The Details You Missed & The Context Behind Yorozu's Marriage Proposal to Sukuna
WARNING: This post contains content beyond JJK season 3 (cour 1) episode 3. Please DO NOT INTERACT if you don't want any more spoilers. Very long post; unedited
Note: I am tagging this under sukuna x reader and related tags for girlies' inspiration (marriage and proposal) for historical fics.
JJK Chapter 217 (Raws)
I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!
To start off my resurrection, we will dive deep on Chapter 217, the infamous marriage proposal to Sukuna by none other than the legendary simp of Heian era - Yorozu.
In this post, you will learn about:
Heian Marriage Customs (Nobility)
Deep dive of Yorozu's proposal (+ marriage life in Heian era)
The one translation mistake both by Viz and unofficial scans (+ a bit of poetry 101)
So, without further ado, let's go.
Dividers by @/uzmacchiato
Marriage of Nobles in Heian Era
With the exception of arranged marriages, here's how the aristocrats in Heian Era usually get married:
Man courts the lady via intermediary
The lady (and her family) accepts the man's courting and proposal
Wedding Ceremony: Man will visit the lady and spend the night for three nights
Wedding Reception: The families will celebrate the marriage
#1 & 2: Courting & Accepting the Proposal
The man will send an intermediary (usually a servant from his household) to send his poetry to the woman he wants to wed. Then, the woman's mother (and her besties) will judge the man's character through the poetry he sent [or if the woman is independent, divorced and/or working at the court as a lady-in-waiting or what not, the woman will personally judge]. Is the poem beautiful? Is his calligraphy impeccable? Is the paper high quality, and does it smell good?
Genji's son Yūgiri (夕霧; "Evening Mist") reads a letter. Genji Monogatari Emaki, 12th century handscroll, Gotoh Museum.
If he fails in one of these criteria, forget marriage - the family (or the woman) dumps him. Hey, but if they see that those three are at least satisfactory enough and they approve, then they give the poem to the woman who is the intended recipient so she can see and if she likes it, she or a female member of the family will send a reply via her servant from her household. If the man sees the reply to be satisfactory, then he will continue courting the woman.
This courting period can last for months or years. Once the woman accepts and all parties agree to the marriage, the wedding ceremony goes through.
#3: Wedding Ceremony: Spending Three Nights Together
Once the proposal is accepted, they move to the next step - the wedding ceremony. At this time period, the ceremony isn't something like the Shinto wedding that we see these days. The wedding is basically unceremonious and doesn't need any documents to register it.
So, the man visits the woman at her home - almost always her family's - at night, goes to her room, and spends the night with her. This is basically a 'secret' visit [both families of the groom and bride are aware lmao]. The first night is the first opportunity for him to see what she actually looks like because now, there's no screen or blinds hiding her from him.
(Also, the man uses his hakama or whatever the outermost jacket part of his kimono is called as the futon for the two of them)
So this goes on for three nights, with the man leaving the woman's home at dawn in the first two nights and sends a morning-after poem to her through a messenger. The family, then, offers wine and presents to the messenger who delivers these poems.
During these three nights they spend together, they...... indulge in passion..... and have sex........ at least that's what was expected of them...... yeah.......
You can basically say that the ceremony is mostly...... them having sex and doing the lewd things like making out........ unless you also count talking while holding hands????
Anyways, so on the third night - called tokoroarawashi or "exposure of the event" - the he stayes by her side until daylight, where he would be 'discovered' by the woman's parents. Then the couple would be offered breakfast with rice cakes called mikayamochi or "third night cakes", which the family prepared during the night. These mochis represent the married gods Izanami and Izanagi.
And that's it for the wedding ceremony.
#4: Wedding Reception
Even though everyone in the streets should know about the marriage between the man and the lady because word travels very fast, the couple (with the help of their families, mostly the lady's side though) would tend to host a feast some time over the few days after the ceremony just to show off. That is, if they can afford it.
So a wedding reception includes a simple Shinto rite conducted by a Shinto priest, and other rituals related to marriage. The man, the groom, 'officially' meets his in-laws in this occasion.
So pretentious
That's it for the most part..... aside from the food, I can imagine they would also have group poetry session, dances, music, games, contests, archery, or whatever the families could afford.
That concludes the marriage of nobles in Heian era.
Sources: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]
Chapter 217 - The Marriage Proposal of Yorozu to Sukuna
Now, I'll start actually translating and analyzing, using our knowledge of Heian era and the info you just learned above.
#1 & 2: Courting & Accepting the Proposal
So we know that Heian marriage starts with courting initiated by the man.......... but we know that's not the case here because Yorozu took on the role of the man for this role.
Yorozu: It's love. Love. [Refers to Yorozu recognizing Sukuna in his vessel instantly] Within the precepts and the loathing that comes from it, nothing could surpass love.
Yorozu: Say, Sukuna. I want to be the one to kill you, I want you to be the one to kill me. Even so, if you are still alive after I win, what will you give me?
Sukuna: Everything. It's an impossible occurrence, but if it's the case that I lose, I might as well be dead.
Yorozu: *pauses* Then, then. Even something like ma- ma- ma- ma- ma- marriage?
Sukuna: Do what you want.
Basically the courting is a battle to the death, and the condition of the marriage is if Yorozu and Sukuna are both alive, which both parties have agreed to.
I mean Yorozu's love goes back to Heian era in the year 1000s, as depicted in chapter 219, so who knows if she had proposed to him or sent letters to him sometime after this:
JJK Chapter 219
I won't be surprised if this was the culmination of the years Yorozu courted Sukuna in their lifetimes and the 'revitalization of love after more than 1000 years of separation from each other' (-Yorozu, probably).
Also, she also has another condition in her marriage proposal:
Yorozu: I'll be the primary wife!! Concubines or anything similar are not allowed (ever or else)!!
Yorozu wants to be the only wife and the primary wife at that. Being the primary wife means she will be the priority in his visits. You see, in the Heian era, the wife doesn't move into the husband's household.... they live separately for a long time. They live in their homes where they grew up in. The husband usually visits the wife/wives (whether primary or secondary) and his lovers at night in their households, then leaves at dawn.
