![]() ![]() ![]() Rao, Issun’s favourite “busty babe,” undoubtedly performs the ill-fated role of Tamomo-no-Mae, but as with the legend of Orochi and Susano, the developers have added their own twist to the tale. ![]() This story plays into many sub-plots of the game’s middle arc. Despite his warm feelings toward Tamomo-no-Mae, the Emperor eventually agreed to send out his best warriors to kill Tamomo-no-Mae in a bid to save himself from certain death. Gathering his wisest advisers to solve the mystery of his illness, it was eventually discovered that Tamomo-no-Mae was really a kitsune plotting to take over the throne by getting close to the Emperor. But one day he fell ill without cause or explanation and there seemed to be no cure for his ailments. She was also incredibly intelligent– even though she only appeared to be about twenty years old she could answer any question on any subject, and the Emperor (and everyone else for that matter) quickly found himself completely besotted with her. Tamomo-no-Mae was an extremely beautiful courtesan who served the Japanese Emperor Konoe. There have been many hapless literary heroes over the years who have found themselves tricked or seduced by a kitsune-possessed woman or two, but the tale that concerns us most is the story of “Tamamo-no-Mae.” Typically they enter through one’s fingernails or chest (undoubtedly the latter in Rao’s case), and there’s even a Japanese phrase to describe this state of being: kitsunetsuki. Generally depicted as cunning and mischievous creatures, it’s believed that the more tails a fox has, the more intelligence, wisdom and power they possess, with nine tails conferring the highest god-like status.īut foxes also have a habit of possessing people in Japanese folklore, as Rao so unfortunately found out in Ōkami. But the real story behind this multi-tailed fox comes from the longstanding relationship that the fox (or kitsune) has had in Japanese history. Now the name Ninetails will no doubt be ringing some bells for all you Pokémaniacs out there as the evolution of Vulpix, one of the original 150 Pokémon. Today I’ll be fast-forwarding to the second main arc of the game: Ammy’s quest to save Sei-an City and Ryoshima Coast from the Dark Lord Ninetails. Last time I looked at the stories surrounding Amaterasu (the game’s main star), Issun (her wandering artist companion), the great warrior Susano and his battle with Orochi, and Kaguya (princess of the Moon Tribe). Thankfully, my kind and generous editors have allowed me to continue this odyssey into Ōkami‘s hidden Japanese folklore, so without further ado, let’s get started. When I began writing the first part of this article, it wasn’t long before I realised that Ōkami was utterly jam-packed with layer upon layer of myths and legends spanning the entire length of Japanese history– certainly far too many to cover in only one editorial. ![]()
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