I'm guessing that the connections between Sukuna/Uraume and Sugawara no Michizane (historical figure) with his plum blossoms is sort of obvious to anyone who's delved into their historical references, and has probably been pointed out in the past. TL;DR: Michizane is a large inspiration for Sukuna. I'll talk about it in depth one day myself, but it's sort of introductory obligation to the pairing in my eyes....
That being said, I love that so many of Michizane's poems center around plum blossoms (which quite literally pertains to the "ume" 梅 part of Uraume's name). Because Michizane speaks of plum blossoms so fondly in a way that I think gives a good idea on how Sukuna viewed Uraume.
The poem 「月夜見梅花」 that Michizane composed when he was eleven is just so quaint to me, considering it was his first Kanshi poem. Canonical epilogue aside where Sukuna's probably an adult, it makes me think that Sukuna and Uraume probably knew each other when both of them were younger. The image of Uraume knowing Sukuna since his teen years oddly fits the two of them.
English translation by The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Third Edition, Vol. B
But!!!! Michizane's last poem 「謫居春雪」 during his time of exile in Dazaifu suggests a sense of nostalgia and return that differs from how Sukuna decides to go North to be reborn anew.
English translation by The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Third Edition, Vol. B
Makes you wonder how things would have hypothetically turned out if Uraume wasn't there at all. Unlike Michizane who had to leave his plum blossoms in Heian-kyō, Uraume returned to Sukuna via reincarnation. Would he still go North? He did go with them after all.
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
prguitarman
amandla
