Hanyuu is also considered an “ujigami” or “clan kami” of the region/town of Hinamizawa.
Ujigami, and Ujiko (clan child) was the original Shinto worship before Shinto was organized in 1868 by the Meiji government. This relationship was, and is even now in modern times, so critical to the community, especially rural towns similar to Hinamizawa with no other religious buildings than the ujigami shrine. (even in modern times).
The ujigami and their shrine was everything to a community. People relied on the ujigami for everything, rather than an outside god. For all life events, holidays, and even funerals, people would go to the ujigami shrine.
Even politics, meetings of the village headman and so on, were held at the ujigami shrine. The ujigami was intricately connected with the lives of the ujiko; this is where I see a lot of the inspiration to the importance of Furude Jinja to the lives of those in Hinamizawa - even if the virus was not written into Higurashi, their devotion to the shrine and Oyashiro-sama is not unusual.
So, from a Shinto perspective and understanding, Hanyuu is both a mitama no kami (ancestral spirit) of the Furude family, and an ujigami (clan kami) of Hinamizawa and the people. She would be worshipped like any other kami in a shrine, as we can see with the traditional offerings and so on.
1a. Name of Oyashiro-sama
The Higurashi community has touched on this point already, but Oyashiro お社 of course is the Shinto word for a kind of smaller, local, very tied to the land, shrine. It is actually with an honorific. “Yashiro” 社 is the kanji representing worship on the land/earth itself, and “O” お (hiragana), 御 (kanji) is a prefix for something sacred/divine - alluding that it is towards a kami mainly, not a building. If it was just the building, 社 (Yashiro) is used. (Same as in 神社, Jinja, Shrine)
お社 is the common way to spell, “O” not being specified. 御社 is the formal word, with the “go/o” prefix meaning sacred/divine. (If it was 大, (Oo, Dai) meaning “great”, it would be a longer “oo” sound, written as おおやしろ (Ooyashiro) rather than おやしろ (Oyashiro))
(Funnily enough, Oyashiro can also be read with a play on words as “Oya” (Parent, 親) and “Shiro” (Generation), or maybe the “Shiro” for the kanji for a local lord’s castle. - An image of the parental kami, Hanyuu, watching her generation from her “castle”? This is pure wordplay for fun though and has no real grounding.)
It didn’t make much sense to me initially, but actually in Shinto people of the local area tend to call the kami not by their names, but by their shrine name. For example, saying “O Ise-san” or “O Ise-sama”, for Amaterasu Omikami at, and her main shrine, Ise Grand Shrine (Ise Kotaijinguu).
However instead of saying “Furude-sama” or “Furude-san”, they most likely say “Oyashiro-sama”, both “sama” for respect, and “Oyashiro” to avoid confusion with actual members of the Furude family.
A shrine named after a family name is also common in Shinto, such as Tsugawa Shrine in Osaka is run by the Tsugawa family. In this case as well, the kami is not referred to by the shorthand name by using the shrine’s name.
However, admittedly, saying “Oyashiro” in lieu of it is not common, and again shows the rural/folk nature of Hinamizawa. It’s implying it’s the only important shrine in the region
1b. The statue of Oyashiro-sama and it’s Buddhist look
In Shinto, we don’t use statues for worship, but we clearly see Oyashiro-sama has a quite Buddhist-looking statue in the shrine and also Saiguden.
Note: Saigu-den, ritual tool (Saigu) rear building (den). Ritual tool rooms are also normally considered sacred in Shinto. It’s not a quirk of Hinamizawa, though the taboo surrounding entering it at the level of severity is unique (and of course holding torture tools! ;; ) However, it is true that only priests or miko can enter the ritual tool area of a shrine. It is where ritual tools such as sanbo (offering trays), tables, shimenawa, shide, and so on, are stored. It is sacred because it is not ours (human’s) items, but kami’s items and belongings, so we can’t treat them roughly.
So, why is this statue present if it’s not commonly used in Shinto worship?
Well, this relates prior to the organization of Shinto with the Meiji era in 1868.
With this organization, Shinto and Buddhism split very strictly, even by law.
So any practices mingling with, or from Buddhism, was abolished and told to be taken down.
Very few remnants remain, and these are often in rural areas (such as how Hinamizawa is)!
When Buddhism arrived way before in Japan in the Asuka period, it’s influence spread across the country. Buddhism didn’t overtake entirely or usurp Shinto. Shinto was still Shinto, and Buddhism was still Buddhism. But, some practices mixed, and this mixing was called “Shinbutsu Shugo” - mixing of kami and buddhas.
Some shrines, while retaining their Shinto rituals, would adopt Buddhist aesthetics, such as creating humanoid artwork or statues of kami to place in the shrine. All the scrolls and paintings we see of kami are actually from Buddhist influence, because before then kami were not represented as humanoid.
