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Shinma (Vampire Princess Miyu)
Shinma is a word meaning god/demon. An interesting side note is the Bad Hour spirit from Greek folklore. This spirit is so named
because it can be invoked or take possession of a person during their "bad hour" or when they are in an ill temper, this can cause them to do wicked things after. This spirit is
similar to some Shinma seen in the series.
Shinma of TV Series
A big thank you to Ian Miller for the chart which can be found here of the names, kanji, and literal meanings for many of the following shinma.
1, Ga-Ryu: A chameleon.
2. Roh-Sha
3. Kamen: Name means mask. The mask is thought to have been probably used by shaman, and the patterns to have had a hypnotic effect. This mask shinma driven by need to protect
his forest, even follows Larva to Japan to do it. Later Kouichi's need to speak out, have power, manifests like the spirit of the forest and he rises up against his father at end. From the Shinma notes
included with the DVD's linear notes: "...decorated to resemble a Native American mask, using war paint motifs. I gave it war paint to suggest it is fighting to protect nature....Kamen came to be
because an angry spirit became a shinma."
4 En-Jyu: In the episode she is called "Sanjoushi of Hankyo," a Chinese demon who turns humans into animals. From the linear notes included with the DVD: "En-Jyu is like a god personified as a
human. This idea comes from a Chinese myth. The part in this episode when En-Jyu belches water and wheat grows up is what I'm talking about. The rest of the design is based on Asian motifs,
such as those in Vietnam and Thailand.... En-Jyu transforms men into cattle by having them eat the wheat she grew. Meanwhile, I was given the direction that En-Jyu is a vengeful ghost in the
farmlan, and therefore she has horns and wears a braided straw hat."
5. Gen-Eh
6. Ho-Jyo: This shinma has the face of a mirror and a body with a kimono in its true form. When it takes the form of Miyu, she says of it it acts as her doppleganger or shadow. Copies her
appearance and powers, and touches on dark aspects of herself.
7. Cho-Jyu
8. Kyo-Koh
9. Han-Ki: A bakeneko. A monster or spirit cat. In anime these spirit cats have the ability to speak, shape-change, and may or may not be benevolent.
10. Ja-Ka: A snake woman shinma that has been sealed for many ages.
11. Oh-Shu
12. Ko-Jyoh: From the DVD's linear notes, this shinma is a combination of a witch and knotty tree. Can see aspects of a negative image of a witch in her control of plants and her use of
powers, she puts the spirit or energy of the kittens she gathers into the flowers in her garden. And then the flowers bloom only by the light of a full moon. A tree is an apt form for her as she
tends her spirit garden, and a tree shades and can stand over other plants. The queen plant as it were, and in a sense a guardian, such as in a forest where the roots of a tree will protect
smaller plants or stand over shorter trees and shrubs. The tree is also sometimes feminine and associated with the Great Mother. And in many cultures trees were thought to be inhabited by
spirits, as were other plants.
13 & 14. Ryu: From the DVD's linear notes: A shinma from the North so he has a white motif, and the image of Hokkaido's crane. And since masculine the image of a Kabuki actor.
Nami: An angelfish.
Barrow: As he's a Western shinma like Lilith, Garline, and Barrow, he has a European motif. His form is that of a European medieval knight and he rides a skeleton horse.
Lilith.
Garline: Larva calls him the Light of the Sea, a demonic light that captures your heart. He was Larva's dearest friend in his old life before he met Miyu. Garline travels on a ghost ship, and stories
of ghost ships are popular legends in Western sea lore, ships that have disappeared or ghostly ships that still haunt the sea in storms or patches of water where they were thought to have last sailed. Garline also
uses spells and potions, such as the Death Crystal and the revival potion he is seen brewing in ep. 14. He's seen tossing a golden apple into the pot, says, "Come out, Child of the Sun." A golden
flying beetle comes forth to take Miyu's energy for the potion. The golden beetle may be based from the Egyptian scarab beetle. And golden apples are seen in potions and tales from the West, such
as the popular depiction of the apple in Snow White and the image of the apple pulled from the potion in Disney's version.
15. Rin-Koh: mermaid.
16. Koh-Waku: From linear notes again: "When you say a Chinese monster, it's Kyon-Shee (Chinese vampire)....it's kind of like a midget ogre from China. It wears the Chinese traditional armor. The armor is from the
Three Kingdoms Period."
17. Ayu: Design from a hedgehog because of the saying, the Hedgehog's Dilemma.
18. Moh-Chi: A giant mother spider.
19. Kai-Rai: His form is that of the framework of a doll, and also a marrionette.
20. Maji-Kan: In the ep. this shinma has the form of a caterpillar, but Miyu notes he can only exist in the cracks of a person's mind.
21. Genta, Genji, Genzo
22. Tonbi: The name means kite, a type of bird. Here birds as an ill omen take on a literal sense as the bird shinma killed Miyu's father and seek to kill her as well as she is the next guardian upon awakening.
23.None, ep. between Reiha and Miyu (though there is a random shinma in flashback)
24. Hiyoku
25. Shidon
26. Chisato
