The following contains spoilers for Spirited Away.
Spirited Away is one ofStudio Ghibli’s most famous and beloved movies, both in Japan and abroad. The story and characters have captivated the hearts of so many people over the years, and its popularity has not died down no matter how manynew moviesStudio Ghibli has made. But did you know that many of the characters and themes in the movie are actually based on characters from Japanese mythology and folklore?
Understanding their inspirations and origins can help bring a whole new level of understanding toSpirited Away’s already heartwarming and charming story. While in Japan, most people would be able to instantly make the connections between these characters and their cultural counterparts, others who are less familiar with Japanese folklore may miss thedeeper meaningsbehind them. Nearly all the characters at the bathhouse that Chihiro becomes trapped in have some basis in Japanese mythos, and we will look at a few of the most famous ones.
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Chihiro’s Journey
The very premise ofSpirited Away, the story of a young girl who is taken in by gods and works for them in their bathhouse, is based on the traditional Japanese belief of “kamikakushi.” This idea believes that sometimes spirits take away children, and throughout history has been used as a comfort for parents who lose their children. Believing that they were taken by the gods is better than accepting a far darker reality of where their child has gone.
Another small detail important to Chihiro’s journey is that she both enters and leaves the spiritual realm through a tunnel. According to Japanese superstition, traveling through tunnels canlead people into another world. The tunnel serves as the gateway between the human world and that of the spirits, and when Chihiro finally exits through it once again she is able to go back to her regular life.
Yubaba
One of the most memorable characters in Spirited Away is Yubaba, the old lady who runs the bathhouse and entraps Chihiro and her parents. Yubaba is depicted as a hugeold womanwith magic powers, who cares greatly for her giant baby and will do anything to protect him. She is also shown as cold and unforgiving to everyone else, and threatens to eat Chihiro’s parents, whom she has turned into pigs, if Chihiro is not able to choose them from a group of other pigs.
Yubaba is based on the legend of a Japanese mountain witch known as “yamauba.” According to the legend, yamauba are old women who do indeed turn humans into animals with the intent to eat them, which is exactly what Yubaba does to Chihiro’s parents. On the flip side, yamauba are also nurturing mothers who have children many times a year and care very deeply for their families. This trait is shown in how much Yubaba cares for her baby, and how she does everything she can to care for him despite her attitude towards others.
Haku
One of the most popular characters inSpirited Awayaround the word is Haku, the boy who helps Chihiro at the start of the movie - and whom she eventually helps in return. While Haku can take the form of a human boy, his true form is revealed tobe a flying dragon. What’s more, near the end of the film Chihiro realises he is actually the embodiment of the Nigihayami Kohakunushi, the “god of the swift amber river” (simply called the Kohaku River in the English dub).
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Nigihayami Kohaukunushi is likely a reference to the old Japanese tale of Nigiyahahi, a man who betrayed his brother-in-law and took the side of the emperor. Haku is also set up to betray everyone at the beginning of the movie, hoping to learn Yubaba’s magic for himself at the cost of his friends, especially the trust of Kamaji. He is also a known thief, stealing from Yubaba’s sister. However, this is where the mythos and the movie part ways, because Haku’s path is changed by Chihiro’s positive influence.
Kamaji
Kamaji is the many-limbed man who works the boiler room at the bathhouse, and who helps both Chihiro and Haku when they are in trouble. He is based on a spider-like yokai, a Japanese spirit, called “tsuchigumo.”
This term has also been used throughout Japanese traditional literature to refer to people who are lesser,defy Imperial authority, and are often depicted as living in pits. In Spirited Away, Yubaba can be seen as the Imperial authority, living at the top of the bathhouse while Kamaji works hard in the basement. He does not openly fight against her, but he does defy her by helping Chihiro and Haku.
Other Yokai
In the background of the bathhouse, there are a lot of other spirits you can see. Many are based on designs inspired by many yokai traditions, though most have been changed a bit according to Hayao Miyazaki’s creative vision. One of the most memorable ones, known as the Radish Spirit in theEnglish dub, has a very different name in Japanese - Oshirisama.
While Oshirisama is the name of a god of agriculture in the Shinto belief, the character is likely based on a very different set of traditional Japanese dolls. They look nothing like radishes, however, and are instead connected to the story Tamaya-Gozen, and look like a horse and a woman. The Radish Spirit is just one example of how the original folklore has been changed for the story, but the roots are still there.
There is a lot that we can learn from watching Studio Ghibli films, andSpirited Awayspecifically teaches us a bit more about Japanese traditional stories and myths. Understanding the superstitions and beliefs behind some of these concepts and characters can add a whole new level of understanding to the film. And knowing how Miyazaki alsodiverted from and reimaginedthe traditional story to create his own is significant, too! The next time you watchSpirited Away, keep your eyes open for how many yokai you can see, and what details in the story now make a little more sense since you know their origin.