As the primary wife, the husband would have to visit her the most out of his wives and lovers, and if the time comes when they decide to live together (usually years after their marriage), the husband either: moves either into his primary wife's residence, or to a separate residence that's usually provided by either the wife's or husband's family (or the husband himself if he is rich, which is rare). Very rarely the wife moves into her husband's home. If not, they can choose to live separately until the end.
So if Yorozu was, hypothetically speaking, the primary and only wife, then Sukuna would have to visit her very often, and obviously would have to eventually move into her house, if we're going to follow the nobility customs. As his primary and only wife, Sukuna's clothes would have been made by her, and economically he would be dependent on her (not that it mattered).
But knowing Yorozu, she'd be the one visiting him and moving into his home....... if he has one. [did Sukuna even have one, though, when she met him in Heian era?] And clothes? Forget it - Sukuna is a minimalist and Yorozu loves being naked.
And no concubines meant no secondary wives, so that meant his attention to her won't be divided and he won't need to leave her, worry about whether he'll visit her at sunset, nor would she have to kill to maintain her place as the primary wife.
#3: Wedding Ceremony: Spending Three Nights Together
Now this is where it gets........ disturbing.......
Yorozu: For our wedding ceremony, let us destroy three villages at the very least.
We still remember the traditional Heian wedding, right?
They would have had to spend three nights together. So, while in this panel, Yorozu proposes that they destroy three villages at the bare minimum, it has disturbing implications.
So for one, as part of the wedding ritual, they would have to destroy one village per night. BUT, Sukuna is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer in Heian era and Yorozu is a strong one, too, so destroying villages won't take long at night. So for the rest of the night after........... you get the gist.
This is the one time where I'm so, so glad Sukuna clocked her and beat her ass up. The fact that their vessels are step-siblings makes this interaction pseudo-incest.
So.... yeah..... glad it didn't and will never happen.
That One Translation Mistake by both VIZ & Unofficial Scans
Remember that we are still looking into Yorozu's marriage proposal.
#4: Wedding Reception
This is a bit of a feature because I need to clarify what Yorozu was talking about. The translators, both official and unofficial, have made mistakes.
So let's first look at the English translations:
JJK Chapter 217Left: Viz Translation (Official ENG TL)
Right: Unofficial Scans (Unofficial ENG TL)
These are both the right in that Yorozu was talking about the fun part of what would be their wedding reception, that they'll have the shrunken head or decapitated head of the handsome man, and that they'll write poem. But here's where they messed up: that they would only take the most handsome man in the village, and that they'll write Haiku, which is what annoys me the most.
Here's the translation of this panel - I will feature MegKuna's face because it's so funny:
Yorozu: For the entertainment part [of the wedding reception], we should make shrunken heads of the most handsome man in those villages, and write poetry with everyone about their appearances that gradually changes.
It's funny how the unofficial scans captured almost the entire meaning/translation of this panel better than the official translations, but yeah, there are just a couple of mistakes.
So first off, one thing that you have to keep in mind is that the Japanese language relies a lot on context, and ir almost always don't indicate plural words in their sentences. Also, when the context is obvious or people know what they're talking about, they can omit stuff like in this panel - they omitted three either for villages or the handsome men (三つ for villages, 三人 for handsome men).
We know that Yorozu was talking about destroying three villages for the wedding ceremony, so we should already know that when she started talking about the shrunken heads part, we readers should have already understood that she would take the heads of the most handsome man in each of the three villages for the poetry session.
Which is why the illustration of Yorozu's poem featured three human heads:
Speaking of poetry, both translations said 'write Haiku'. Haiku DID NOT exist in the Heian era. It didn't become a thing until hundreds of years later.
So in Yorozu's dialogue, we see the kanji 句 (pronounced as ku). which literally means stanza. So Yorozu literally says 'make stanzas' and I cleaned that up to writing poetry. Because she said, 'write poetry with everyone', this means that the second [the first being decapitating heads] fun part of the wedding reception would be a collaborative poetry session with the guests. There's only one kind of collaborative poetry that is popular in Heian era.
It's called Renga (連歌), the predecessor of Haikai, which was the predecessor of Haiku. Basically the grandparent of Haiku.
Originally, it began as a two stanza poem that involved two poets or writers, which is categorized as Tanrenga. The first writer writes the first stanza in a 5-7-5 form then the second one writes the last stanza in a 7-7 form. As Tanrenga became more and more popular, it became more complex and intricate that it gained popularity as a game, and events were held to create the best ones. Eventually, because there were more participants, other forms like Chourenga (Long Renga) and Hyakuin Renga (100 stanza Renga) were created, with the 100 stanza Renga eventually becoming the basis for what we know as Renga today. [basically this is the summary of the Wiki page]
In this collaborative poetry, the first to write poem has one job - write the first stanza (called Jouku 上句 in tanrenga and Hokku 発句 in Hyakuin Renga). The first stanza has to be the only verse in the entire poem that can be considered to be a stand-alone poem. It also must illustrate the ba, which is the location (e.g. garden), the season, and so on. The structure is basically the same as Haiku - a 5-7-5 verse with a cutting word (Kireji, see the Reddit post here for some examples) and a seasonal word/reference (Kigo, see this site for examples of Kigo used in Haiku). It is the hardest to write, so usually the most experienced and talented poet starts it off.
Which makes Sukuna's face even funnier:
Yorozu was basically proposing that the most entertaining part of the wedding reception would include doing a Renga session with the guests, where they would write about the three shrunken heads of the most handsome men from the three villages destroyed. Then she wrote this verse and showed it to him:
Even handsome men
If dried out, becomes flaky
Truly exquisite
– Yorozu
It is in the 5-7-5 form and has a cutting word (し) at the very last line. It sets the topic. Also, I love how most of the vocabulary are modern Japanese words except いとおかし, which are Heian-era words with いと meaning 'very, truly' and おかし holding various meaning like 'beautiful, funny, interesting, awesome, marvelous, cute, lovely, amazing, and so on'. Though she should've written the sentence as いとをかし, the original way it was written back then.
