Miko are instantly recognizable in their striking regalia of white kimono and red hakama trousers. Lastly, many series feature young women in the role of miko, or “shrine maidens” who work at Shinto shrines in service to the gods. These dolls resemble little ghosts and are said to be modeled after a bald-headed Buddhist monk whose hairless pate shines in the sun teru teru bozu literally means “shiny, shiny monk.” Japanese children often make these dolls out of tissue paper as talismans against bad weather. “Good weather dolls” called teru teru bozu also show up frequently in the film. In many scenes Hina prays for sunny weather at a rooftop shrine with an iconic red torii gate the trailer for the movie shows raindrops reversing course as she passes through the torii, which is considered the boundary between the human and spiritual realms. Weathering With You also prominently features Shinto and folkloric imagery. In this film as in Shinkai’s previous blockbuster hit Your Name, the power of kami is entwined with nature. Likewise, in Makoto Shinkai’s film Weathering With You, a girl named Hina is a vessel for special powers bestowed by the gods: her prayers can drive away rain and bring sunshine. Representation of the ‘Shinigami’ from Ehon Hyaku Monogatari (1841) In contrast, Death Note protagonist Light uses his shinigami powers to impose his unforgiving worldview on society and kill those he deems unworthy. In Bleach, this turns the protagonist Ichigo into a hero who fights against evil spirits, communicates with souls of the deceased, and adventures into the realms of spirits and ghosts. Gods of death, called shinigami, are often referenced in anime a nd in two famous series, Bleach and Death Note, the main characters acquire the powers of shinigami. In other fantasy anime and manga works, kami are the source of a character’s spiritual power or the driving force behind otherworldly events. Here, we’ll look at how the storytellers use kami as a source of supernatural power, and as protagonists in other modern stories. In Part I we examined Shinto and natural themes which appear in popular anime and manga works. References to Japanese religion and folklore often appear in media as tropes, storytelling devices for describing situations the creator can assume the audience will recognize. I’ve described how Japanese religions have made an impression on the country’s main media export: manga and anime.
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