Japanese Myth and Naruto

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Ok, I dunno if anyone will care, but... XD I'm writing a research paper on the influence of Japanese myth in manga and anime, and my major focus is Naruto, since it's chock full of referance to myths. Under the cut are a few things I've deduced from Japanese literature class lectures, various books on Japanese myth, and my own leaps of logic. A few of them are a pretty big stretch, but... it's possible, eh? XD Also, a lot of them are common Naruto fan knowledge, but just in case y'don't know... here they are :3

By the way, if anyone sees any huge errors, feel free to tell me about it :) I'm still a Naruto newbie and I'm sure there are things I've missed or messed up.



Possibly the most obvious myth referance (besides the kyuubi) involves Orochimaru. The Kojiki ("The Record of Ancient Matters", Japan's first recorded myths) tells of the hero/god Susano-o and his fight against the evil eight-headed/eight-tailed serpent Orochi. He defeated the snake by getting it drunk on sake and chopping off each of its heads. Susano-o then reicieved the sword Kusanagi (one of the Japanese Imperial Regalia) from one of Orochi's tails. There's no doubt that the creator was referancing this myth when he created Orochimaru - after all, the sword Orochimaru pulls from his mouth is called 'Kusanagi'.

Speaking of, Jiraya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru come from the story Jiraiya Goketsu Monogatari, in which the gallent warrior Jiraiya falls in love with the beautiful woman Tsunade and has to fight against his one-time follower Orochimaru. Jiraiya can shapeshift into a toad; Tsunade knows snail-magic; and Orochimaru, of course, has mastered snake magic.

There is also a certain type of oni (demon) that has the ability to stretch its neck to ridiculous lengths to bite/harass people.

The Kyuubi doesn't really need to be explained. Foxes are very important in Japanese mythology and appear all over the place in anime, manga, and video games - Ninetails from Pokemon and the Keeton from the Legends of Zelda series are just two examples. I wasn't able to find anything about the nine-tailed fox demon itself, but there are tales of foxes posessing people and wreaking havoc. Also, one aspect of fox youkai tells of how they frequently trick humans by assuming the guise of beautiful young women. Sexy no Jutsu, anyone?

One of Itachi's jutsu, Amaterasu, comes from the name of the Shinto sun-goddess, Amaterasu.

Another legend tells of a young woman, Konohana, whose name meant something-or-other to do with leaves. I thought this was just a name meaning coincidence until I read further - apparently she secluded herself in a hut and set it on fire, and from that bore two fire-dieties. A woman named Konohana... surrounded by fire... sounds suspicious to me.

Zabuza might have something to do with kappa, or water demons, but that's a bit of a strech. Still, its worth noting that the kappa are famous for challenging men to single combat which the men cannot refuse... and that the kappa almost always wins.

There are also stories of water/pirate demons who wrap seaweed around themselves and lack body hair. Depending on the version of the story, this might be a referance to Zabuza's bandages and the way that Naruto calls him 'no-eyebrows guy'... also, quite a stretch, but worth mentioning.

While we're on the subject of Zabuza, it's of interest to note that in Japan (as well as other cultures), mirrors are closely linked to the condition of the soul. Clear mirrors mean a pure soul. Haku uses mirrors... and is 'pure as snow'. Also consider these Japanese proverbs -
"As the sword is the soul of a samuri, so the mirror is the soul of a woman."
"When a mirror is dim, the soul is unclean."

Another legend tells of Yayoi, a woman trapped in a well by a 'poison dragon' and forced by the dragon to kill anyone who approached the well. Eventually the poison dragon left and the woman's spirit was freed - her soul ended up residing in a small metal mirror found with her corpse at the bottom of the well. Sounds familiar, ne? Zabuza is pretty 'poison dragon'-like...

I still have to look into the actual definition of chakra in buddhist tradition, but I'm sure everyone's heard the term 'chakra' before reading Naruto.

And that, I'm sure, is just the tip of the iceburg. The amount of translated literature about Japanese myth and legend is depressingly small, so I'm sure there's a lot I've missed T__T

Comments

[koibito-moon.livejournal.com]

There are also stories of water/pirate demons who wrap seaweed around themselves and lack body hair. Depending on the version of the story, this might be a referance to Zabuza's bandages and the way that Naruto calls him 'no-eyebrows guy'... also, quite a stretch, but worth mentioning.

