Spirited Away Revealed: The Real Mythology & Folklore Explained!

Spirited Away is one of the best animated films ever made. Correction, it is one of the best films, period. Aside from being the highest rated Studio Ghibli film on IMDb, aside from being the first and only Japanese film to win an Oscar for Best Animated Feature, aside from still being the highest grossing film in Japan 19 years later, Spirited Away is simply a beautiful piece of cinema. Much has been made of director Hayao Miyazaki's attention to detail in the visual art or movement of his animation, but Miyazaki also applies this level of detail to the fantasy elements in his stories. Miyazaki's films have a mythic quality, in part because he's an amazing storyteller, but also because they draw from pre-existing mythology, folklore, and culture. Miyazaki is usually careful not to reference any of these myths or legends overtly, and for this reason it is difficult to uncover his sources. In this video, however, I'm going to try anyway. Just to be clear, Miyazaki has given hints here and there, but has not revealed what specific mythology he was inspired by for Spirited Away. I will make my best guesses on this based on clues I find in the film. Also, I will try my best with the pronunciations, but I'm sure I'll make mistakes. Gomenasai. Let's get started. The film's first little hint that we are departing the world we know and entering into an other world comes in the form of a wooden gate called a torii. Torii gates signify the entrance to a shrine of the Shinto religion, one of two major spiritual practices in Japan alongside Buddhism. Shinto, however, is indigenous to Japan alone. Entering through a torii signifies you are entering into the sacred realm of the gods, or kami in Japanese. The word Shinto itself means way of the gods. Although Chihiro doesn't pass through this torii, it may be a hint that she will pass through another gate soon, the train station, and enter the realm of the gods. In fact, Spirited Away's original title in Japanese is Sen to Chihiro no kami kakushi. That latter word means hidden by gods, a concept in Japanese folklore comparable to being taken or spirited away by fairies in European folklore. Below the shrine, Chihiro notices these little stone houses called pokora. These tiny roadside shrines are meant to house minor kami and guardian spirits called dosojin. Another representation of dosojin are roadside statues like the one Chihiro notices in the forest and this other one that forces her dad to abruptly hit the brakes of his Audi. Dosojin statues often mark boundaries, for example the one Chihiro and her family are about to cross. These kami are also thought to protect travelers and those in transitional phases, an apt description of Chihiro at this point. The Aburaya bathhouse or onsen that we see for the first time here is said to be loosely based on the Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama, reputedly the oldest onsen in Japan. Onsens are a staple of Japanese culture and have been popular for millennia. They may also be referred to as sento when they don't have access to natural hot spring water. The first kami that Chihiro actually sees is Haku, who I'll go into more detail on later. Haku casts a distraction spell, blowing what looks like white sakura petals toward the onsen. I can't find any sources for this particular spell, however Haku's spells generally resemble the magical practices of onmyodo, a form of astrology and divination based on Shinto as well as Chinese Daoism and Wujing. Soon after, Chihiro notices these transparent shadow kami. Traditionally, kami don't have forms visible to human eyes and are only visible when they inhabit other forms, for example trees or other elements of nature. These appear to be kami who haven't taken a specific visible form. I should note that their depiction is similar to that of a Japanese yokai or spirit called umibozu, which you see depicted here in a 19th century scroll painting. Japanese folklore does include a variety of animal transformations. For example, the mischievous tanuki or kitsune are thought to transform into various forms, including human. The reverse, humans transforming into animals or yokai, is also not uncommon. However, given the amount of greed and gluttony Chihiro's parents display in this scene, it's fairly safe to assume this pig transformation is a metaphor for greed and consumerism. It is also worth mentioning that Miyazaki has a personal affinity with pigs. He often draws himself as a pig and even created a whole film starring a man-turned-pig, Porco Rosso. These masked kami are called kasugasama, named after the Kasuga Shinto shrine in Nara Prefecture. They wear sokutai, or traditional Japanese court clothing, and paper masks called zomen. Zomen masks are worn by bugaku dancers in specific ritual dances called ama or soriko, and these are performed at the Kasuga Shrine. The dancers, however, are very much human, and as we see later when one of these kami disrobes, he is not. So, given their name, it's possible they represent kami from the Kasuga Shrine. Haku gives Chihiro a berry to eat so she won't vanish from the spirit world. This is similar to a belief in fairy