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Princess Fuse, or Fusehime, comes not from mythology but from an epic novel written by Kyokutei Bakin from 1814-1842, which he wrote to compete with the great Chinese novel Water Margin. The title, Nansô Satomi Hakkenden, translates to “Legend of the Eight Dog Heroes of the Satomi Clan of...

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Remember the story of Happyaku Bikuni (from my last post on Rao)? In one version, as the nun travels around, she plants camellia trees wherever she goes. Called tsubaki in Japanese, these trees have lovely flowers and are used to make tea.

Camille and Camellia’s ancestors, Peony and Peoni, did just this. 

D’you live around here, wolf? We decided we wanted to plant a Guardian Tree in Nippon. So we set off on a trip with the seedlings of this Konohana tree. The Konohana tree’s revered as a sacred guardian where we’re from. Wherever it grows, happiness grows with it. And we heard Nippon was a place of sadness, so… I’ll be so happy if our Konohana tree helps even a bit. And the air in this village is so clean and pure. I’m sure it’ll grow into a beautiful, big tree.

I’m not sure of the specific symbolism of Peony/Peoni’s name, but peonies are popular in Asian art, and “white peony” is one of the most famous Chinese teas. But even though they planted peach trees rather than camellias, Camille and Camellia’s names are obvious throwbacks to the Happyaku Bikuni legend.

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Remember those weird clay aliens who are such a pain to fight? Yeah, I don’t want to either.

But the actual history of the dogu is really quite fascinating. Dating from the Jomon period (10,000 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E), when Japan was populated by numerous hunter-gatherer cultures, but mostly...found during the middle and late eras, there are many conjectures for the purpose of these ornate dolls. 

Most agree that they were charms for health or good childbirth. Many of them have been found in pieces on trash piles, meaning they might have been broken either after a wish was fulfilled or if it failed to be. They could also have been representations of goddesses prayed to for food or health. And among other possible explanations, of course, there are those who believe they are sculptures of aliens, probably inspiring the way Okami’s dogu beam down from space. Meanwhile, their age alone was clearly inspiration for the gigantic dogu statues in Tsuta Ruins, and also why they only appear as enemies in the past.

There is a wide variety of dogu types and they have been found all over Japan. This is the main reason a singular purpose for dogu has been impossible to determine. This element of mystery is clear in Okami as well. The only definite thing was that their production ceased with the arrival of the Yayoi people to Japan, who eclipsed the Jomon culture. The scattered ruins in Okami hint at a similar—but perhaps less bloody—past. Of all the dogu types, though, the “goggles type” dogu, seen above, is certainly the most iconic. 

More kinds of dogu. The second one on the left should look familiar.

Sources:  E-yakimono Metropolis 

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A horrible tragedy suddenly swept over the land. However, there was one village that seemed to escape the terrible curse. The tiny settlement of Kamiki Village enjoyed the protection of a sacred tree. It is here that the real story begins.

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