In the filler there is a girl who is similar to this (But I'm assuming you haven't seen that far so I wont go into detail about it so I dont spoil it for ya ;p)

Also, Kappa reminds me of the ninja turtles movie whenthey went back in time. lol. I was like, 10 when that came to the theaters. *dies*

Anyway! I found that really interesting! thanks for posting :D

[celebare.livejournal.com]

What episode is the filler? :o I'd be interested in skipping right to it just to use it in my paper XD

[koibito-moon.livejournal.com]

Oh geez. I can;t remember when it starts but its the current ones. At least 165 to current 173.
They call her a 'Kaima', I think. I should pay more attention to it, lol.
I'm sure someone else in the comm will correct me on it. hahaha. ;p

[koibito-moon.livejournal.com]

Episode 168 I think is the beginning. sorry/

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Thanks XD I'll look around for it... I've been totally spoiled for a lot of the major stuff already, so spoilers don't bother me too much :'D

[koibito-moon.livejournal.com]

well, basically she was made into a sea type monster. Orochimaru and his silly experiments and all.
Anyway, I figured the idea would have stemmed from somewhere, legend or something else, since I already knew there was a lot of that in the series. Like the Jiraiya/Tsunade/Orochimaru ledgends.

:D

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

Apparently, in the legend of the great Japanese semi-mythical hero Prince Yamato Takeru, he is lured into open Grassland where the grasslands are set on fire in an attempt to kill him; he uses the mythical sword Ame Murakumo-No-Tsurugi (This is the original name of the sword Kusanagi, found inside the great snake Orochi....) to cut down the burning grass and save himself, discovering the magical properties of the sword in the process. These permitted him to direct the wind and blow the fire towrds his enemies. ^^ It was Yamato Takeru that then gave the sword the name Kusanagi - grasscutter. (Kusanagi actually means sword of the snake, but this is apparently the popular story of how it got this second, most famous name). ^^ There is also a story about the same Prince Yamato Takeru fashioning a false sword out of wood and using it to fool an enemy in a fatal duel.

Hiruko (Sasori's tank-like puppet)is a Japanese Shinto God, God of the morning sun and the health of small children, related to Amaterasu. In the legends, Hiruko is born crippled (without bones, I read in one story! O_O Unable to stand up, basically, by the age of three).

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

Sorry if anything I have said is confusing or spoiling too much!!! My most humble apologies if that's the case; I didn't notice you said newbie...! T.T

[celebare.livejournal.com]

:O Thank you! I already had some info on Yamato Takeru to connect to Yamato Ishida and Takeru Ishida from Digimon, but I hadn't heard that story ^^ I did know Kusanagi was 'grasscutter', which I thought was amusing.. XD But it makes a lot more sense now.

[grimy13.livejournal.com]

O.O Wow.....that was informative.....SOOOO COOL!!!!!!!!! Thank yous so much!!!!!!!! That really is help full and now I want to reserch!!!!!!! (but not for porn.....Ok my be I do but just Yaoi XD)Any ways thank you!!!!! More woould be nice *wink wink* XD

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Thank you! XD I'm fascinated by the origins of stories... *nerd*

I'll provide more if I come upon more XDD Possibly when I actually catch up in the manga.

[jijabi.livejournal.com]

In regards to foxes: those with more tails were seen as more powerful, as they were thought to gain a tail every hundred years or so. Both foxes and raccoon-dogs were thought to be able to transform at will, though they were often portrayed as placing a leaf on their forehead to transform. Foxes were also able to summon fox fire. On top of all this, they were the symbol of and messengers for the god of rice, Inari.

Other things: Tsukiyomi was the moon god and brother to Amaterasu.

The chakras are seven points in the body (similar to Lee's gates) that correspond to different emotional and spiritual aspects. They are numbered from bottom to top and are as follows:

1) Tailbone
2) Sex organs
3) Solar plexus (about between the bottom of your ribs and your belly button)
4) Heart
5) Throat
6) Third eye (center of forehead)
7) Crown of the head

This is just the stuff I can remember off the top of my head, so there might be things I forgot or messed up on. Good luck in your research!