lore as well as the mythology of other cultures. However, again, it is most likely influenced by Japanese mythology and Shinto. In the Japanese creation myth, Izanami is banished to the realm of the dead after giving birth to the god of fire, Kagutsuchi. Her brother and consort, Izanagi, travels to Yumi, the realm of the dead, to retrieve her, but she explains that she has already eaten the food of the land of the dead and therefore cannot leave. Similarly, Chihiro must eat the food of the kami world in order to stay there. This is the first time we see No-Face, or Kaonashi, faceless as he's called in Japanese. Like most of the characters in this film, No-Face is an original creation by Miyazaki, however his origins are a little more mysterious than the other kami. One clear reference we can find in his appearance is his mask. It greatly resembles a mask of the traditional Japanese theater called noh. No specific noh mask resembles No-Face's mask, no pun intended, but some of these, called onryo, are meant to depict spirits or ghosts. These kami resemble namahage, a horned demon-like creature of Japanese folklore, similar to the more widely known oni. In Akita Prefecture, there is a yearly tradition in which men will dress up like namahage to scare children into good behavior. Their costumes usually include mino, or straw capes, and they brandish deba knives. As you can see, these kami have similar capes, and one is packing a blade. I know some people might say the frog, Ogairu, resembles water sprites known as kappa, but in fact he more resembles anthropomorphic toads found in Japanese scroll paintings from around the 12th century onward. Kamaji the Boilerman is another original character, yet closely resembles a tsuchigumo, another yokai of Japanese folklore. These giant spider-like creatures are often depicted with the face of an oni and the body of a tiger. They can change their appearance to human-like to deceive their prey, or alter their size, similar to the way Kamaji can elongate his arms. Kamaji's face even resembles this depiction of a tsuchigumo from the 19th century. In folklore, tsuchigumo flourished until they were exterminated by Emperor Jimmu, and this may be why we don't see others like Kamaji. He is the last of his kind. The susuwatari, or soot sprites, that appear in both Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro are again original creations by Miyazaki. In some ways they are yokai-like, but they are unique enough that I won't compare them to any specific yokai. In Japanese, the radish spirit is called oshirasama. This is a real Shinto deity and patron of silk production. However, the common representation of oshirasama in Shinto are bamboo sticks adorned in cloth, rather than a giant, fat, radish creature. The latter depiction was definitely a creative choice by Miyazaki, perhaps inspired by some of the bigger radishes he's encountered. Misogi is the ritual practice in Shinto of purification through bathing, and this concept also applies to the gods of the Shinto religion. In the Japanese creation myth, after Izanagi escapes the underworld and his sister, he bathes in a river to purify himself. The kami we see here likely come to the Aburaya Onsen for a similar need of purification. Chihiro finally meets Yubaba, the owner of the Aburaya Onsen and the only real villain in the story. Her name literally translates as old hot water woman or hot water witch. The closest parallel to Yubaba in Japanese folklore is Yamauba or Onibaba, a mountain witch thought to use magic and trickery to trap and eat her victims. Although in some cases, Yamauba is thought of as a more benevolent guardian of the mountains. Interestingly, Baba is also a word meaning old woman or midwife in old Russian. It's possible Miyazaki took some influence for Yubaba from the forced witch of Slavic folklore Baba Yaga. In fact, Baba Yaga was a character in Miyazaki's 2010 short film Mr. Doe and the Egg Princess, so he's obviously familiar with this witch from Slavic folklore. In her bird form, Yubaba resembles another creature from Slavic folklore, the Gamayun, or possibly a harpy from Greek mythology. Yubaba's three pet heads are called Kashira, which literally means head. These are very similar to yokai of Japanese folklore called Tsurubi Otoshi. These yokai resemble giant disembodied heads and are known to attack humans by dropping from a tree then eating their prey. Due to their smaller size, Kashira might be more influenced by the Buddhist talismans called Daruma Before Chihiro is employed at the onsen, Yubaba steals several characters from her name, but leaves one character, which means sen, or 1,000 in English. This new name is likely a metaphor for what Chihiro is to Yubaba, a number rather than an individual and a source of money. However, the kanji for Chihiro can't be interpreted as meaning 1,000 questions, so in that sense the number stayed the same, but Yubaba removed Chihiro's ability to question. Words and names possess mystical power in the folklore of a number of different cultures, but in Japanese folklore this belief is referred to as kotodama. Kotodama is an important component of Shinto, for example in the creation of paper talismans called