BUT it doesn't indicate the location (e.g. garden) and IT DOESN'T HAVE A SEASONAL WORD.
The word that would've illustrated the season and would've allowed the participants to determine the words they should use [Yes, there are rules in poetry that all the nobles follow].
That's why Sukuna is alarmed that there's no seasonal word because what Yorozu wrote would have been the first stanza of the Renga poem, and it's a disaster!
Also knowing how people judged others' poems during this era, as you've seen how poems of men sent to the lady he was courting in the Heian marriage section, I don't think Sukuna was only horrified at the lack of the seasonal word.
This man must've been judging her poem. He'd be looking at her penmanship [she must've used a pen not ink], the vocabulary she used, and the substance of what she wrote........ and safe to say, he doesn't like what she wrote at all. It's funny to us, but at an objective standpoint, it's crap. Basically, brainrot in Heian era standards.
So you can't blame Sukuna's expression here.
But given what we know about Yorozu, I'm not surprised she's breaking all the rules even in writing poetry. What's surprising, though, was that Sukuna, the most hedonistic man in JJK, respects tradition and rules (in the arts and jujutsu, at the very least).
That's about it. I'm glad Sukuna killed Yorozu or else we'll see some pseudo-incest sh*t going on even though the ones inhabiting Megumi and Tsumiki aren't related at all.
Plus, we don't need to eat Monkey Brain Potage at a wedding reception..... can't believe Yorozu chose this as the main dish for a wedding reception:
Yorozu: Let's have them [Uraume] be responsible for cooking. Monkey Brain Potage is a must (no matter what)!!
It would've been hilarious if Kenjaku in Geto's body had eaten this, ngl.
1) I will be mainly using the TCB scans for the manga because of their accessibility.
2) Discussion of historical sex pervert stuff occurs.
3) Written as of JJK Modulo 22 25.
(Click images for captions/citations.)
Preface
This is another a weird write-up but I cite the manga a lot more because it lines up with historical fact. This is spiritually a sequel to my rant on Heian timekeeping and how that affects Sukuna.
That being said, I must ask you to rewrite your consciousness. Please let go every notion you have about historical nobility and customs, especially those of a European origin. I will sometimes be using Western analogues to make the jumping off point a little easier given Tumblr's user demographics, but please understand they are not 1-to-1 comparisons.
Barely anything was written about how commoners lived. Most of what we know is form a noble perspective. To apply what Heian nobles did to commoners is like applying what Hollywood movie stars do a min wage fast food worker. The wealth disparity was that bad, and you should not assume what they did applies to commoners.
Citations
Academic articles not directly linked can be accessed by using Sci-Hub.
Step 1: Select a "Sci-Hub Available Websites"
Step 2: Paste DOI url or document title into the search bar.
Step 3: Profit.
Temples vs Shrines
My dumb bass very recently figured out that temples and shrines in Japan are two very different things not to be used interchangeably. This confusion of mine was partially due to historical overlap these spaces shared until the Meiji restoration. Prior to Buddhism's introduction, Japan's native religion was Shintoism where Shrines were erected to worship this religion's many gods. After Buddhism and its temples were established, they evolved alongside Shintoism and its shrines rather than replacing them, both influencing each other greatly. (For example both used bells—temples for timekeeping and shrines for purification. Overlap occurs when temples also use bells for purification.) I will try to summarize those differences below.
Temples
Temples are institutions dedicated to the study and practice of Buddhism by monks and their acolytes. There are 4 major structures at temples, all of which are typically accessible to visitors with permission; the gate at the entrance (sanmon), the sacred pagoda storing holy relics (gojunoto), the building that contains images of the Buddha (kōdō), and the building for scripture reading (kondō). Monks and sometimes visitors stay in lodgings called shukubō. Since Shinto deities are recognized as incarnations of Buddha by temples, some of them even have Shinto shrines on their grounds. You can see similar architecture at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech.
Temples in the Heian were for the most part male-only spaces dedicated to Buddhist teachings and scholarly education. Though most people could visit them, the requirements for joining varied by temple. Male children could join by being abandoned at a temple, being recruited by a monk at that temple, sold to a temple, or even paying to be at a temple. Outside of their religious duties, the monks and their acolytes were responsible for handling purification rituals (especially those surrounding death), acting as an unofficial arm of the government, and timekeeping.
Women were for the most part excluded from temples for being "unclean" (aka rousing lust in men and producing blood via menstruation/childbirth). This attitude towards women was so severe that they were sometimes banned from entire mountains. Since cursed techniques/domains are largely based on Buddhist terms and hand signs, it's not all that surprising Jujutsu Society is extremely sexist.
Temples did however take in outcasts called Hinin (non-people), despite some of them being designated as "unclean" (aka having deformities). Monks would allow the Hinin to directly handle the dead to avoid the uncleanliness such contact would cause them. In exchange for this labor, they allowed the Hinin to loiter around the temples and beg. (Letting them inside of the temples was inviting uncleanliness onto sacred grounds.) I imagine this is why Sukuna was discriminated against in the Heian.
Tangentially related to temples, Buddhism also introduced the ban on the meat consumption of chicken, cows, dogs, horses, monkeys, and small fish via Emperor Tenmu in 675. This lasted until the Meiji restoration in 1868. Though game meat was excluded from this ban, tanning hides and slaughtering animals became highly stigmatized. Only social outcasts openly ate meat as it reinforced their status.
In other words, Heian society was largely pescetarian. Sukuna is doing something socially taboo here on top of literally being taboo via deformity. Eating deer and boar was not illegal but it was low class. (Unless you were in certain parts of Nara where deer were worshiped under Shintoism and killing them was forbidden.)
TLDR; Buddhism, no women, no meat, no sex (in theory), yes homeless people as free labor, yes visitors allowed with permission.
