Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is a Studio Ghibli film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Miyazaki, an artistic genius, was heavily involved in all aspects of his films. Mononoke is no exception. Mononoke is a nuanced film. On one level, one may read it as Miyazaki's reflection on his home country, Japan, particularly its history and industrial development. On another level, one may read it as a drama of material and spiritual forces in conflict. On the broadest level, one may read it as Miyazaki's deepest exploration of nature and humanitys relationship with it.

Princess Mononoke, or San, with a wolf god

Like many great works of art, the relevance and power of Mononoke has increased with time. Mononoke is a staggering masterpiece of narrative animation, demonstrating without doubt that animation narratives can be just as serious, artistic and meaningful as live-action ones. 

Many works of art contain vital lessons and can have a positive impact on those who experience them. Mononoke is one of those works. Particularly, I think Mononoke is relevant to our world leaders. Mononoke takes a subtle, accurate and multi-dimensional view on the nature of conflict and provides deep insight into humanitys greatest problems. Unfortunately, many of our current world leaders, particularly the ones with most material influence and power, do not embody the lessons of this film.

The setting of Mononoke is partly historical, set in Japan in the Muromachi period (1338-1573), and partly imaginative and mythical, as its world is populated by gods and spirits. This point already indicates the subtlety of Miyazaki's thought. Although Miyazaki's worlds are richly imaginative and fantastical, they are also serious comments on history, society and culture.

The start of Mononoke introduces us to Ashitaka, a human, and one of the gods, a boar god named Nago. In an aggressive demonic state, Nago charges into an Emishi village. Ashitaka, a prince of this village, attempts to stop the demonic god from harming the villagers. In doing so, Ashitaka becomes infected by the malevolent force that infected the god.

Ashitaka

An elderly woman of this village, Oracle, informs Ashitaka that without help, regarding his infection, he will die, and that help may be found to the west, where Nago came from, so long as Ashitaka "sees with eyes unclouded". Before Ashitaka leaves, Oracle presents a lump of iron that was found within Nago, the cause of his anguish and demonic state. Oracle also informs Ashitaka of the social turmoil and calamity that is occurring in the west. During Ashitakas travels we see evidence of such turmoil plaguing the lands, from desperate villagers to pillaging samurai.

To clarify, in "real life" historical terms, the Emishi village of which Ashitaka is a prince would have been one of the few remaining. By the 9th century AD, most of the land the Emishi had occupied was conquered by the Japanese imperial armies. The Emishi tribes were thus driven northward. Before Ashitaka leaves his village for the west, an elderly villager states "More than 500 years have passed since the Mikado drove us into this land. Now we hear how his power fades and the fangs of his shoguns are broken. But the blood of our tribe likewise grows thin. And, bitter fate, the youth who was to lead us must journey far to the west".

With Ashitaka travelling to the west, we are introduced to the primary conflict of the film. This conflict is between the rise of industry and materialism, symbolised by lady Eboshi and Irontown, and the ancient order of animism and nature, symbolised by the gods and spirits. More broadly, this conflict represents the clash of two fundamental human attitudes and philosophical positions. Materialism and spiritualism.

Eboshi is a human. She is in charge of an iron manufacturing town, fittingly named Irontown. In order to produce iron, Eboshi is involved in the destruction of the surrounding forests, the dwelling place of the gods and spirits. For this reason and others, she is a fierce opponent of such gods. Particularly, Eboshi is an enemy of the wolf gods. Another human, San, or Princess Mononoke, is a member of the wolf god clan.

Ashitaka arrives at Irontown with two of its injured inhabitants, who were left for dead by Eboshi after an attack from the wolf gods. Here we learn that the women who work the bellows of the town were once prostitutes, and that Eboshi gave them the opportunity of another way of life. We also learn that Eboshi houses and cares for lepers. But as well as these factors, we are made aware that Eboshi was responsible for the iron lump lodged within Nago, and thus also responsible for the negative curse transferred to Ashitaka. We are made aware that Eboshi is destroying the forest of the gods to produce iron and that when the boar gods attempted to stop her, those gods were shot at with guns made at Irontown. Eboshi has nothing but disdain for the gods. The gods understandably loathe and want to destroy her. Negative and positive aspects of Eboshi's personality are addressed here in order to illustrate that conflicts are always complex and never absolute or one-sided. This multi-dimensionality, in terms of conflict and human personality, is what makes Mononoke such a powerful film that accurately renders reality.

The gods that we encounter, mainly the boar and wolf gods, are in no way idealised, one-dimensional or supremely intelligent creatures. They possess magical powers, but are arguably just as ruthless and blind as Eboshi. Eboshi, the industrialist and materialist, aggressively wants to expand her domain and power, but also aims to protect her village and it's inhabitants. The gods, particularly the wolf gods and San, aggressively want to destroy Eboshi, in order to stop her destruction of the forest in which they and others live. Both sides are understandable and multi-faceted, but are also blinded by aggression and stubbornness. It takes the indefatigable fairness, sensitivity and will of an outsider, Ashitaka, to help resolve the conflict.

