“Today, with high-end games being produced in different countries, this work takes the culture and art of a theme unique to Japan and reintroduces it into the world through a video game.”

Japan Media Arts Festival, 2020

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a unique project for Hidetaka Miyazaki. We don’t even take into account the gameplay, which for the first time in the history of souls removed stamina, forced you to play from parrying and was as sharp as the first association that came to your mind. For the first time, the game design was based on the setting native to the developers, and did not cross Gothic, Middle Ages, Lovecraft and “Berserk” . Okay, there are references to the manga, but very few, but the setting follows Japanese traditions. No mixing of cultures, as will later happen in Elden Ring, which I wrote about in a recent blog. Only sakura, only pagodas and only “tron” on the Japanese violin (Shamisen).

This gives me the feeling that this is Miyazaki’s most personal project, into which he poured his love for his homeland. This is not the first time that developers have popularized traditional Japan through video games. Later, sales of Ghost of Tsushima raised funds for the restoration of one of the landmarks of the island of Tsushima – the Watariumi-jinja torii gate, a shrine in the sea. This traditional red gate, known as a torii, is considered a symbolic portal between the material and spiritual worlds in Japanese culture and plays a significant role in Shintoism.

For the first time, the story was based on real historical events – the civil war during the Sengoku era. And we had a clear plot. The characters could still speak in incomprehensible formulations, but this was not due to abstruseness and grandiloquence, but to national characteristics.

And the elaboration of the historical setting is amazing. If you have not been interested in this part of world history before, you are unlikely to find any familiar events or names, but if you start studying, it turns out that the Ashina clan had a real prototype, the red samurai are soldiers of the Ministry who were in real life, and also that almost every mini-boss commander has a real historical prototype.

Works in which Sekiro I’m dissecting in a historical context, there is plenty even on the Russian-language Internet. Even this site has two great blogs:

Therefore, I will not dwell on the historical context.

Today, the mythological context of the game is more interesting to me. What creatures migrated from Japanese and Chinese folklore? Who served as the prototype for the creation of this or that boss?? And how Sekiro refers to the culture and traditions of Japan. This is what this blog will be about. Happy reading. Let’s start with demons and spirits.

Japanese folklore

Centipedes

Centipedes in Sekiro – the result of the action of the waters of the Divine Dragon, bestowing immortality. They live in the Eternal Monks. Oh, how long I tried to understand why I couldn’t kill this mob until I read on Wiki that this can only be done with a blade, which I haven’t received yet.

These monstrous Centipedes have a real-life basis: the mukade, or giant poisonous centipede, native to Japan. As with all mythical insects, there are many stories of giant variants. While real-life centipedes grow to a maximum of twenty centimeters, their mythical youkai cousins, known as Yomukade (大百足, おおむかで), rumored to be capable of growing to titanic sizes, and older individuals wrap themselves around mountain ranges and scare away even dragons. You can see such a monster in anime “Onimusha”.

A similar centipede also lives in the Guardian Monkey boss. To defeat him, you need to remove the insect from the monkey’s neck. Visually, this is very similar to the parasites that lived in the infected in the series Resident Evil.

The mini-boss Centipede-long-armed Giraffe and his brother Sengyun also refer to the centipede. And although there are no centipedes in them, and they got their name because of the “legs” on the armor, they are very similar to Ashinaga-tenaga (足長手長) – a youkai whose name literally translates to “Long Legs, Long Arms”

Great Serpent

In Japanese mythology, snakes have almost the same meaning as dragons, which means they are semi-divine. IN Sekiro there are two huge snakes that look so epic that they can drive an unprepared player into panic. Let me remind you that when you first start the game, at first your enemies are rural samurai, and then FUCK and a snake the size of a bus, and not a decoration, but a hostile reptile. Giant snakes resemble yokai Uwabami (蟒蛇, うわばみ), personifying the cycle of life and eternal youth, which are the main theme of the game.

But those who are especially attentive know that in fact there is only one snake, it’s just two-headed. This can be seen in the valley under the bridge at the moment when the snake crawls away.

The roots of a snake with two heads can be found in ancient Greek mythology and this creature is called Amphisbaena. It is also mentioned in ancient Roman and medieval European mythologies.