Shrines
Shrines (jinja) are structures dedicated to deities known as kami. They can be dedicated to a single kami, multiple kami, or a sacred space.
The personnel that tend to shrines are priests (shinshoku) and shrine maidens (miko). Music and dance are frequently a part of the rituals performed by them. Gakuganji and Utahime appear to fill these roles. Though it should be noted that priests of the Heian dressed differently and can be seen in the Yorozu flashback. The garments of shrine maidens remain unchanged.
I would also like to clarify that priests are separate from diviners (onmyōji) even though they have very similar dress. Diviners were hired and vetted by the government to perform divinations and geomorphology to make predictions, more analogous to a scientist since their practices were separate from both Shintoism and Buddhism.
Shrines are typically comprised of 2–4 major structures; the gate at the entrance (torii), the building of worship (haiden), the building for offerings (heiden), and the sanctuary (honden). If the heiden isn't present offerings occur at the haiden. Sometimes the sanctuary is not present at a shrine if a natural feature such as a mountain or waterfall is being enshrined. The following image contains is one of many possible shrine layouts. (Looks like Sukuna's malevolent shrine is a honden.)
The gate marks the boundary between an ordinary space and a sacred space. After passing through it, there is often a water basin where guests are expected to perform a cleansing ritual called Temizuya to purify themselves.
When you make an offering bow twice, clap twice, and bow once and maybe ring a bell. The clapping is to get the kami's attention so they hear your prayer apparently.
The sanctuary (honden) is a structure that houses a sacred object (shintai) that represents the kami enshrined. This location is to only be used by the kami and sometimes a Shinto priest for rituals. Outsiders entering this area or disturbing it is a major offense, the doors to this area only opened by Shinto priests during festivals. The sanctuary itself is split into an outer sanctum (gejin) and inner sanctum (naijin). The inner sanctum contains the a place for the seat of the kami called shinza, which is decorated with symbols of this kami and where the sacred object is stored.
We see this logic in play with both Sukuna and Tengen. Sukuna sits on his throne of skulls, gets pissy when you touch or look at him without his permission, and has his Shrine cursed technique/Malevolent Shrine domain expansion. Tengen is fixed to one place, has a special room select few are allowed in, and worshiped by the Star Religious Group.
These two are functionally gods under Shintoism. Which makes sense. Temples declared women unclean and banned them. Society declared the deformed non-human and the temples sometimes kept them as totally not slaves. If Sukuna or Tengen wanted to exist in Heian society with a modicum of autonomy or respect, becoming a god was pretty much the only way.
Which reminds me, some humans were considered gods under Shintoism—the Japanese imperial family. To clarify, Japanese emperors do not have the mandate of heaven they are heaven. As direct descendants of the kami that birthed Japan, they are living aspects of Shintoism and the Japanese identity itself.
To get an idea of how big a deal they are, one of the reasons the Shogunate (military-dictatorship government) spared the imperial family and kept them around was to placate the masses religiously. Unlike European or Chinese societies that would tolerate throne usurpers, killing the Japanese imperial family was like killing god. The majority of the Shintoist population would've been against you for doing this. (This is probably why the imperial family exists to this day, making it one of the oldest royal lineages to exist.)
So how do you move up in Heian society if you can't become a god? Political marriage.
TLDR; Shintoism, yes women, yes sex, no "unclean"people, visitors allowed in some areas.
Further Reading:
A temple? A shrine? What’s the difference?
Digital Museum Encyclopedia of Shinto
Liminal Journeys Pilgrimages of Noblewomen in Mid-Heian Japan by Barbara Ambros
"Challenges to Survival: Responses of Outcasts and Commoners in Early Medieval Japan" by Breann M. Goosmann.
“Not Befitting Our Divine Country”: Eating Meat in Japanese Discourses of Self and Other from the Seventeenth Century to the Present, Food and Foodways by Hans Martin Krämer
Sexuality and Courtship
The sexual politics of the Heian upper class is much closer to modern Liberal Hollywood (nobles) and the Catholic Church (Buddhist temples). This is to say that nobles were very sexually flexible and the Buddhists monks generally abstained from sex via celibacy except when having affairs/families in secret or doing the other very bad thing the Catholic Church is known for. (Since that discussion is rather depressing, it is a separate post. Proceed with caution.)
This is likely due to Shintoism being a rather sex positive religion. Outside of the sexism surrounding shrine maidens needing to be virgins for their kami and the idea that men should always initiate due to the creation myth, even commoners were allowed be sexually liberal with fertility rituals such as Utagaki. (This involved villagers going to a mountaintop to recite poetry, sing, dance, and have orgies.)
For nobility, not having sex was considered strange. Both men and women were allowed to have many partners at the same time, sometimes including those of the same sex and even the emperor to gain favor. Cheating was normal, expected, and beautiful. To the point where the children that resulted from these affairs were not shunned. The only rule for cheating was to not blatantly do it in front of your main spouse.
Marriage
Speaking of spouses, men were allowed to have multiple. The first wife was usually a political choice made by the parents, but every wife after that could be whoever the husband wanted. This made women very valuable since they could more easily marry their family into wealth. The Fujiwaras famously did this to gain control of the Heian courts. And look who sort of married into the Gojo Clan and took it over? The Fujiwara descendant, Okkotsu Yuta. He also kind of has 2 wives...
This is also why in Modulo this joke occurs.
Weddings were not really a thing either. Outside of a small rice-cake exchange ceremony with the parents, marriage was solidified by opinion rather than a legally backed paper. If people thought a pair was a couple, that was enough to be a couple.
So you want to know how people got married back then? Exchanging poems and Twilight Edward Cullen type night visits. Since men were expected to initiate and noblewomen weren't allowed to leave their rooms, it was socially normal for a man sneak into a woman's room at night to have sex with her (and maybe read her some poems too). If that occurred 3 nights in a row, that was considered marriage. (The commoner equivalent of the night visits is Yobai.)
