Mythological Foundations of Spirited Away (part one)

Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar-winning movie Spirited Away is a perfect blend of the horrors of society and mythology from all over the world. Over the years, many have praised and discussed Spirited Away as a piece of art. Miyazaki is famous for skillfully blending myth and real life in his movies, and Spirited Away is no exception. Knowing more about the characters and the plot and the little details in the movie alongside the stories that inspired Spirited Away will eventually lead to a better understanding of it.

This blog is about my interpretation of some of the characters of Spirited Away and also some mythological motifs I happened to recognize. There are hints of different stories not only from Japanese culture but also from many other cultures around the world.

First and foremost, let's talk about the title of the movie. What's thought-provoking is that the Japanese title is Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi ("Sen to Chihiro's Spiriting Away"), which references the folklore of the same name, Kamikakushi. The name itself means 'being taken or abducted by the gods.' In Japanese tradition, this folklore explains the disappearance or death of children. Families who lost their children believed in kamikakushi rather than the tragic reality of their loss. Moreover, these mysterious disappearances don't only include children. Her parents are punished for their greed and consumption of their food in the world of spirits. In Japan, certain areas of specific jungles are considered sacred places or realms of the Kami, meaning that these areas belong to the gods, and any human transgressions are considered highly offensive.

Torii Gates, Hokora & Dōsojin

©Studio Ghibli "Torii gate"

The first hint of the Kami world we see in the movie is the wooden Torii gate. These gates signify the entrance to a sacred place, like a shrine in the Shinto religion. The gate foreshadows the family's entrance to the secret realm of gods. The next hint is the little stone houses lying on the ground called Hokora, which Chihiro points out and asks her mother about, and her mother later explains, "They're the houses for guardian spirits." These roadside stone houses and statues represent minor Kami, or spirits, called Dōsojin.

©Studio Ghibli "Dōsojin"

Not long after the stone houses, Chihiro notices other roadside statues like the one in front of the tunnel's entrance. Other than signifying the realm of the gods, they represent boundaries. Chihiro's father is forced to hit the brakes of his car because of the stone statue in front of the tunnel. This is when the parents are interested in exploring further, but Chihiro gets cold feet and suggests they don't progress further and go back to the road. Another interesting point about Hokora is that they're said to protect travellers and people in transitional phases, as our protagonist, Chihiro's personality and views, will eventually go through a massive transformation.

Shadow Kami & Pigs

©Studio Ghibli  "Yokai"

As the sun sets, everything around Chihiro starts to change rapidly. She begins to feel even more nervous and runs around to find an exit as soon as possible after Haku warns her that her presence is forbidden in this place. The marketplace is filled with transparent, shadowy figures that frighten Chihiro. These figures represent kami, or gods that traditionally aren't visible to the human eye until they inhabit another form, like trees, rivers, and other elements in nature. In this movie, their depiction is close to yokai, or spirit, in Japanese folklore. 

©Studio Ghibli 

Soon after that, Chihiro finally gets to find her parents, but, tragically enough, they've both been transformed into pigs. At first glance, the pigs appear to be a metaphor for Chihiro's parents' greed and gluttony or simply consumerism and how it can strip a person of their identity. Later in the movie, it's revealed that Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse, has transformed them into pigs for eating the food of Kami without permission.

Eat food from this world to stay.

©Studio Ghibli 

©Studio Ghibli 

Later, when Chihiro thinks she's totally alone in this world, she begins to panic, and not long after, she's terrified to watch her hands blend into the background and vanish. Haku gives her a berry to eat so she can stay in the spirit world and not disappear. When a journey to the underworld is mentioned, maybe the most well-known story that comes to my mind is the story of the abduction of Persephone. Similar to this story, when Persephone is abducted, she's given 6 pomegranate seeds to eat after entering the underworld for the months she could stay in the underworld. 

Apart from Greek mythology, in the Japanese creation myth, the story of To the Underworld ("Yomi no Kuni") might also be another inspiration for this scene. Izanagi and Izanami are considered to be the creators of the Japanese archipelago and the immediate ancestors of many deities. In this specific story, Izanami, terribly burnt from childbirth, dies after giving birth to the Kami of fire. Her death is the first-ever death in Japanese mythology.