It shows that Furude Jinja has been around a long time - even from Shinbutsu Shugo era, just this little detail I appreciated so much from Ryukishi. It may also tie in to a possible inspirations, as a lot of the local lore is pre-Meiji.
There’s also a nice detail in that, in Higurashi, after WWII worship of Oyashiro-sama declined. This reflects the time of real world impact on Shinto worship, since the Emperor renouncing his divinity and the power of kami seemed to be false among the height of war. (However, as Shinto way and kami were manipulated for political reasons in the Meiji era til WWII, of course the government and war in their name would not have their blessing.)
In Higurashi, that worship came back more during the dam war, also shows that detail of the power of the ujigami-ujiko relationship, and Hanyuu’s connection as an ujigami, community kami.
- Hanyuu’s character inspired by an amalgamation of oni folklore: Korean peninsula “oni”
So her being an oni is actually not so fantastical from a Shinto perspective, or even Japanese historical perspective.
Some “oni” as described in tales, were actually historically foreigners from the Korean peninsula. Immigration from Korea was common around the time these tales came up.
As we know by Hanyuu’s divine sword (as well being the sword of her clan), is an exact image of the seven branched sword of Korea, that was imported to Japan as a gift from a king of Baekje to the ruler of the Yamato Kingdom (ancestor of present Japanese Emperor).
The sword was also ceremonial, and currently enshrined at Isonokami Jinja in Nara, not open to be seen by the public. It is a symbol, and indeed has an inscription it is a symbol of the ancient relation between Korea and Japan.
Considering Hanyuu said she often went back to “the continent”, alluding to Korea, or even China, to speak with her fellow “oni” - this is not, I believe given the context and connection, simply an aesthetic choice.
Calling Koreans “oni” was pretty derogatory, and the true reason sometimes Korean immigrants (not all though - the Hata clan of Korea being a famous example of accepted as nobility in Japan) were considered as such is unknown, but it is part of lore.
2a. “Ushitora”, Demon’s Gate, connection to Oni and Ainu: possible reference for Hanyuu’s name
So, Hanyuu’s original close to Ainu-sounding name (Hai-ryuun Ieasomuuru Jeda) has the meaning of coming from, and her being the leader of a tribe of oni.
If oni are seen as more Korean immigrants in the classical context - why the Ainu-sounding name?
If you ever played the video game Okami…(Spoilers for the game) About the Ainu based characters in the game, the Oina. Their land was a source of where all the demon’s came from, since the Ark of Yamato crashed there. Why did demon’s again, associated with Ainu?
The Ainu typically live in the Northeast direction and region of Japan. (Hokkaido area, close to Russia)
In traditional Japanese thinking (from Onmyoudou, influenced from Taoism), Northeast is called the “Demon’s Gate”, where all oni come from - and how Oni get their typical grotesque appearence.
In Onmyoudou and Taoism, the 8 directions are arranged among the 12 animals zodiac wheel. North West is between the Ox and Tiger - hence the oni’s large, muscular, hairy appearence - horns like an ox, and penchant for wearing tiger’s skin.
It’s not to say Ainu are oni as well, but simply the area where they live is said to be associated with Ushitora, or the “Demon’s Gate”
Fear of Ushitora and the fear was huge from the Heian era to end of Edo era. People would even build shrines facing the Northeast to protect them from oni. Fear of oni was so big, that’s even where the holiday of Setsubun (chasing oni out at New Years) comes from. (I remember how it was funny how Kimiyoshi Natsumi noted her family didn’t celebrate Setsubun in Hinamizawa, alluding to Hanyuu’s oni origins)
More on Ushitora later on, but this is one connection I can find to Hanyuu’s original name being more Ainu-like…as well…
2b. Oni Jinja and Onizawa Village, in Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku region
So in Tohoku prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, there is a shrine called “Oni Jinja”, in Onizawa village (Onizawa meaning “Oni river” - verry similar to Onigafuchi) at this shrine there is various farming tools, hung around the entrance and in the haiden (sacred worship hall). That look strikingly similar to how Saiguden was depicted
Image source
The lore of the area is quite similar to Hanyuu’s story too, it is said,
“Oni Shrine of Onizawa (Oni river) village. It is said in ancient times, during a drought, there was an oni who came down from the local mountain, saying, “Let me help you with this drought,” and with his knowledge and strength, made a canal in the village, and taught the people techniques of agriculture, and using the canal for their benefit. The people followed his instructions and thrived. He left them his farming tools, and head back to the mountain. In thanks to the oni, the villagers made a shrine in his honor, “Oni Jinja” and renamed the village “Onizawa” (Oni River) from the waterway that the oni made.”
They say the farming tools are now enshrined in the shrine, and the ones outdoors are the same type of tools of his that belonged to the people, dedicated to the shrine and his spirit.