How would one reject these advances? By being very passive. Consensual non-consent was default so, "no" was more like "Noooo~♡ Stooop~♡ You're so bad~♡" Despite this set up and the lack of laws against sex crimes at the time, men were still expected to woo women with poetry and crying. They would face severe social ostracization for being forceful. (The women still got blamed though since male desires were seen as uncontrollable.)
This is all to say that Yorozu really is a barbarian when it comes to love.
She demands monogamy when both polygamy and unethical polyamory were the norm, takes initiative in the relationship as a woman, fails to get consent through poetry, and demands a big wedding ceremony that didn't even exist back then. (She also is breaking the no eating monkey meat laws in effect at the time.) Yorozu is the polar opposite of what a proper Heian noblewoman is supposed to be and is more or less acting like an unruly Heian man, making her GNC af.
This role reversal puts Sukuna in the position of a Heian noblewoman, and as you can see, he is turning her down with the correct etiquette. Sukuna doesn't outright tell her no, but instead becomes dead-eyed and passive to signal he's not interested.
Maybe it would've gone over better if her poetry was good?
Further Reading:
Heian Period Sexual Politics, Marriage, and Sex by Chris Kincaid
Things That are Near Though Distant: Extramarital Affairs in Heian-Period Japan by Matthew Grubits
Japanese Marriage Institutions in The Heian Period by William H. McCullough
Gender Queerness
Yorozu and Sukuna's role reversal dynamic is a fascinating choice since it directly draws attention to how Sukuna is treated like a Heian noblewoman for most of the series. Aka he's trapped in one place and bored to death by it, not allowed to leave without observance by male characters, is supposed to remain out of sight, and lots of implied yearning. I mean he's quite literally wearing women's clothes when he does this.
This isn't to frame Sukuna as a deviant either—it's actually in line with the gender fudgery going on in the Heian. Cross-dressing was a common form of entertainment, used in religious practices, and considered attractive in some cases.
"Heian attitudes about beauty, both masculine and feminine, make differentiating gender on the basis of secondary sexual characteristics more difficult. Sachiko asserts that in Heian Japan, “proximity to feminine aesthetic ideals, to be ‘beautiful like a woman,’ was an integral condition for male beauty.”...Therefore, because the sexes look more physically similar, the clothes people wear become more important in determining, at a glance, which gender they are." (Pg 5)
—My Son for my Daughter and my Daughter for my Son: Clothing, Gender, and Power in Heian Japan by Ruth Avalon Caswell
Not going to lie, Uraume embodies this ideal beauty perfectly. Tengen did too.
This gender ambiguity also had a divine component. The Bodhisattva of Compassion, associated with motherhood and Womb Realm Garbhadhatu, Kannon (aka Guanyin) is quite gender fluid. Depending on the culture, Kannon will be one gender or the other. You could basically call this gender whatever is best for the situation, which is completely in line with Kenjaku. Pretty sure this is the Buddha Kenjaku's domain is based on too. (Kannon also appears in Yuji's domain, suggesting his might be the Womb of Compassion.)
It should also be noted that the male progenitor god in Shintoism both fathers kami with his wife and gives birth kami himself. In other words, Mpreg is canon to Shintoism. (Kenjaku has religious grounds for being Like That!)
Pretty queer right? That's not even the best of it.
Homoeroticism
It should be understood that the language men used in poems to court women was the exact same language men used in poems towards other men. Though these relationships were to be kept private, male-male love was socially acceptable. The greater the power imbalance, the better since these relationships were a way to reinforce social positions. Men of equal standing loving each other was taboo.
That didn't stop them from trying though. Please considered the following excerpts from Between Monks: Saigyo's Shukke, Homosocial Desire, and Japanese PoetryJapanese Poetry by Jack C. Stoneman.
"Saigyō was always recognized for his poems expressing desire for companionship, specifically the company of a fellow recluse. The following poem is one example, cited by several modern scholars as evidence of Saigyō’s fraternal yearning." (Pg 437)
さびしさに (sabishisa ni) I wish there were
たへたる人の (tahetaru hito no) another here
またもあれな (mata mo are na) who could bear this loneliness;
庵ならべむ (iori narabemu) we’d build our huts side by side
冬の山里 (fuyu no yamazato) in this wintry mountain home.
.....
Doesn't that ring a bell?
The loneliness that comes with unrivaled strength. The strength borne of sorcery based on Buddhist principals of detachment that lead to the loneliness of historical monks. The loneliness that was abated by intense homoerotic relationships. The one who will teach you love is...
"Furthermore, Saigyō often employed the language of love poetry to express desire for male companions. The following exchange between Saigyō and his friend Saijū is one example." (Pg 437-438)
[Saigyō]
Because the moon shone so brightly over the bridge of the inner sanctuary at Kōya, we spent the entire night together gazing, and at about that time Master Saijū left for the capital. That night was unforgettable, and when the moon was bright again over the same bridge, I sent the following to Master Saijū:
こととなく(kototonaku) Lost in
君恋渡る (kimi koiwataru) longing for you
橋の上に (hashi no ue ni) on this bridge
争ふものは (arasou mono wa) all that might vie
月の影のみ (tsuki no kage nomi) is the moon’s light.
.....
[Saijū’s Reply]
思ひやる (omoiyaru) I could not see that
心は見えで (kokoro wa miede) your heart had reached out to me;
橋の上に (hashi no ue ni) on that bridge
争ひけりな (arasoikeri na) indeed they vie,
月の影のみ (tsuki no kage nomi) none but the moon’s light.
.....
(Sorry just let me gush about this exchange. I love how Saijū’s response echoes Saigyō. Outside of an echo being a sound that returns to you, Saigyō is mirroring that longing by calling Saijū out for not noticing his feelings while they were together. They were both lonely and they both inflicted that distance, physically and emotionally.)