Izanagi (her brother/partner), furious with rage and sorrow, beheads the child because he blames it for his wife's death and travels to the underworld (Yomi, the land of the dead) to search for his wife. When he finally finds Izanami, she has already eaten the fruit of the dead and is doomed to stay in Yomi forever. Izanami asks Izanagi to promise he won't come back to look for her again until she finds a way to come back to the land of the living. But the grief-stricken Izanagi breaks his promise and goes back to Yomi just to witness his wife's body fully rotten and covered in maggots. Horrified, he tries to run back to the land of the living, but Izanami, angry and ashamed for being seen in a state of decay, persuades Izanagi to stay with her for the rest of his life. But he escapes and blocks the entrance of Yomi with a boulder so that Izanami could never follow. This formed a barrier between the worlds of the living and the dead for the rest of history.

No-Face and other minor characters

©Studio Ghibli 

The first time Chihiro encounters No-Face is on the bridge where she has to hold her breath to pass in order to not disturb any god or spirit. But No-Face is different from other Kami, and it shows from its first appearance. Chihiro attracts his attention even when she's not breathing, as we see No-Face turning his face and looking at Chihiro. 

©Studio Ghibli 

No-Face was originally designed by Miyazaki, but some mythological and folkloric inspirations can be seen. Some sources suggest his similarity to the Japanese folklore creature "Gaki," or the hungry ghost, because of its literal and metaphorical connection to societal greed and insatiable hunger. Concerning his appearance, the mask references the traditional Japanese theatre masks called "Noh." So No-Face's mask is like Noh masks, but some of these masks are called "Onryo" and are meant to depict evil spirits or ghosts. 

©Studio Ghibli 

Putting myth aside, on a personal note, I think No-Face mirrors what he sees around him. He isn't moved by Chihiro's kindness or Yubaba's greed. He starts to behave generously around the workers of the bathhouse because he's mirroring Chihiro's kindness and love in her heart (since we get to learn that Chihiro is in love with Haku and cares for him) and the workers' greed and self-interest once he's let in the bathhouse and starts to consume huge amounts of food. Towards the end of the story, he is pretty calm and creative in Zeniba's cottage and starts knitting because he's again mirroring Zeniba's lifestyle and views.

©Studio Ghibli  "Namahage"

There are so many minor characters in Spirited Away that have mythological backgrounds in the other world as more guests arrive at the bathhouse. The horned Kami resembles "Namahage," a Japanese folklore creature known as "Oni." They're horned, demon-like ogres with straw capes and Oni masks. In Akita prefecture, there's a yearly tradition in which men would dress up as Namahage to scare children into good behaviour.

©Studio Ghibli "Kasuga-Sama"

The masked Kami who visit the bathhouse in groups by ferry represent Kasuga-Sama. Named after the Shinto shrine in Nara prefecture, these Kami wear Sokutai (traditional clothes worn by the Japanese nobility) and paper masks called "zoumen." In this shrine some dancers called "Bugaku" would perform specific ritual dances called "Amma," wearing the same paper masks.

©Studio Ghibli 

Kamaji the boiler man is another original character, but his resemblance to the Japanese yokai called "Tsuchigumo" is recognizable. These creatures are giant spiders with the face of an Oni and the body of a tiger. They can transform into humans as a hunting strategy and alter their size, similar to what Kamaji does in the movie. He can stretch his hands to reach all the drawers of the basement and prepare herbal baths for the guests. In folklore, Tsuchigumo was exterminated by Emperor Jimmu.

©Studio Ghibli 

The fact that we don't get to see any other creatures like Kamaji in the movie is that he's the last of his kind and has been enslaved by Yubaba's greed for money and capitalism in the bathhouse. Despite Tsuchigumo's demon-like nature and appearance, Kamaji happens to be very kind towards Chihiro as he helps her get a job and shelter herself, and later in the movie gives up his 40-year-old train tickets for her to save her parents.

©Studio Ghibli 

On a personal note, Spirited Away is definitely a movie that could move anybody of any age at any time of their life. It's one of those movies that always leaves one intrigued with a new perspective to take into consideration. Hope you enjoyed this analysis of Spirited Away. Come back for part two!