[jijabi.livejournal.com]

By the way, if there's anything else you need help with I might be able to help. I'm a bit of a mythology geek.

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Thanks! ^^ Are there any reliable websites you would reccomend for research?

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Ohhh nonononononoooo XD This is just the post. My research paper hasn't even been started yet, except for the research. I'm an English geek too ;D

[celebare.livejournal.com]

Thanks for those :D I'm always confused about what Shukaku actually is... since so many people call it a 'badger'.

[scarlet-elithea.livejournal.com]

one thing that I really know... is that the name sasuke was taken from the legendary/famous ninja sarutobi sasuke...

(correct me if I'm wrong)

^^x

[lockexenocide.livejournal.com]

And of course, Sarutobi is the name of Sandaime Hokage.

Oh, and Jan-Ken in Japan (similar to rock-paper-scissors) can also be linked to the toad/snail/snake thing. I believe that it is toad beats snail, snail beats snake, snake beats toad... but I'm not 100% sure.

And, Sarutobi's summon monkey-guy has a lot to do with legend... I think it's a story about a boy-monkey, or something of the sort. It's the same myth that Dragonball was losely based on, I believe.

[doomsdayblaze.livejournal.com]

Mm. Beat me to it.

[vash3857.livejournal.com]

wikipedia :P

[geuna.livejournal.com]

But professionals agree that while the tale of the "grass-cutting sword" is more popular, it's more likely that it is false the sword is in fact the "sword of the snake". I think that fits more along the lines of Naruto. Also, if you followed along the lines of the sword owned by Takeru, then you would also have to note that that sword is considered to be one of three Japanese Talismans--the sword, the mirror, and the orb (Sailor Moon, anyone?). But I wouldn't know where that fits in the Naruto universe, at least not as far as the orb... and wouldn't they need to be more closely related?

[yummeitenshi.livejournal.com]

Bijuu are demons that exist in the world of Naruto, they are also known in as demons in Japanese mythology. There are nine in total. ... Every demon has a different amount of tails, ranging from one tail to nine.

One Tailed Demon - Ichibi no Shukaku, takes the form of a racoon.

Two Tailed Demon - Nibi no Nekomata, takes the form of a cat in Japanese mythology.

Three Tailed Demon - Sanbi no Isonade, takes the form of a fish in Japanese mythology.

Four Tailed Demon - Yonbi no Sokou, takes the form of a reptile like creature in Japanese mythology.

Five Tailed Demon - Gobi no Houkou, takes the form of a dog in Japanese mythology.

Six Tailed Demon - Rokubi no Raijuu, takes the form of weasel in Japanese mythology.

Seven Tailed Demon - Shichibi no Kaku, takes the form of a badger in Japanese mythology.

Eight Tailed Demon - Hachibi no Hachimata, takes the form of a snake in Japanese mythology.

Nine Tailed Demon - Kyuubi no Yoko, takes the form of a fox. Other translations include: Kyuubi, Nine Tailed Demon Fox, Kitsune.

In Jap mythology, the more tails a demon has, the more powerful the demon is.

On a side note, the Sandaime used a Death God to partially seal Orochimaru. The Death God - Shikigami, I think, or Shinigami, is an important part of Jap myths.

And the explosive tags and sealing talismans look a bit like the talismans they give out in Shinto temples.

And the seals used when creating a nin- or genjutsu are part of the Chinese zodiac which was adopted by Japanese.

And... Ino-Shika-Chou is actually a move that is used in a Jap card game... but not much use is it?

I hope I was able to help a little... even if it's a bit late.

I wanna read your paper though. ^-^

[cristophine.livejournal.com]

This is pretty interesting. Just thought I'd point out:
Sword - Orochimaru
Mirror - Tsunade (bit of a stretch but she is always worried about her appearance)
Orb - Jiraiya (Rasengan!)

[ex-akai-sen.livejournal.com]

Also about the kappa:

Kappa are believed to become lodged in men's bottoms when they go into the water in which they live. teh only way to get rid of such a kappa is to insert another object *snerk*. From this legend, the Japanese associated these demons with homosexual relationships.