"In his annotation of Saijū’s poem, Nishizawa Yoshihito writes that the poet’s “manner of dismissing the other’s expression of loneliness in a counterattack closely resembles female poetry of the courtly era."" (Pg 438)
"When Saigyō writes to absent friends (usually monks), he often adopts the stance of a pining woman." (Pg 439)
"Using erotic language to create metaphorical romantic relationships, what Heldt calls “gendered positions and desires” and “strategic performances,” in their poetry...these poets constructed gendered positions where clear and defined social and religious configurations did not exist (in real social settings and in poetic expression) in order to reflect the desires for spiritual fulfillment, faithful companionship, and mutual moral support they harbored." (Pg 441)
So remember that post where I decided to read the Sukuna-Gojo fight as unhinged courtship and metaphorical sorcerer sex? That's pretty much what this is.
When Sukuna approaches Gojo with his student's face he creates a metaphorical power dynamic that positions himself beneath Gojo (master). When he wears mostly white like a bride, he again positions himself beneath Gojo (husband). Similar to how he passively rejects Yorozu like a noblewoman, Sukuna puts himself in the position of a woman for Gojo. But it's not to reject him, it's to express his desire to reach him.
He also uses very metaphorical language to communicate this desire. I cut through your Infinity [Gojo's loneliness] by targeting my technique on a constructed world with you at its center [making Gojo the center of his world]. Outright confirming that was a gesture of love with Kashimo.
And just as Saigyō swapped between the role of woman or man with his male partners, Sukuna retakes the position of a man by putting Gojo beneath him, literally. Now in the position of a woman, Gojo yearns after Sukuna.
Though in Gojo's case he is not doing it because Heian-specific social conditioning around queer love and expression. He just happens to line up perfectly with it. This same kind of gay yearning is the foundation of Gojo and Geto's relationship. However, since I am focusing on Heian characters, I'll leave you to ruminate on the following:
"More than just friends, these men were for Saigyō the “soul mates” that could understand the deepest yearnings of his heart and whose company or absence could for Saigyō mean the difference between ecstasy and despair." (Pg 442)
Poetry
It should be noted that Haikus did not exist during the Heian. According to @tangsakura's post The Details You Missed & The Context Behind Yorozu's Marriage Proposal to Sukuna, both official and unofficial translations were errors:
"...Yorozu literally says 'make stanzas'...this means that the second [the first being decapitating heads] fun part of the wedding reception would be a collaborative poetry session with the guests. There's only one kind of collaborative poetry that is popular in Heian era. It's called Renga..."
(Though it's funny to think that if it were a Haiku, it would mean Yorozu and Sukuna went out of their way to learn newer forms of poetry. Sukuna in particular learning enough have strong opinions on it.)
Renga gave rise to the Haiku and it originally comes from Waka, which was also very popular in the Heian. Here are some links to the most popular compilations of Heian Waka.
Manyōshū
Kokin Wakashū
Yes that is the Kokin Wakashū Gojo Satoru is suggested to have canonically read. (Though I don't think he's actually into poetry himself.)
Waka Forms
There are 7 forms of Waka that are relatively easy to learn and use. The only hard rule is that they are to follow specific syllable patterns. Though not always present, it is highly encouraged to have natural imagery in them. Some of these forms are associated with specific activities, but like all forms of art, it can be used outside of them. The following forms are listed for reference.
Tanka
Syllable Pattern: 5-7-5-7-7
Typical Structure: The first two 5-7 lines present the topic and the last three 5-7-7 lines reflect on it.
Uses: Just about everything. When Tankas are exchanged, usually between lovers, it becomes a Sōmoka. (The Saigyō and Saijū poem exchange is an example of this.)
Chōka
Syllable Pattern: 5-7 [repeating until ending with] 5-7-7
Typical Structure: The repeating 5-7 lines discuss the topic and the last three 5-7-7 lines conclude it.
Uses: Public speeches, debates, dissertations.
Katauta (half poem)
Syllable Pattern: 5-7-7
Uses: Can be used by itself in a single stanza, but usually used in pairs. When the pair is made with a single writer it is called a Sedōka. When a pair is made through an exchange with another person, it is called a Mondo. Mondos typically read like a call and a response, most often between student and master, though there are plenty of examples between lovers.
Bussokusekika
Syllable Pattern: 5-7-5-7-7-7
Typical Structure: The 21 poems inscribed in a Buddha footprint at the Yakushi Temple in Nara are the only historical forms. These poems have not been translated.
Uses: Buddhist monks used this for spiritual purposes.
Application in Courtship
(Plagiarizing myself for this edit because I want people to start using Heian-specific poetry forms in fanfic.)
It is important to know that quoting existing poetry was very attractive. Courtship in the Heian was all about class. Where literacy was afforded to select few, being well-read came across as extremely sexy.
When presenting someone your own poetry, things like the quality of the paper, handwriting, the ink, what the paper was perfumed with all communicated class. The more expensive, the more classy pretty much.
Though this mostly applies to the nobles, commoners did try to mimic them. There are records of nobility mocking commoner poetry, but not the actual poems from commoners unfortunately.
Here is a video that summarizes this.
Parenting
In the way the cultural stances were strangely lax on sex, so too were cultural stances on parenting in the Heian. The best way I could describe it is that parent's only real duty was to have a baby. Raising it? Loving it? That's for the peasants. (And even then commoners would sometimes sell their children to temples/into slavery...) Take for example a noblewoman's thoughts on her daughter becoming sick.
"I had never thought of her with either affection or sorrow. . . . Occasionally I thought about how old she would be, but it puzzled me that I could never recapture the longing I felt when I glimpsed her that first night [of birth]." (Pg 167)
—Thicker than Blood: The Social and Political Significance of Wet Nurses in Japan, 950-1330 by Thomas D. Conlan
Blood parents saw their children as political tools more than anything else. To the point where nobles would hire wet nurses and their families to raise their children. Since these children were more emotionally attached to their wet nurse families, they would favor them in adulthood, allowing these families to rise up the social ladder and gain influence.
Kenjaku having 9–10 disappointments used as discardable pawns and making someone else raise the 1 successful spawn after birth? Peak Heian nobility grindset. Completely socially acceptable.