San and Lady Eboshi

The film, I feel, seems to be advising us that blind aggression can only lead to unnecessary suffering and pain. This film is a modern parable or fable showing us that every issue, every conflict and every human being is nuanced, and that when we recognise this we can begin to act with fairness and we can begin to heal the deep wounds of society. A character like Ashitaka is admirable and noble because, while being intelligent, kind and just, he is also determined, steadfast and strong. The character of Nausicaa, who appears in Studio Ghiblis first film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, also embodies these laudable characteristics.

San and Eboshi are figures with much charisma. They have great agency, determination and will. They are both physically powerful, as well as being intelligent and perceptive. Miyazaki's portrayal of female characters is highly significant and runs through all his films and manga. This topic alone deserves more study and focus.

Three of Miyazakis films - Mononoke, Spirited Away (2001) and My Neighbour Totoro (1988) - are heavily influenced by the indigenous religion of Japan, Shinto. The gods of 

Tree spirits, or Kodama, from Mononoke

Mononoke may be seen as kami, Shinto gods. Though it is not spelled out, in Mononoke such gods are animal embodiments of spirits. Shishigami, for example, is, diurnally, a deer god embodying the spirit of the forest. Refreshingly, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There are no rigid divisions between right and wrong and figures are not absolutely good or evil. In this respect, Shinto recognises the multi-dimensional nature of reality, as does Mononoke. The greatest insight to be derived from Mononoke is that there are no binary divisions in the world. Its characters and conflicts are multi-faceted and complicated. Kodama, tree spirits that occur in Japanese folklore, also appear in Mononoke. Such points show that Mononoke, as well as being embedded in Japanese history, is also embedded in Japanese folklore and religion.

As well as being at war with the gods, Eboshi is at war with lord Asano and his samurai. Eboshi has plans with Jigo, a sly character of stout stature. Eboshi is to obtain the head of the forest spirit for Jigo, who claims that they can then destroy lord Asano together. Jigo works for the emperor, and it is implied that the emperor believes the head of the forest spirit will bestow immortality. We do not actually see lord Asano or the emperor; this does not affect the plot. The conflicts between Irontown and lord Asano, as well as Jigo and the emperor's involvement, further demonstrate the social turmoil that the film depicts. In this respect the film has various levels; historical, political, social, as well as philosophical and mythical.

After a devastating battle between Irontown and the boar and wolf gods, Eboshi's ultimate harmful act is the shooting of Shishigami, the forest spirit. Shishigami, arguably intended by Miyazaki to be an embodiment or personification of nature, is not an explicitly good, righteous or compassionate figure. Shishigami does not take sides or express a particular point of view. It is a giver and taker of life. There is something about the forest spirit that commands the utmost respect. It is elusive, silent and uninvolved in ordinary conflicts. After the forest spirit's head is captured by Jigo, the same spirit, in its nocturnal nightwalker manifestation, roams the land in search for it, destroying all life in its path. Eboshi's negative selfish intentions have created harmful demonic effects, as they had with Nago. When the forest spirit regains its head, curses are lifted and life restored. 

Though Eboshi and the gods are arguably as blind and harmful as each other, Eboshi comes across as worse. It is Eboshi who initiated the main conflict by destroying the dwelling place of the gods (Eboshi started it!) and Eboshi decapitated the forest spirit for purely selfish reasons. The wolf and boar gods are at least aware of the importance of Shishigami. But these reasons alone, maybe, are not enough to claim that Eboshi comes across as worse. After the battle between Irontown and the gods, Ashitaka informs Eboshi that lord Asanos samurai are attacking Irontown, and its women, and that such women have asked for and require Eboshi's help. But Eboshi does not return to Irontown, stating that she has done all she can for her women, and carries on with her task of decapitating the forest spirit. This dismissive and selfish act undermines what had been suggested earlier on in the film, in that it was implied that she cared for the women of her town. Similarly, earlier in the film, Eboshi leaves four of her men for dead after an attack from the wolf gods. Further showing that, when it comes down to it, Eboshi does not care for her people and is certainly not loyal to them. Such points may be seen as a criticism of the film, in that the film attempts, in other scenes, to show Eboshi as being somewhat caring.

Lady Eboshi and Jigo

Mononoke is a sophisticated, dark and brilliantly articulated exploration of important themes and phenomena. Through Ashitaka and Shishigami, we learn that to blindly and solely follow either materialism or spirituality is harmful and ineffective, and that one would do well to cooperate with as opposed to exploit ones environment. Such messages are conveyed indirectly through a narrative that in no way preaches or sermonises. In Mononoke, the world is a multi-faceted and synergetic combination of spirit and matter, with spirits taking on explicit and imaginative manifestations (as in Totoro and Spirited Away), indicating influences from Japans indigenous religion, Shinto. Industrial developments are seen as inevitable and even positive, provided that they work alongside nature. One of the main reasons Mononoke stands out to me is that rarely does one get a multi-dimensional portrayal of conflicts and characters in a story. The firm division between good and evil just seems entrenched in our ways of thinking. Also, the animation work is particularly beautiful.