omamori. These protective charms are inscribed with the name of a kami and a Shinto shrine, and are therefore imbued with the power of that kami. Yubaba uses this concept somewhat in reverse. She steals Chihiro's name and thus gains power over her. We find out later that she has done the same to Haku, and when Chihiro recalls Haku's true name, he is freed. I should also note that Spirited Away's use of names is similar to their use in the novels of Ursula K. Le Guin, and these were later adapted by Ghibli for Tales of Earthsea. We find out later this stink spirit is not who he appears to be. However, in this form, he resembles a yokai known as Dorotabo. This yokai resembles a man made of mud, and it emerges from muddy rice fields at night. The stink spirit's stink may have also been influenced by Nupepo, a yokai that resembles a grotesque blob of flesh. This yokai can be recognized at a distance by his putrid smell. Of course, this is not actually a he is in fact a river spirit who assumed this form after his river was polluted. Once Chihiro frees the spirit of this pollution, we see his true form. First, his face, which resembles another mask from Noh theater, and specifically an Okina mask which depicts a wise old man. As you can see, the river spirit's lower jaw is tied to his upper jaw with string, much like Noh masks of this type. The river spirit then flies away from the onsen in the form of an Asian-style dragon. In Japanese mythology, as well as East Asian generally, dragons are thought to symbolize and exert control over water in its various forms and nature. For example, the sea, storms, and rain. This perhaps explains why it is raining when the spirit arrives at the onsen, and why the rain stops after he leaves. In Japanese mythology specifically, Mizuchi are dragon or serpent-like creatures thought of as water deities, and sometimes river deities. In fact, one famous legend places the Mizuchi in what is today the Takahashi River in Okuyama Prefecture. Later in the film, it is revealed that Haku is also a river spirit, and thus he also takes the form of a dragon. Nohface possesses several characteristics that are unlike any creature I can find in Japanese folklore. He seems to absorb and mimic the environment he's in. For example, becoming greedy and gluttonous in the bathhouse, then more polite and well-behaved in Zeniba's house. While in the form of a gluttonous monster, Nohface somewhat resembles creatures in Japanese and general Asian folklore called hungry ghosts. Gaki, as they are called in Japanese folklore, are thought to be spirits created by those who were greedy in life. They are usually depicted as emaciated creatures with bloated bellies, and are thought to possess an eternal hunger. In some depictions, they will consume anything they can get their hands on, yet are never able to satiate their hunger. Nohface doesn't physically resemble a Gaki, but they may have influenced his insatiable hunger. These little paper thingies used by Yubaba's sister Zeniba to attack Haku are called shikigami. In Japanese folklore, shikigami are spirits conjured through the art of onmyodo to serve their master. They may possess various forms, but are often invisible unless bound to folded paper dolls like those that attack Haku. Zeniba's lamp also appears to be a shikigami, but one that has taken a different form. In this scene, Chihiro meets Yubaba's massive baby, Bo, whose name means boy. Bo is a not quite so subtle reference to the legendary folk hero, Kintaro, the golden boy. In this tale, Kintaro is left in the wild as a baby and raised by the mountain witch, Yamaoba, who I previously mentioned as a possible inspiration for Yubaba. Kintaro grows into a beefy young toddler who possesses superhuman strength, great courage, and the convenient ability to communicate with animals. Like Kintaro, Bo also possesses great strength as well as size much exceeding most depictions of Kintaro. Another clue is Bo's bib, which is inscribed with the character for his name. This is very similar to the bib that Kintaro wears in many depictions, inscribed with the gold. Bo is not very brave at first, but after his transformation and journey with Chihiro, he begins to resemble Kintaro in that regard as well. Those are all the references to mythology, folklore, and other kinds of culture that I found most interesting and spirited away. As I said earlier, much of this was my interpretation, not what Miyazaki has stated, so keep that in mind. If I missed an interesting reference to mythology or folklore that you noticed, please let me know what it is in the comments below, and please point out any mistakes that you noticed. Also, let me know what movie or show I should review next. In many ways, Spirited Away was the film that sparked my very weeby obsession with Japanese mythology. Well, actually, Princess Mononoke first, then Spirited Away. Regardless, this video was a lot of fun for me to make, and I hope it enriches your enjoyment of this anime masterpiece. If you enjoyed the video, please give it a like, subscribe to the channel if you haven't already, check out these other videos that delve into the mythology behind movies or TV, and thanks for watching. Until next time.