#michizane

[thingsdavidlikes]

菅原道真 - 天神様 by 小川 Ogawasan

[gleaningsinbuddhafields]

Visiting Kitano Tenmangu Shrine

I’ve been writing in my other blog several articles about my family’s visit to Kyoto and Nara in July 2023, but for this particular article, I wanted to write it on this blog instead. You’ll see why shortly. While in Kyoto, we made an unexpected stop at a Shinto shrine called the Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine (北野天満宮) right in the middle of the city. Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine (English / Japanese homepages)…

[kyotodreamtrips]

The Sugawara Tenmangu shrine (菅原天満宮) in Nara, had a special room with bonsai plum blossoms, on display.

[ekikosama]

King Fury/Sugawara

I've never seen a single Sugawara fanart on Tumblr and it's honestly sad cuz' he's one of my favourite characters in Ōkamiden :(

Btw angy little waka

[hornyhermitry]

The many puzzle-pieces that served as inspo for Sukuna

A long time ago I made a little deck about elements of Buddhism woven into Jujutsu Kaisen's story.

Since I got a little time on my hands (and he's finally made it back to the manga!) I'd like to put this little run-down on influences Sukuna draws from here as well and extend a bit on it, since more than 2 years have passed since then. (And I've been meaning to rework the deck, but lack time and wantto get at least this one out properly again).

First of all - I don't think Gege copies any character or legend 1:1. IMO, Gege is drawing from various sources and remixing them into his own thing. Whether that's for the story, setting, characters or specifically Sukuna.

So let's have a look at all the historical and mythological characters Sukuna is remixed from.

Ryoumen Sukuna the 2Chan Urban Legend

This is the one probably the most people have heard about, since Gege openly mentioned having drawn inspiration from this:

The 2Chan post about an urban legend how some construction workers allegedly found a 2 meter sized box labeled as "Ryomen Sukuna" with a mummy of conjoined twins inside. The guys who opened it fell sick. The box was given to a local priest to handle the bad energies and at some later point someone called the priest's son and learned it was some deformed freak who died in a way some Buddhist monks practiced a long time ago - by simply meditating ascetically until you enter mummification while still alive.

You can read more on that here.

This is where Gege was clearly inspired to get mummified Sukuna, full to the brim with negative energy, delivered to the story in a box.

The "Rasetsu" Daijizaiten/Ishanaten (伊舎那)

Rasetsu are demon-spirits that reside in the heavenly realms, who have the power to influence and seduce humans, and then eat them. In Buddhism rasetsu are also believed to act as wardens under The Lord of Hell - Enma - punishing the damned. Ishana/Ishanaten/Isana/Daijizaiten is a demon spirit from the highestheaven of the world of desire and is often shown with a three-pronged spear in right hand, and a bowl of blood in his left. He is one of the eight manifestations of Shiva and presides over cosmic destruction.

While he is usually described with many-faces and many arms, in the Womb World Mandala he appears with two arms, dark red in colour, seated on a dark-blue buffalo, and accompanied by his consort "Uma"(烏摩), also seated on a buffalo.

I believe this is what inspired the design for Sukuna's original giant curse form. Color-coded in red, eating humans, holding a three-pronged spear and drinking blood while causing destruction. Yup. Sounds about right.

Daijizaiten's son, Kitchen God Sukanda/Idaten

Daijizaiten has a son, Idaten, also called Sukanda 塞建駄, who is the God of the Kitchen and looks after the provisions of the Buddhist brotherhood. He is known as a swift runner, because legend has it that he ran with great speed to catch a demon thief who stole the ashes of the deceased Buddha. Wherever there is trouble, he is instantly found there. His appearance is not described. In Japan he is usually in a little shrine attached to the monks' dining-room

I believe this is where Gege got the inspiration to give Sukuna his little cooking theme he got going on around his curse technique and domain. From the Japanese name for the shrine that can be read as an imperial palace's cooking quarter, through his cleave & dismantle technique that is illustrated with respective sushi knives for skinning and chopping fish. And of course he is cooking with fire, as we see with Jogo.

Interesting that Sukuna has all this sushi chef imagery going on, when there is so much fish symbolism in the story and especially the anime - from the culling games' original name Japanese name referring to the annual fish migration to all the fish shown in the Season 1 intro and a lot more. Of course, there is also the little shoutout to this when Sukuna tells Gojo he's nothing but a fish on his chopping board.

Heian era scholar & poet Sugawara no Michizane, deified after death

Sugawara no Michizane was a respected politician and poet at the imperial court for most of his life. Michizane took a great liking to plum ("ume") trees. In his later years, there was a power struggle between rivaling clans and after the emperor he worked under abdicated, he was demoted, banished and sent into exile by the new (Fujiwara) clan who assumed all influential official posts and rose to power. Exiled, he wrote a famous haiku bemoaning the absence of his favourite ume tree.

(It does fit awfully well to Uraume not forgetting Sukuna for a thousand years until they reunite, huh?) According to legend, his favorite plum tree flew from Kyoto to Dazaifu in Kyushu to be with him. Shortly after, he died in exile. Now something very peculiar happened - shortly after Michizane died, the land was struck by death, plague and drought. The new emperor's sons all died one after the other. Lightning repeatedly struck the Imperial Palace's Great Audience Hall and there were rainstorms and floods for weeks.

People assumed Michizane had become a vengeful spirit and built a shrine (Kitano Tenmangu) to appease him, while posthumously restoring his office and titles and planting many ume trees. Legend also states that during Michizane's funeral procession, the bull pulling the cart bearing his remains refused to go any further than a certain spot, so his shrines are usually decorated with statues of bulls.