Divine Dragon

A long, snake-like dragon appeared in China thousands of years ago. One of the four auspicious guardians or gods (along with the phoenix, tiger and turtle). It is believed that the divine dragon Sekiro not only came to Japan from the West, but also has a clear association with spring, as it is associated with cherry blossoms. There is even a theory that the dragon is the Everblooming – a fictional tree that always blooms, which means it is immortal.

Dragons are also associated https://noverificationcasinos.co.uk/review/extreme-spins-casino/ with the element of water (unlike Western ones, which breathe fire). Therefore, it is only logical that the Divine Dragon is located on top of the submerged Origin Palace and is the source of the rejuvenating waters that flow down from its heavenly place. As is often the case in From Software’s work, the traditional dragon, powerful and divine, is inverted and shown as sick and corrupt.

dragon from Sekiro can be compared with Kuraokami (闇龗) – the legendary Japanese dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow. They are similar not only visually, but also spontaneously.

The sword with which the Dragon fights is also noteworthy. The shape of the sword clearly refers to the national treasure of Japan – the Seven-Pronged Sword.

Great Carp

Remember Magikarp from Pokemon?? So, he grew up and swam away to Sekiro. Koi (鯉) are a symbol of prosperity and good luck in Japan. Their golden scales can be used as in-game currency to purchase items from two NPCs. They may tell you about the Great Carp living in the palace and ask you to destroy it so that one of them can reincarnate and take its place.

Giant fish are no strangers to Japanese myths. Onamazu (大鯰) – a giant catfish whose strikes are said to cause earthquakes. Benkei also fought with the big carp – a popular figure for adaptation, appearing in everything from Kabuki plays to films, manga and anime.

Tengu

Tengu (天狗) from Ashina – a character whose name comes from the red, long-nosed mask he wears. Powerful, god-like demons, tengu – this is something like our devil. The creature settles away from people, most often in trees. Tengu fools travelers. Previously it was depicted as a winged fox dog. Over time, this creature began to be depicted as more human. Its long beak evolved into the elongated nose we see today. The character’s image is quite popular, it can also be seen in the popular anime “Demon Slasher”

Tengu are believed to be excellent martial artists, and the impressive warrior from Sekiro owns two scriptures that teach shinobi various fighting techniques. Buddhists also consider these creatures to be harbingers of war, which is more than relevant for Sekiro, when will you find out the true essence of Tengu.

The painting depicts Tengu and rats, which is quite funny, considering that in the game he gives a quest to kill “rats”, which also have a prototype.

Short Killers

“Rats” is a type of mob “Short Killers”. Small, but very annoying warriors in impenetrable hats, which, if gathered together, become a very formidable opponent. In their arsenal: poisonous darts, quick blows and a grab with which they break the back of the main character. After these dwarfs jump on your back, you can only watch with sadness. Yokai also use grappling tactics Konaki-diji (子泣き爺). They look like a small child or even a baby, but with the face of an old man. True, it is always prudently positioned in such a way that it can be seen only when it’s too late. Just like our “rats”. Travelers, seeing an abandoned child, take him in their arms to calm him down. As soon as the konaki-diji is lifted off the ground, it suddenly acquires additional mass (a couple of hundred kilos), and firmly slams the person into the ground.

Headless – Nukekubi

One of the most disgusting mini-bosses for an unprepared player – the headless one can be killed only with the help of divine confetti – a rare resource that is not lying around on every corner. And although in Japanese mythology there is no demon that looks like a headless sumo wrestler with a huge sword at the ready, headless youkai are present. One of them is Nukekubi (抜首). This youkai can independently separate its head from its body so that it can hunt people.

Fallen Nun

On the most picturesque bridge, the player meets an immortal enemy named “True Nun”, who was translated into Russian as “fallen”. Monk wears a mask Hanyi (抜首), wields a naginata and is the guardian of the bridge. The monk is called the priestess Yao or Yao Bikuni (八百比丘尼). According to folklore, when Yao Bikuni ate ningyo meat (Japanese images of mermaids) brought by her father from abroad, she gained immortality and then traveled around Japan as a priestess.

In the world of Sekiro, she is depicted as wandering the world; now she rests between the mortal and incorporeal realms, forever guarding the gates and preventing people from entering. Since this nun is immortal, she cannot die and pass on to the ethereal world. That’s why she wears the mask of Hania. This mask is used to depict a jealous female demon and symbolizes her envy of people who, unlike her, can die and pass into the ethereal realm. The same mask was reused by a girl in a classic Japanese film “Demon Woman”.