It is similar, and an example of “oni turned deity/kami”, but just onee draw of inspiration from the Hanyuu puzzle!
Especially how many of the torture tools in Saiguden tends to resemble old rusted farming tools, this felt like a big inspiration from Ryukishi to me.
Being this is in Tohoku /Northern region as well, again, could be another source/factor of Hanyuu’s Ainu-sounding native name. (Her clothing as this identity though, is more reminiscent of Korean peninsula “oni” lore, more on that when we get to Okayama next!
2c. Oni kami in Okayama prefecture: Kibitsu Jinja and Ki no Jou (Inspiration for Hairyuun’s outfit before she came to wear her usual miko-style outfit)
So in terms of Okayama prefecture, we have two major inspirations. The first one is Kibitsu Jinja and Ki no Jo (Ki Castle, Castle of Oni). The second one is about Ushitora no Konjin. Surprisingly, both of these stories are native to the core (south central) area of Okayama.
For Kibitsu Jinja and Ki no Jo, the two are connected by one story. This story actually served the inspiration for the famous fairytale, Momotaro. (Peaches are a symbol of Okayama)
The tale goes as follows, in summary:
In ancient times, in the land of Kibi (present day Okayama Prefecture), the people were terrorized by an Oni King, Ura, who had moved into the land. He was a terrifying King, and the people turned to the prince of Kibi, Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto, for help.
Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto, gathering three of his trusted allies, one as loyal as a dog, one as clever as a monkey, and one as agile as a pheasant, joined him. They fought long and difficultly with Ura, at Ki no Jo - his castle atop a mountain.
Once Ura was defeated by an arrow, Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto cut off his head, and brought it back to the people in his kingdom to show he was defeated. He put Ura’s head through a stake as a symbol of peace in the kingdom.
People cheered in joy, but as the days went on, Ura’s head would still groan. Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto learned in a dream vision, Ura was not a true oni, but a prince of Korea, who had wished to live with the people of Kibi peacefully. He was sorry if his appearence or customs were frightening to the people, and asked Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto to show him mercy.
As such, Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto apologized, and buried Ura’s head below a sacred rice cauldron. The fire lit from that time after Ura’s head was buried is said to be the same flame lit to this very day.
After Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto’s passing, a grand shrine to Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto, and Ura, Kibitsuhiko Jinja, was built around the cauldron and his old palace grounds. There is a shrine to Ura in the main worship hall, and Kibitsuhiko no Mikoto is now enshrined as a protector and gaurdian of Okayama prefecture.
While the tale is not so much related to Hanyuu, aside from the Korean-oni connection, let’s look at Ki no Jo, well, just the gate that is left, itself:
Image source
Historically, it’s said it was built by the Yamato tribe to resemble Korean-style fortresses, but the designs on the top ridges of the gate are quite unique. They’re a mix of both Yamato design and also Korean design
When I visited this gate in person 2 years ago, I couldn’t help but notice…the designs are strikingly similar to:
Source: Higurashi wiki
Hanyuu’s original outfit. Which always confused me, since the design didn’t match traditional Korean or Ainu clothing. But with this, I think this is where that design most likely came from, and again, there is the oni connection here.
2d. Oni kami in Okayama prefecture: Ushitora no Konjin, and Seven Killings of Konjin.
Connection with Tenchi Kane no Kami
Now this section is one deeply personal to me, since this is the kami I am a priestess of. But I actually knew Higurashi before this kami’s faith (Just from 6 years ago I began to practice faith in this kami, comparing with the 6 prior years before that, I knew Higurashi) - so when I saw the similarities, I was extremely shocked! It’s what made me want to understand Hanyuu’s inspirations and origins mainly, and appreciated her as a character so much more.
So in about the late Edo era, as mentioned before, fear of Ushitora (Demon’s Gate) was strong. The kami known as Konjin (Metal-Kami) was feared. He was said to be an oni that traveled around each gate, but when he was present in the “Demon’s Gate”, he was known as Ushitora no Konjin, Konjin of the Demon’s Gate
The story goes as follows,
In the Bitchu province (same as Kibitsu Jinja) there was a small village. The local lore of this village was that if you offended Konjin while he was in the Ushitora direction, he would curse you with the “Seven Killings of Konjin”, a divine curse. (tatari) This curse was said to kill 7 family members, including the head of the family, if an irreverence was committed knowingly.
If it was committed unknowingly, 7 family members or livestock would die (Farming was very important around the area of the Seven Killings of Konjin was spread, so losing an oxen or cattle was devastation and often led to deaths of other family members, from poverty that resulted.)