Pure speculation on my end, I wonder if this view of children is linked to the Shinto progenitor gods literally abandoning their firstborn for being deformed. Or the husband kami murdering the newborn that killed his wife by accident in childbirth... (More gods were born from the split blood btw.)
You can see this kind of mentality present in modern Jujutsu Society with Zenin Noabito making his wife have many kids until he got the worst perfect one, Toji making someone else raise his kid after selling him per a political gambit, Gojo's parents not being active in his life since having him was considered fulfilling their duties, Yuka and Tsurigi's father leaving them after having the strong one, Nobara's mom leaving her to granny to get her own mom off her back about duties. (Maybe Yuji's dad abandoning him too if Kenajku wasn't the cause behind his disappearance.)
Gojo isn't immune to this either. While female wet nurses would raise their charges regardless of gender, male "wet nurses" (aka the husbands of the wet nurse) would only participate in raising the male children. As the metaphorical male "wet nurse" Gojo sure did favor Megumi way more than Tsumiki.
Heian parents give you a name, position, and a place to stay. Good luck with everything else! (Kind of explains all the missing anime dads ngl.)
Names and Names and Names
In the Heian, people had many names throughout their lifetime based on their age, class, job, and gender. Parents really only gave their children a family name. All the other ones were given by whatever circumstance required them. Kenjaku is embodies this to a T, seemingly trying to make everyone else adhere to this mentality.
Uro is included because her lack of a name indicates her class. The lack of a name indicates someone is an outcast or slave. A single name indicates someone is of lower class—either a commoner, slave, disgraced member of an important family. To have a secondary family name on the registry means you're of higher class. In other words, you can infer a lot about Heian characters based on their names alone. I want to explain those conventions for reference.
Buddhist/Dharma Name (Hōmyō)
Hōmyō are names given to a person upon their ordination as monk. These names are based on Buddhist concepts and may be combined with their noble family surname or a generic name comprised of the name of their hometown + the suffix -bō (坊=monk). By adding -bō to their hometown, it represented severing their ties with it as a monk.
The names Yorozu (万), Kenjaku (羂索), Tengen (天元) are based on Buddhist concepts and can be categorized as hōmyō.
Yorozu means 10,000 which refers to the 10,000 things in Buddhism. A concept that can refer to the diverse array of life produced by male and female union. Aka something Yorozu clearly wants to do with Sukuna. Her pursuit of this aligns her domain Threefold Affliction, which refers to the Three Poisons (delusion, attachment, and aversion) that are seen as the root causes of suffering. (She is very bad at being a Buddhist.)
Her being from Aizu is also significant since it became a center for Buddhist culture in the Heian and would eventually give rise to the 33 Kannon Pilgrimage. Hypothetically she could also take Aizubō or Fujiwara as a second name. Her not having one, being called a bumpkin, and engaging in unruly behavior suggests she's of low class.
Kenjaku being a Buddhist name is a lot more complicated to explain. Thankfully someone else already did that for me.
This is another thing that ties Kenjaku to the Bodhisattva Kannon. Pretty ironic given how far removed Kenjaku is from the compassion components of Buddhism. (Excels at the detachment parts though.) I think the lack of a surname more indicative of Kenjaku's age/isolation from human society rather than class. Due to how Brain Transplant works, it is kind of impossible to tell what Kenjaku's original background is. During the Takaba skit Kenjaku does admit to growing up feeling lonely but happy in a single-mother household. If that's not a joke, the single name could indicate lower working mom class. However, we do know Heian noblewomen ignored the hell out of their kids. Yuka and Tsurugi, who are Gojo Clan rich, were technically raised in a single-mom household. It also doesn't help that Kenjaku's behaviors scream upper class. (Maybe it's from possessing all those bodies belonging to people of influence?)
Tengen is the easiest to explain. Literally has the kanji for heaven in their name and brought over Buddhism to Japan. The lack of a surname is likely due to truly detaching from the world as a monk (sorcerer). Very much upper class given their position in Jujutsu Society.
Boy Names
The sexism in Heian Japan really jumps out with how many special names boys were given over girls. Girls typically got one name they kept their entire life (unless they became a nun) that was written in Katakana. (Not even worthy of Kanji with special meanings.) Their own names were so stripped of personhood, that their works in the historical record are marked by their relationship to male relatives. (e.g. instead recording things like "written by Jane" they were recorded like "written by the daughter of the Great John Kaisen".)
The following naming conventions applied to the upper class. It is not known how closely commoners followed these traditions.
Childhood Name (Yōmyō)
6 days after birth, male children were given a yōmyō. They contained a descriptive kanji with a cutsifying suffix. (Examples: Oniwakamaru = dear young goblin and Ushiwakamaru = dear young ox.)
No one in JJK uses a yōmyō. This is just a fun fact.
Generic Names (Zokumyō) and True Names (Nanori)
The yōmyō is discarded upon the coming of age ceremony for boys called Genpuku. This occurred anywhere from ages 10–20 and bestowed the child with 2 names.
Zokumyō is the primary given name used with everyone. It typically had a kanji associated with something positive combined with kanji indicating their birth order.
Nanori is a formal true name usually comprised of 2 kanji to make a 4 syllable name. The genpuku sponsor would give one of the kanji in their name to the child coming of age. A sponsor could be the parents, grandparents, master, or any important figure in the child's life. The other kanji could come from something auspicious or a specific family member. Using the Nanori by itself is considered extremely rude since it implies intimacy. It should only be used in tandem with the surname and Zokumyō. (It's kind of like using a modern first name by itself.)
The Heian rules around adult names are definitely why Sukuna, Uraume, Tengen, and Kenjaku all sound like out of touch weirdos when referring to other characters by their full names all the time. They are just trying to be polite. Since using a single name when you have multiple implies closeness, they just use a nomer instead when they want to be rude. (The only time two of those four use a standalone modern name is for trickery. Kenjaku's "Satoru" used to trick Gojo into thinking Geto was back and Megukna's "Hana" to trick Hana into thinking Megumi had stopped being possessed.)