Demon of Hate

Along with the Fallen Nun, the “secret” boss, the Demon of Hatred, is based on the Oni. These large, ferocious demons are notorious in Japanese folklore; they never bring good news and are often blamed for bringing all sorts of mischief. Rumor has it that they are captains of the underworld, born from evil people whose souls cannot be redeemed.

Demon of Hate Sekiro, certainly retains many of these elements, and while it resembles several other creatures from previous From Software games, such as Manus and the Demon Cleric, it also bears a striking resemblance to the oni depicted in Edo-era woodcuts. Fiery, aggressive, with a lot of hair.

A sculptor named Orangutan

Apparently the Demon of Hate is a tormented Sculptor who helps you by upgrading your prosthetic arm. He is also known as Sekijo (関城), or “one-armed orangutan”. Although the mystery of the Demon’s origin has been revealed, we can only guess at the source of the Sculptor’s primate nickname. He explains that he trained as a shinobi among the sunken valley macaques, but a more likely explanation for his nickname is his appearance and personality.

In his youth, the Sculptor could resemble a yokai known as Shoujo (猩猩). These humanoid creatures have long, shaggy red hair, like orangutans, and are known for their love of alcohol.

Likewise, the Sculptor is hairy and loves sake and monkey wine. By finding alcoholic drinks and giving them to characters, we often learn their backstory in Sekiro. The Sculptor is particularly secretive about his past, but once he drinks enough, he opens up like a charged umbrella. He likes strong drinks, and “shozo” is a term often used in Japan for heavy drinkers.

Monkeys

Monkeys in Sekiro paid a lot of attention. Primates can be ordinary opponents, bosses and important symbols (remember the carver’s nickname). I was just 100% sure that there would be at least one monkey that escaped into the game from myths, but in vain. Get a guardian monkey. Its closest mythological relative is Chinese Sun Wukong. He is the Monkey King, about whom Black Myth: Wukong is currently being made . Past. If we are just looking for a great white ape, then we can run into Hanuman – a monkey-like deity from Hinduism. The same is not the same. And visually, the monkey with a sword stuck in its neck looks like a character from Berserker or, when he tears off his head, on Nukekubi. There must be at least some parallel?

And she was hiding in the screen. More precisely, in screens. The game has a boss puzzle of Monkeys in a Screen. I didn’t attach much importance to them in my search, but in vain. Everyone knows the three monkeys that cover their ears, mouth and eyes, but there are three of them, and there are four bosses, which means we’re missing out again? No. We need to refer to the original boss name – “見る猿、聞く猿、言う猿、,” — Seeing monkey, Hearing monkey, Talking monkey. This is a reference to the “Three Wise Monkeys”, who embody the principle “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”. There is a space in the boss’s name, which indicates that there is a fourth, invisible monkey who embodies the principle of “I do no evil.”. She was the one who confused me. A relief of monkeys can be seen at Toshogu in Nikko.

Unfortunately, there is no normal frame where all the monkeys were shown, so here is the art for you

Rope Man

One of the most spectacular moments in the game is the ride on a huge rope man. No this is not the boss. The task of this giant is to bring you to the divine island and freeze. There is no clear information on it even on the wiki. But it has enormous cultural significance.

There is in Shinto (aka Shintoism) – Shimenawa is a sacred rope hoop. It is usually made from rice straw and is sometimes decorated with strips of white paper known as shide (紙垂). Shimenawa is traditionally used to represent sacred places or objects, and its presence symbolizes the boundary between the sacred and real worlds. Generally, the more shimenawa is used or the more shimenawa is tied to a place, the more sacred it is. Imagine how sacred the location it takes us to is.

Sekiro is like one big myth

In Japan, there are many legends about battles between giant snakes and monstrous centipedes. Two such examples are the legend of Tawara Toda (田原藤太), as well as the battle of the gods of Mount Akagi and Mount Futara. In the legend of Tawara Toda, the hero Fujiwara no Hidesato came to a bridge on which lay a giant snake. Unafraid, he steps over the snake, but it disappears into the water and returns in the form of a beautiful woman. She notes his bravery and asks him to help destroy the giant centipede Omukade, which killed her children. Agreeing to help, he kills the monster by shooting arrows into the eyes or throat (depending on the plot), and is rewarded with gifts from the woman, including a bag of rice that will never be empty. Meanwhile, there is another similar legend in which the gods of the Japanese mountains Akagi and Futara take the form of a centipede and a snake, respectively, and fight. In this version, the Serpent enlists the help of an archery master named Sarumaro to destroy the Centipede in a similar manner. So, knowing these stories, the connection between the numerous references to the centipede and the snake in Sekiro, but let’s take it one step further.

