Part 6: Mythology Dissection 1
Agata Forest Characters
Well, we haven't had one of these in awhile, have we? Our subject today will be characters found in Agata Forest.
First, Waka.
Waka is a colorful character, to be sure! He's also very popular with the fanart artists, as we've seen, and with people in this thread! Perhaps this is understandable, as Waka is based on a major historical figure: Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
A statue of Yoshitsune at Dannoura.
Mina-who? Relax, I'll break it down. Yoshitsune was an ancient Japanese general of the Minamoto clan. He was born during the Henji Rebellion, a bloody conflict which occurred in 1159. During the rebellion, Yoshitsune's parents and two oldest brothers were killed by the Taira clan. Yoshitsune survived, as did two of his brothers (though the brothers were raised separately and would not meet again for many years). He was raised at the Kurama Temple, in the mountains north of Kyushu. While there, he was called Ushiwakamaru, as a nickname. Ushiwaka- Waka. Ok?
When he was a young man, Yoshitsune learned that his long-lost brother, Minamoto no Yoritomo, was raising an army at the request of the Imperial Prince to fight the Taira clan, which had usurped the Emperor. Conveniently, fighting the Taira also gave the brothers a chance to avenge their parents' deaths. So, what's a badass to do? Kick serious butt, that's what! He joined the army and fought against the Taira, along with Yoritomo and Noriyori, another of Yoshitsune's long-lost brothers!
Together, they kicked butt all over the Taira. Yoshitsune made quite a name for himself as a tactical genius and warrior of great prowess.
However, all did not go well for our hero. He was betrayed, by his own brother, no less! He learned of Yoritomo's treachery in time to escape, temporarily. He survived for a time, living a bandit's life in the hills, along with his most loyal retainer and right-hand man, Benkei.
He was eventually caught, however. Hopelessly surrounded, he committed seppuku (ritual suicide), rather than face capture.
Yoshitsune and Benkei
Ushiwaka is a popular figure in folklore, probably because of his colorful career and tragic death. Legends say he was taught swordplay by a Tengu (a Japanese imp/fairy thing). In Okami, Waka looks a bit like a Tengu, with his bird-hat thing and funky platform sandals. Ushiwaka is commonly portrayed in folklore as a beautiful and graceful flute-playing warrior. It's Waka to a T, isn't it?
Interesting side fact, in the Japanese version, Waka sprinkles his speech with English phrases, while in English, he has a French accent. However, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that he's actually supposed to be Cajun, not French. Some of his phrasing is a bit odd (such as "I reckon...") and his speech is pretty casual over all. Of course I have no idea if that's what the translators intended! It's just fun to think about.
Next, Madame Fawn
In Japanese, she's called Granny Bokusen. A bokusen is a Shinto fortune-teller. Fortune-telling, or divination, has been used since ancient times, in nearly every culture. No matter the methods, its purpose is to predict the future. Any powerful leader worth his salt employed at least one fortune-teller, and they were typically well paid and well taken care of. In Shinto, examples of divination methods include heating the shoulder bone of a dear or shell of a tortoise and interpreting the meaning of the resulting cracks.
Madame Fawn also refers to tossing bones, another method of divination. Small bones, usually knuckle bones, sometimes carved with symbols, are tossed like dice, and the resulting pattern interpreted. Creepier methods include reading the entrails of disemboweled animals. Gross.
That's all I have for now. I've come down with a cold, so I haven't had a chance to record the boss fight yet. Rest assured, I'll get it done when I'm feeling better! In the meantime, any of you mythology-knowledgeable folks can feel free to add to what I've got here.