I also think this is partially why Sukuna calls Gojo a nameless fish. If Gojo were alive during the Heian, his Genpuku would've given him more names. Sukuna is kind of going like "You're a Clan head and basically the center of the Jujutsu world. Where tf are your other names?"
There are several characters that loosely merge Zokumyō and Nanori rules.
Maki (真希) and Mai (真依) share their 真 (Ma) as twins.
Jinichi (甚壱) and Toji (甚爾) both use the positive adjective kanji 甚 for great then are followed with their birth order—壱 (ichi) for first son and 爾 (ji) for second son.
Naoya (直哉) borrows the kanji and pronunciation 直 (Nao) from his father Naobito (直毘人).
Yuji (悠仁) borrows the kanji 仁 from his father Jin (仁).
Tsurugi (真剣) borrows the kanji 真 from his grandma Maki (真希). It should also be noted that 剣=sword which makes him subtly named after Mai.
Yuka (憂花) borrows the kanji and pronunciation 憂 (Yu) from her grandfather Yuta (憂太). The -ka (花) in Yuka is for flower, different from the -ka (香) for fragrance in Rika. But given how Yuta told Rika to treat Maki like a flower and flowers being fragrant, it think this is also a subtle naming after Rika.
Yuka and Tsurugi trying to become their grandparents they share names with. The cycles be cycling.
Fancy Names (Azana) and Appellations (Adana)
Azana
Azana collectively refers to pseudonyms created from Japanese names when the kanji are read the Chinese way. Apparently this makes them more fancy sounding. The English equivalent is like us calling Gege Gregarious as a fancy upscale of Gregory. Azana were mainly used by the upper class when penning their art. When referring to a specific art, the azana will instead be called that relevant stage name.
"Warriors took gō, painters took gamyō, haiku artists took haimyō, entertainers geimyō, etc. The implication behind the new name is that the artist belongs to a higher life. (Of course, there were also instances when the artistic career would be potentially damaging to one’s reputation if the true name were known.) The artist would keep his regular name, at any rate, but all his work would be signed with his art name."
—Japanese Names by Sengoku Daimyō
The mentality behind Azana pretty much aligns with how Kenjaku uses names. Culling Game players get new names for their new lives!
Adana
Adana were used by commoners as a sort of surname to distinguish themselves. It could indicate their occupation, where they were from, or a prominent trait of theirs. Using the adana by itself is basically insulting the person. Literally some of these things are like "the bald [name]".
If you couldn't tell, Ryomen (which means two-faced) Sukuna is an adana. It reinforces his low class status and under no circumstances should be used by itself. (Unless you want him to kill you.) This is not a first name or surname. It's basically a rude title which is why Uraume, Yorozu, and Kenjaku never use it with him.
Curses
From Kate Shanahan's Cursing In the Heian Period:
"One of the fascinating aspects of Heian culture was the Buddhist belief against killing, which the nobility took very seriously, very different from later eras when wars became frequent. And in Shinto belief, blood is a form of pollution, so if you killed someone and caused blood to flow, you'd become polluted. Then you’d have to purify yourself, abstain from activities and certain foods, isolate yourself at home; it was a whole thing. ...curses were employed in this era to eliminate political rivals because killing them was unacceptable."
"Reading through my research, I’ve identified four types of Heian Period curses.
A deity (kami) or the vengeful spirit of someone who died violently (onryō) is angry and sends disasters or epidemics (tatari) to wreak havoc.
A living spirit (ikiryō) leaves its living body to possess a rival or enemy and make them ill or do strange things. This is usually unintentional and caused by suppressed jealousy or rage, or by an obsession with a grievance one can’t let go of.
An utterance, perhaps unintentional and spoken in a fit of pique, brings a curse down on a rival.
A deliberate action to cause bad luck, illness, or even death to a rival or enemy."
Sounds like a very certain someone doesn't it?
Complete with the disproportionate retaliation for mild disrespect. (Touching him while providing first aid warrants cutting off an arm. Peak kami and or curse logic.)
Curses were also handled by Onmyōdō, a formalized system separate to Shintoism and Buddhism. It functioned almost like a spiritual science. You don't pray to a god to curse someone, you either hire a diviner (onmyōji) to do it for you or you do it yourself. Official diviners following the principals of non-harm would create anti-curse wards to help their clients. The shadier ones would apply harmful curses to your target. If you couldn't afford either? Use Ushi no Toki Mairi.
"Ushi no toki mairi...refers to a traditional Japanese method of cursing a target, so called because it is conducted during the hours of the Ox (between 1 and 3 AM). The practitioner—typically a scorned woman—hammers nails into the sacred tree (神木, shinboku) of a Shinto shrine while dressed in white and crowned with an iron ring laden by three upright candles. In the common modern-day depiction, the nails are driven through a straw effigy of the victim, impaling the doll upon the tree."
This practice is associated with the figure from Heian literature known as Hashihime. She's is simultaneously associated with water deities, a lonely woman, a jealous demon, and a guardian of bridges. Read her tale here!
I know that Sukuna's final finger was kept in a dam so he couldn't detect it. (Based on the belief spirits cannot cross running water.) However, a Heian sorcerer defeated with a modernized version of a Heian cursing ritual... It's very poetic I think.
Further Reading:
Ushi no Koku Mairi – Shrine Visit at the Hour of the Ox by Back Davisson
A Portrait of Abe no Seimei by Shigeta Shinʾichi, Gaynor Sekimori, 繁田信一
65. Notes on Some Japanese Magical Methods for Injuring Persons by W. L. Hildburgh
What does this all mean?
Not sure. Yorozu told me this.
I took this as instruction. To cut apart the text presented and see all the love that went into it. I've done my digging and turned this series into an ergodic nightmare for myself. This is completely in line with what Umineko taught me too.
I've learned too much about Heian history and I hope this post makes it a little more accessible to the JJK fandom. Please create historically accurate courtship and cheating shenanigans for me to read. Like can you even imagine? Where cheating is so commonplace and encouraged that you're the weirdo for being against it. The drama potential of this.