As we know, in Sekiro many encounters with snakes and centipedes, but mostly they occur in two places. On the one hand, snakes clearly represent Ashina, as many references to them can be found in and around Ashina Castle. Giant snakes, the legacy of dragons, all the way up to the divine dragon in the Fountain Palace, as well as the Great Carp (a creature that also has a connection to dragons in mythology). The connection between Ashina and snakes is quite obvious, as is their connection with immortality. On the other hand, centipedes are found mainly in one specific section of the game – the Senpo Temple. The monks of the Senpo Temple on Mount Kongo clearly have a deep connection with centipedes, which is associated with their desire for immortality. From undying monks infected by giant centipedes to enemies who seem to be trying to emulate the centipedes themselves (Giraffe Centipede), there is a clear connection between Senpou Temple and centipedes. The game also makes it clear that there is no love lost between the monks of Senpo Temple and Ashina, as Ishin himself speaks disparagingly of the monks and the “rats” they send to spy on him. But this seemingly easy separation between them hints at a much deeper conflict that is brewing between them, Gold and Iron.

To understand this next step, we need to understand a little Japanese history. During the Warring States period in Japan, there were two precious metals that mattered more than anything else – gold and iron. With the help of precious metals such as gold, military leaders could buy supplies, soldiers and even bribe enemies. Iron turned out to be no less important, since it was necessary to create weapons with which one could defend oneself. Japan had many gold mines that could provide sufficient treasury. A prime example is Takeda Shingen’s gold mines, which fueled his war efforts. The gold mines were manned by miners who fought and defended the mines they endlessly dug into the mountains. The group of specialists began to be called “centipedes”. These “centipedes” seemed to consider centipedes their patron, since gold veins were also called centipedes due to their similar appearance to beetle tracks.

Iron in its pure form was in short supply and was obtained mainly from Iron Sand. Iron sand was obtained by collecting sediment from the roots of river plants or filtering mountain sediments in fast-moving rivers. Rivers that have been considered the domain of snakes and dragons since ancient times. Knowing this, we can say which group is known primarily due to the mountains on which they live, and which has an almost dependent connection with water? Monks of the Senpoi clan of Ashina respectively.

Benkei from the same legend is armed with a huge bell

A similar enemy can be found in the game.

History with this knowledge Sekiro suddenly appears more clearly. Both groups are associated with either centipedes or snakes and use them in their quest for immortality. Both groups have a “divine” child they rely on as a means to this end, and both groups have a connection to the precious metal. Ashina, as representatives of the Snake, are the patrons of war. They rely on iron to fuel their war, which they are on the verge of losing, and rely heavily on the waters of the Source as their path to immortality through the Serpents. Senpo monks, like representatives of the Centipede, patronize greed. They have gone astray in their quest for immortality and store their wealth in luxurious temples on their mountain, gaining immortality through the Centipedes. Together they would have the gold and iron needed to defend the lands of Ashina. But instead, the centipedes of Mount Congo clash with the Ashina snakes, and they are doomed to fall as they destroy each other. Perhaps this is why the “Return” ending is considered the best ending of the game: the “Divine” children of Snake and Centipede team up to find another path.

I was absolutely delighted with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. The game brought me a lot of pleasure with its combat system (not without focal fires in the ass area), but most importantly, it won me over with its style. I’m partial to Japanese themes. At one time I filled quite a gigabyte with screenshots of Ghost of Tsushima on my fourth PlayStation. I played Nioh and it also has its own flavor, but for some reason Sekiro it seems to me much more sophisticated and self-aware. No offense to fans of the latter, but Nioh seems to just use the setting, and Sekiro knows how to take advantage of it. Before I started, I had no idea how much cultural code was hidden behind the incredible complexity of this game.

I want to admit my admiration for the redditor @Sarumaro, who did a tremendous job studying Sekiro.

P. S.
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