Princess Mononoke
An Exploration of Environmentalism Through the Lens of Shinto
Introduction
Princess Mononoke, an epic film about a young hero seeking to lift a curse and moderate peace between humans and kami, conveys environmentalist messages while leveraging elements of Shinto to enhance its story. Many tenets of Shinto appear in the film, with the most visible and significant being kami. Other religious elements such as shamanism and the idea of purification also arise in the narrative. The message of Princess Mononoke calls for humankind to reshape their views on nature in order to build a more sustainable and harmonious future, an idea which despite the medieval setting of the film, rings true to modern concerns about climate change and environmental stewardship. In utilizing Shinto concepts to communicate its message, the film contributes to current discourse on the relationship between Shinto and environmentalism.
Background
Princess Mononoke, or Mononoke-hime, was released in 1997 by Studio Ghibli (Miyazaki). It was the highest grossing film in Japan that year, won best picture at the Japanese Academy Awards, and received overwhelmingly positive reviews both in Japan and abroad (Levi). Princess Mononoke was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, a creator of many of Japan’s most iconic films who has been hailed as one of the greatest animated filmmakers of all time. A self-proclaimed pacifist and environmentalist (Mishan), Miyazaki often addresses these ideas in his films. Although Miyazaki has distanced himself from organized religion, spirituality and religious concepts such as those derived from Shinto play important roles in his films (Morgan). Princess Mononoke is no exception as a film of Miyazaki, as its story contains many Shinto influences and conveys powerful environmentalist messages.
Plot Summary
The characters in Princess Mononoke exhibit a diverse set of motives, beliefs, and moral compasses. Both human and kami figures alike exhibit benevolent and malevolent sides. The clashing of the characters’ ideologies on how humans, kami, and the environment should coexist forms the basis of the story.
Elements of Shinto
The many kami in the story of Princess Mononoke are the most easily recognizable element of Shinto in the film. In fact, the term “mononoke” itself refers to vengeful spirits (Nishioka). The kami in the film are shown to reside in natural features such as trees. The forest is filled with kodama, tree spirits in Japanese folklore associated with the tree kami Kukunochi, which is described in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki (Nakayama). Princess Mononoke also features several clans of animal-like kami, including apes, wolves, and boars. As noted by Antonia Levi, the boar kami are reminiscent of the deity which brings about the downfall of the hero Yamato-Take in the Kojiki (Chamberlain; Levi). Although animal spirits are common in Shinto, there are relatively few appearances of these particular creatures in Shinto texts and traditions. This may be a strategic choice by Miyazaki to avoid animals with previously established connotations in Shinto.
The most powerful kami in Princess Mononoke is the Great Forest Spirit. The Great Forest Spirit, along with other kami in the film such as Okkoto, displays both benevolent and malevolent sides depending on its treatment by humans. For example, the Great Forest Spirit heals Ashitaka’s wounds due to his respectful attitude towards the forest and kami but unleashes apocalyptic destruction on the land after being beheaded by Lady Eboshi.
The relationship between the humans and kami changes over the course of the film. In the beginning, the people of Iron Town are fearful and misunderstanding of the kami, as shown by the ox driver’s comical reaction towards the kodama. This fear inspires hostility between humans and kami. However at the end of the story, the humans gain a better understanding of the kami and show a desire to rebuild their civilization in a way that is respectful towards the kami.
Another religious element that appears in Princess Mononoke is the practice of shamanism. An old woman is the shaman of Ashitaka’s village, as she communicates with the dying kami Nago and performs divination using stones, leaves, and bones to discern Ashitaka’s fate. Although these practices are suggestive of the ancient Shinto practices of female shamanism and bone divination (Suzuki; Kawamura), they are more likely inspired by the religious practices of ethnic minorities in Japan such as the Emishi or Ainu, who also had traditions of female shamanic diviners (Kitagawa). Both the Emishi and other ethnic groups interact with the same deities in Princess Mononoke, which exemplifies the highly syncretic and pantheistic nature of Shinto that was characteristic of the religion throughout most of its history.
The Emishi shaman performs divination
Purification is an important tenet of Shinto that appears in Princess Mononoke. Rituals of purification, such as the practice of washing one’s hands and mouth before entering a shrine, are deeply entrenched in Shinto traditions (Schumacher). Purification in Shinto is not just a physical but also a moral phenomenon, and it is believed that by purifying their hearts and minds and showing respect to kami, people are able to improve their circumstances and build a better world (Morgan). The final events of Princess Mononoke represent this idea, as after witnessing the wrath and dissolution of the Great Forest Spirit, the people of Iron Town show a newfound respect towards the kami and Lady Eboshi finds the clarity to rebuild an improved Iron Town.
Shinto and Environmentalism
In recent years, Shinto priests and scholars have been making efforts to rethink the relationship between humans and the environment in the context of Shinto. As climate change becomes an increasingly pressing issue, religions around the world are adapting to the ideas of environmentalism, with Shinto being no exception. Aike Rots coined the concept of the “Shinto environmentalist paradigm,” which describes the emerging idea that “Shinto is a primordial tradition of nature worship, said to contain ancient ecological knowledge on how to live in harmonious coexistence with nature,” (Rots). Sonoda Minoru also expressed desire to associate Shinto with environmentalism, saying that Shinto views on plant and animal life could be “the very key to the environmental problems that now confront us,” (Minoru). This new environmentalist view pulls from Shinto’s origins as a religion of nature worship, as well as the desire to reconstruct the traditions and beliefs of Shinto apart from its problematic nationalistic past.
Princess Mononoke calls for a change the relationship between humans and the environment. The development of Iron Town and the humans’ expansion into the forest is unsustainable, culminating in the near destruction of the region at the end of the film. The people of Iron Town learn that in order to create a sustainable future, they must live harmoniously with the natural world. As previously discussed, Princess Mononoke contains many elements derived from Shinto and establishes an inextricable bond between kami and nature. As such, the film can be seen as an example of the association of Shinto and environmentalism, in that it seeks to rethink and transform the relationship between nature and humankind through the lens of Shinto.
Left: The Great Forest Spirit destroys Iron Town. Right: The people of Iron Town watch in awe as the forest regrows.
Conclusion
Princess Mononoke thematizes environmentalism within a Shinto framework. Shinto elements such as kami and the concept of purification are present throughout the film. Princess Mononoke portrays ideological conflicts between characters with differing views on the relationship between humans, kami, and the environment. At the end of the story, the human inhabitants of Iron Town learn to aspire to live more harmoniously with nature. There is currently an evolving dialogue among Shinto priests and scholars about using Shinto as a means to understand and resolve environmental issues. Princess Mononoke is an example of the consideration of environmentalism in the context of Shinto.
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