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References in Ronin Warriors
The following essay was written originally by Sofia Katchi, but is reprinted from this Ronin Warriors site: http://xero12.tripod.com/
with permission.
Ronin Warriors uses a lot of Japanese folklore, mythology and Oriental mystic symbolism in its plotline. Greater familiarity with this background can add a lot to the enjoyment of watching the series. I'm just going to cover a few of the basics here.
The Oriental mystic system uses five
elements, not the four we're more used
to. The fifth is "Spirit", sometimes
representing Life. These five elements,
according to some sources, may also
be called Wood (Spirit), Fire, Earth,
Metal, and Water - with "Metal" being
the equivalent to Wind in this case.
The Four Seasons were also quite important. The combination of Elements and Seasons made the number "nine" which is of utmost importance in the Oriental mystic system. Somewhat similar to the importance that the numbers "five" and "seven" have in most European-based mystic systems I know of. That's why the Ancient created nine armors - to use the mystic "ki" energy generated by that special number.
Each of the hand gestures used by both the Ancient and Tulpa (and infrequently by Anubis after he takes the Ancient's place) are actual gestures used in Japan by Shinto priests and monks, Buddhist monks and priests, and various shamanic "cults".
In addition, each of the armors were made with a
specific trait, each represented by a kanji in this
case. Those armors made to represent the five
elements were embeded with the five Confucian
virtues - which, by the way, are even listed in
Nelson's Japanese-English Character Dictionary
under the explanation of the kanji JIN. The five
Confucian virtues are: JIN - Benevolence (Ryo's
"great heart"), GI - Justice (Kento - he's the
straight-forward one - either something is right, or
it isn't) , REI - Courtesy (Sage - his virtue was changed to wisdom for the american release; he's also the most mystic, fitting as his element is spirit), CHI - Wisdom (Toma IS the intellectual of the five; was changed to life for the american release), and SHIN - sincerity (and trust)(Cye is sometimes the most naive and trusting of the five). The chant of "Jin-gi-rei-chi-shin" is used as a meditation mantra by some Buddhist sects.
The four armors associated with the seasons, on the
other hand, were given what can be termed the
warrior or "samurai virtues"; they are listed in some
of the books on Bushido I've found. They are: CHU
- Loyalty, NIN - Endure/bear pain (ie without
complaint), TEI - Serve elders, and KO - Filial
piety. I suspect that Tulpa was able to pervert the
last four armors much more easily than that of the
first five because of these virtues -- the four warrior virtues emphasize loyalty and service to the master you've sworn to obey even if you think your lord is in the wrong. The five Confucian virtues, on the other hand, are based on what could be called "moral constants" rather than the whims of one's lord.
As a matter of fact, in one article it states that Tulpa
has waited until current-day to try his newest attack
on our world precisely because the five Confucian
virtues are no longer actively practiced by most
people today, making it easier for the Demon Lord
and his forces to enter and conquer our world. Of
course, as the armors were originally part of Tulpa,
there is also a certain amount of evil inherent in the
mystic metal. It becomes evident in the OAVs that even the Ronin armor contains evil power, or Shikaisen/Necromancer would not have been able to use the Halo armor. It is the affiliation of the wearer, not the armor itself, which decides whether the good or the evil power of the armor is foremost. I suspect that the wearers of the armor will only gain the full levels of their potential when they learn to harness and use both sides of the armors' nature.
The studio also uses a lot of other, more familiar
Oriental mythological elements as well. In Japanese
symbology, white or blond hair usually represents
supernatural beings or spirits -- and in this series,
both Tulpa and the Ancient -- definitely supernatural
beings and/or spirits! -- have white hair. So does
Dais, for that matter, and his unique abilities at
creating illusions certainly bespeak unusual powers. Another note is Whiteblaze, he has white fur and he's certainly not an ordinary tiger.
The weird little frog-eyed demon envoy in episode #24 is designed to look an awful lot like one of the little clay Japanese household gods that you sometimes see in museums; I've seen a picture of one in Japanese Mythology by Juliet Piggott that looks exactly like the headpiece that creature was wearing in the series.
What's even more interesting is looking at the
faithfulness the artists have used in creating the armor.