One such person in the village, fearful of this curse on his unlucky birth year (Yakudoshi in Shinto), went to Kibitsu Jinja to do a divination ceremony (which involves the cauldron where Ura’s head is buried under, the oni connection again). He believed he had good luck, but when he got home, he came down with a serious, life-threatening throat ailment, which caused him unable to speak and his throat itchy (*not sure if this is also an inspiration for Hinamizawa syndrome)
Shamans, priests, and doctors were called to help him, but none could realize what had happened. His brother, a priest, became possessed by the kami of Ishizuchi, and spoke that he had done an offense to not trust Ushitora no Konjin, and do the divination ceremony out of fear.
He apologized sincerely to Konjin, and then began a small shrine for him. Over time, he realized that the “Konjin” he feared was not a violent, bloodthirsty, vengeful kami. But that the original deity who called out to him was a deity that wanted to help people from their suffering, called Tenchi Kane no Kami.
Through an oracle, it was realized Tenchi Kane no Kami wanted to help people via listening to their issues and problems, and to help resolve them by directly communicating to the deity. This practice became known as a sacred rite in the faith of Tenchi Kane no Kami, called Toritsugi mediation.
I noticed not only the vengeful deity to realizing benevolent kami aspect was there, but also that the way to help people was through listening to them and that Tenchi Kane no Kami taught people to, essentially, not keep things bottled inside, and trust kami and friends (a main core theme of Higurashi)
As well, the sacred mountain of the present-day village is called “Yuzaki yama”, or “Cotton mountain”, due to the cotton plants that grow on the mountain - I wonder if this is a connection to “Watanagashi”?
As well, Setsubun is not celebrated traditionally, rather, oni are invited in to share in tea and find common ground and peace. This is due to the connection to Konjin, and the Bitchu area influence of Ura and Kibitsu Jinja.
I also noted that, when Rika explains the mysterious deaths to Akasaka, she starts with the dam manager, Satoko’s parents, her own parents, Satoko’s aunt, then finally, as the 7th death, her own. I don’t know if it was written on purpose as such, and indeed in the official curses of Oyashiro-sama, there is more than 7. But that scene struck me as interesting when I think about this possible connection.
The faith also originated in the Shinbutsu Shugo era as well, so it would match with the timeline of the inclusion of Oyashiro-sama’s statue, so it makes me wonder.
The village in the present day is very small, like Shirakawa Go, and also has an overlook point. I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but these connections are striking to me.
I would say, if Ushitora no Konjin is like Oyashiro-sama, then Tenchi Kane no Kami is like Hanyuu (gender is not male/more feminine, and both a serious but also cheeky/silly kami)
As well, the core belief in the faith of this kami that miracles and wishes are granted not by kami alone, but by believing in them ourselves - the saying is “Okage wa waga kokoro ni ari” - “Divine blessings are born within our own hearts” - and the concept of Aiyo Kakeyo, that kami needs our help and relies on us, just as much as we need kami’s help and rely on them. Especially looking back in the Answer arcs, I saw this connection strongly. It’s not a common concept in mainstream Jinja Shinto, along with the other connections, it made me really wonder.
- Other Oni Kami
There are a few other oni kami in Japan, such as Fuujin-sama as well (Kami of wind), but these are the ones I found more of a connection to Hanyuu! This section is quite short, but essentially the oni kami with connections would be: the oni of Oni Jinja, Ura-sama,and Ushitora no Konjin-sama (Tenchi Kane no Kami isn’t an oni, though)
- Theory about why Shirakawa Go and any connection with Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine to Hanyuu?
So as we know, Hinamizawa design wise is based off Shirakawa Go, and it’s a very beautiful village! I can imagine Ryukishi most likely visited here and loved the atmosphere, and wanted to set his story there.
The main shrine in Shirakawa Go, is a Hachiman shrine, called Shirakawa Hachimangu. I originally did so much research here, because I figured Ryukishi would clearly base off Hanyuu of the deity here.
However, I was a little dissapointed!
Hachiman Okami-sama is actually a composite deity, of Empress Jingu, Emperor Ojin, and Seoritsuhime no Kami. They are a kami of war, which can also be an allusion to Oyashiro-sama’s violent nature, but actually Hachiman Okami-sama is a kami of more tactical war, and safety on the battlefield. And of course, Hachiman Okami-sama has no legends of tatari, or divine curse.
As well, while there is feminine Hachiman kami, Shirakawa Hachimangu only enshrines Emperor Ojin, the only male Hachiman kami. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any connection to Hanyuu at the Shirakawa Go shrine itself ;;
Though, of course I’d love to make a group pilgrimage someday! And the Higurashi ema make me so happy to see!
Phew, so that was a long long post. I’m not sure how to cut so I apologize for this length, but I figured a long post would be better than putting in parts!
Let me know what you think and any comments or questions, I’ll be happy to help explain more. I hope I explained to the best I could, but I understand I may be leaving out some things.
if there is an opportunity to discuss, I’d love to in both the bookclub and even podcast as well 