Casts:
• Suzuki Hiroki as Yato
• Ueda Keisuke as Yukine
• Hasegawa Kasumi as Iki Hiyori
• Ando Ayaka as Bishamon
• Wada Takuma as Kazuma
• Itohara Minami as Kofuku
• Tomotsune Yuuki as Daikoku
• Izumi Shuhei as Tenjin
• Yoshida Reina as Mayu
• Sakiyama Tsubasa as Suguru
IMPORTANT!
- in order to get access to the link, you need to request to join her Dreamwidth
- PLEASE follow all the rules stated by her
- Buy the DVD if you can afford it
The Arms of an Oni - Hakuouki Shinkai’s use of some old lore
Watanabe no Tsuna Meets the Ibaraki Demon at Modoribashi Bridge. by Utagawa Kunisada ca. 1810s. Courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Warning: This post involves a major spoiler for Hakuouki Shinkai. as mentioned in @masayume85 ‘s summary of Iba Hachirou’s route. Shinkai will be released in English Spring 2017. So keep that in mind if you’re planning on playing and don’t want to be spoiled.
If you’re not a Hakuouki fan, but you do like Japanese folklore, most of this post should still be interesting to you.
In Hakuouki Shinkai, there is an Oni village which has for generations kept safe an important heirloom: the arms of an Oni chieftain who long ago had both his arms cut off in a fight with a human. These arms are very powerful, and one of them has been stolen by the villains of the story, who are using it for their nefarious purposes.
As in the other Hakuouki routes, Iba’s story mingles historical fact and fantasy. In real life, Iba lost his arm in the Boshin war; here he loses his arm during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, but in a fight with the villain who is now using the Oni’s right arm. After that event, the Oni princess Sen lends Iba the left arm to fight with in place of his lost one.
This twigged a memory in the back of my mind. Wasn’t there a story about an Oni and a detached arm? Indeed there is. It’s the tale of the fearsome Ibaraki-douji and the hero Watanabe no Tsuna. There are very many versions of the story. This one comes from Noriko Reider’s free book on Oni: Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present.
A similar but better known story, one that became a source for a famous Noh play entitled Rashōmon in fact, appears in "Tsurugi no maki" (Swords Chapter) of Heike monogatari. According to the "Swords Chapter," during the time of Minamoto no Raikō (or Yorimitsu, 948—1021), people begin disappearing in the capital. Around that time, Raikō sends Watanabe no Tsuna, one of Raikō 's shitennō (four heavenly guardians), on an errand. Thinking that the capital is dangerous, Raikō lends his famous sword to Tsuna to guard himself. At Modoribashi Bridge in the capital, Tsuna encounters a beautiful woman of about twenty years of age who asks him to take her back to her house. Tsuna agrees and lifts the lady on his horse, just as the lady reveals her true identity — she was a monstrous oni. Grabbing Tsuna's topknot and flying in the air, the oni declares that s/he is going to take Tsuna to Mt. Atago. Tsuna manages to cut off one of the oni's arms. The oni flies off, leaving the severed arm (with Tsuna) behind. Later, the same oni, disguised as Tsuna's foster mother, attempts to gain entry to his house. The foster mother/oni asks Tsuna to show her the famous oni's arm. Believing that the woman is actually his foster mother, Tsuna takes the disguised creature to the chest where he has placed the oni's arm. Seeing the severed arm, the creature reveals its true identity to Tsuna, grabs the limb and flies away with it. (p. 44)
In some versions of the story, the shapeshifting oni is given a name. Ibaraki-douji. He or she is variously an servant or lover of the other famous contemporary oni: Shuten-Douji, whom I wrote about here.
The Demon of Rashōmon Visits Watanabe no Tsuna Disguised as an Old Woman to Retrieve Her Severed Arm by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi 1885 - Courtesy of the LACMA collections.
I asked @masayume85 if the ancient demon in Hakuouki Shinkai is ever named. She said no, but some Japanese fans have speculated that this was indeed Ibaraki-douji. Presumably, in this universe, s/he lost both arms in the fight with Tsuna, but brought them to back to the oni village.
One last little fact: the sword Tsuna supposedly used against the oni was Yoshitsune’s sword Higekiri, which Touken Ranbu fans in particular may be familiar with. Check out this post about the sword Higekiri for more information.
There’s Ibaraki-douji flying off with the arm.
From the series: Thirty-Six Transformations by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, 1889. Image courtesy of the British Museum.
Title: Mononofu Shiroki Tora [もののふ白き虎]
Link: masayume85's Dreamwidth
Casts:
• Anzai Shintaro as Iinuma Sadakichi
• Yokohama Ryuusei as Itou Teijirou
• Wada Takuma as Shinoda Gisaburou
• Ozawa Ryota as Shouda Yasetsu
• Shiramata Atsushi as Ibuka Shigetarou
• Kawarahada Takuya as Ikegami Shintarou
• Matsumura Ryuunosuke as Nishikawa Katsutarou
• Ukyou Matsumoto as Ishida Wasuke
• Yasaka Saori as Kanae
• Muratara Youjirou as Matsudaira Katamori
• Matsuzaka Wakako as Iinuma Fumi
• Aoki Tsunenori as Okita Souji
• Araki Hirofumi as Hijikata Toshizou
• Akai Hidekazu as Saigou Tanomo
IMPORTANT!
- in order to get access to the link, you need to request to join her Dreamwidth
- PLEASE follow all the rules stated by her
- Buy the DVD if you can afford it
masayume85 replied to your post : I was wondering if you knew how to purchase...
I just answered the same ask from this same person. They haven’t announced any international ticketing for Sano-hen and general sales are next week. I suggest Anime On Stage since all the lotteries are done.
Oooh thank youuuu. I’ve never watch stage play/musical in Japan befoer so I have no idea on how to purchase the ticket.