While the armors themselves are not "real" samurai
armor (although their outline from a distance resembles
samurai armor) -- they're solid sheets of metal instead
of individual little plates of metal sewn onto a backing,
for one thing -- the helmets themselves are straight out
of the museums. So you think some of those helmets
are too wild to be true? Check out some of the books
on real samurai armor available in English! The helmets
the Ronin and Warlords use are actually fairly modest
compared to some of the real helmets pictured in the
books I used to do my research!
The use of the "three weapons" necessary to defeat
Tulpa: the Soul Swords of Fervor, the Inferno Armor,
and the "Jewel of Life" are a direct "steal" from the three
Imperial "gifts of the goddess" -- the comma-shaped
jewel, the sword, and the mirror -- that are part of the
"mythology" of the Japanese imperial family. The three
gifts were given to the first emperor by the sun goddess,
Amaterasu, as an indication of her favor, and are even
today part of the Imperial regalia. The "Jewel of Life" in
the TV show may be a type of seed pod -- which
certainly is indicative of life -- but also is
"comma-shaped". The Mirror of the Imperial regalia was
used to show Amaterasu her own (fiery) image; and the
white armor is the Sun Armor -- there seems to be
something of a parallel there! Further, the Inferno armor
can only be worn by someone who is noble and
righteous, as it is in essence the distillation of the "prayers
and wishes of the oppressed for peace" -- it the spiritual product of purity and nobility. Finally, the "Soul Swords of Fervor" are the equivalent of the sword of the Imperial regalia. They are especially effective in fighting demons.
Trying to figure out where the Ancient -- and
later Anubis -- fits in was an interesting problem,
but we think we've discovered just who and
what he was. The problem is that the Ancient
displays elements of both Shinto and Buddhist
symbolism. He has long hair, while Buddhist
monks and priests usually shave themselves
bald. The staff is more representative of
Buddhist and Zen Buddhist monks. He uses
Buddhist-style chants, yet the "medicine bag" he wears around his neck is Shinto in origin. He knows how to use a sword, unusual for most priests or monks of either sect. Research into Japanese folklore and history revealed that there was a group of mystics who fit this type of image, and in more ways than the visual side of things!There was a sect of mystics known as the Shugendo who combined both Shinto and Buddhist concepts and precepts. They were known as the "yamabushi" or "Mountain Ascetics", and were of a militant order -- they were also sometimes called "Mountain Warriors" and they played a major role in several of Japan's internal conflicts. They
were also said to be very power magic-users, as much feared for their mystic abilities
-- including healing -- as respected. They dressed "plainly", in the manner of iternent monks, and did not shave their heads. They were also said to specialize in fighting evil spirits. Not much is known about them, as their sect was wiped out during the Meiji Restoration. Part of the Restoration was a decision by those who came into power to completely separate Shinto and Buddhist practices; these were the militaristic, nationalistic fanatics who would later be responsible for bringing a hellish lot of grief to both Japan and the rest of the world. As Buddhism was a foreign influence, it had to be separated from the native religion of Shintoism, and Shintoism itself had to be "purified" - and was re-made into the very militaristic sect of Shrine or State Shinto
that became the official religion of Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Because Shugendo's basis was the blending of the two religions, along with healthy portions of straight mysticism, it had to be destroyed. I'm sure the fact the mystics also tended to support the Shogun rather than the new government probably had something to do with it, too! The suppression of the sect was so thorough that there is very little known about the practice of Shugendo, although of course their public exploits, especially by their warriors, are part of Japan's history.
In the first two OAVs, extensive use is made not only of
the "Seal of Solomon" six-pointed star, but the computer
analyzing the armors uses the symbolism of the I-Ching in
assigning various values to what it discovers. For
example, when Shikaisen starts to turn into Tulpa, the
symbol that flashes on the screen is that of hexagram "Chi
Chi", or "After completion" -- which indicates a "small
success". Other I Ching symbols used in various patterns are simply too numerous to list in this article...If you're interested, you can always pick up an I Ching book (mine cost about $2 at a used book store!) and use your VCR's "pause" button while you write each hexagram down...
Another interesting note: In Japan mediums and
shamans -- that is, those people believed to
have direct channels of communication from the
divine and ancestral spirits to humanity -- are
entirely female (I understand there isn't even a
word in the Japanese language for a male
shaman). This might cast an interesting light on
Mia's role (both function and characterization) in the series.