If you look at it, it's really on the nose, isn`t it? :)

While a few people have been theorizing Sukuna might have known Sugawara no Michizane or that he might be his relative, mostly because Gojo namedrops him as a potential shared ancestor between Gojo and Yuta ... I personally think that Sukuna is partially based on him and I'd love to find out if this is going to have relevance at a later point in the story. We know so little about Sukuna's time as a human, but when you look at the design of his Malevolent Shrine full of ox skulls, the fact his consort is called Uraume and has plum-themed hair and how he refers to himself as a calamity back in the day, much like plagues, famines & storms, the puzzle pieces really fit together quite smoothly.

And as a last puzzle piece: After a life of being revered and looked up to as a court official next to the emperor, Michizane was exiled and fell from grace at the imperial court when another clan took over —- now remember how Sukuna calls himself „the disgraced (or „fallen“) one“. How intriguing, is ‚t it?

As for his tattoos: Inspiration might have been an old Japanese practice to tattoo criminals with symbols indicating their crimes. The practice comes from the Edo times (1603–1867), making it multiple hundred years too late for a Heian (794 to 1185) criminal. Nevertheless, fair game for loose inspiration.

Another inspiration might have been something from a specific Buddhist hell (there are multiples ones). In Kokujou Jigoku (黒縄地獄), the Hell of Black Threads, those who have killed and committed theft, receive marking lines made of black thread on their body from demons and ogres, so these demons know where to hack their bodies apart as punishment, using axes and saws.

What I find intriguing most about Sukuna's tattoos is that he has them on all his bodies - both Yuji's and Megumi's --- which would indicate they are more like, uh, tattooed onto his soul than his own skin, why else would they show up on multiple meatsuits of his? My last guess about the tattoos has no footing anywhere, so take it as a random sidenote - I'm just wondering if he might be sealing something with those sigils. Who knows what their purpose is. Maybe he just likes the look of it, who knows.

So, to recap.

I think Sukuna's appearance in modern times is taken from the 2chan thread as Gege said, his further character design is mostly lent from the Sugawara no Michizane legends (fall from grace, calamities, shrine, ox and "Ume" plum tree included) and his curse form is further inspired by Daijizaiten, the human-eating god of destruction who is also accompanied by an ox and a consort called "Uma" and finished off with a touch of that god's son Sukanda who is a literal kitchen god and a fast runner, tending to a shrine's kitchen.

OF COURSE this man is a scholar turned rogue fun-loving cannibal. <3 His demeanor is not that of a peasant who never learned to read who's struggling to meet ends during a famine, but shows he has been moving among higher ranks back as a human. He attended festivals as a curse/deity and even cares about the seasonal aspect of Yorozu's haiku.

This man has been around the imperial court in the Heian times, knows how to play politics and intrigue and evidently studied mind and soul of humans since way back then, until he rose above it. That's not up for debate, hahaha. Where his arc is going? We shall see. Still hard to say at this point. You'll find me over here, holding out for a flashback to his past. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! -Jisa

Yup, that‘s me writing poetry in blood with my scholar turned curse upon humanity commissioned from JinRozenrot . As my old friend Mr Lecter would say: Tada~ ♥

[kofuku46]

NORAGAMI FAMILY ⛩️ 🌸

Manga Coloring from Noragami, Volume 14

[knockout1207]

梅王 (太宰府まほろば衆)

歌舞伎の演目「菅原伝授手習鑑」より、菅原道真公に付き従っていた舎人の荒事である梅王丸をテーマにした演舞。

From the Kabuki play "Sugawara denju tenarai kagami" , this performance is based on the theme of Umeomaru, a prefect who followed Lord Sugawara Michizane.

[kaleidoscopic-quiddity]

yeah theyre definitely related

[pertinasities]

@aeviare <3'd for a starter !!

"Is the festival really that worth it?" Michizane doesn't bother to hide the petulance in his tone, arms crossed and glancing away. "So what if there are lanterns? We have lanterns here, too." His toe buries into the ground in front of him. Admittedly, he's a little curious about the Lantern Rite Festival. But he thinks about the yaksha there. And he thinks about them sitting together and watching the lanterns and his mood sours all over again.

[lazysnowtiger]

Sooooooooooooo, Sukuna has fire powers right? So powerful and versed in using it that he burnt Jogo to ashes, A Special Grade Versed In Fire Powers.

In contrast to him, what if Gojo too has a element under his control?

We know Sugawara no Michizane is the ancestor of both Gojo & Yuta Okkotsu.

He was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in waka and kanshi poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, Tenman-Tenjin (天満天神, often shortened to Tenjin).

Ukiyo-e by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi depicting Sugawara no Michizane as the Tenjin (kami of thunder). [Kami means God]

After Sugawara no Michizane's death for being betrayed and framed, lightning struck the palace of the emperor, killing and injuring many of the powerful people involved in his banishment, and Sugawara no Michizane was enshrined in the Tenmangū (Shinto shrines) as the Tenjin.

So, what if Gojo can manipulate Lightning & Thunder as his descendant?

Atlist the atmospheric Lightning & Thunder?

You know Sugawara no Michizane is one of the three vengeful spirits in JJK and ancestor of Gojo Clan & Okkotsu Family.

Fire vs Lightning, two elements which together create Plasma, a fourth state of matter which is beyond our common sense.

Like in JJK it's said, Common Sense Doesn’t apply for the strongest.

What are your thoughts?

[aeviare]

'you showed me kindness when no one else would.' mochi for aether :)

“OOPS… I HAVE A CRUSH ON YOU” PROMPTS

those words were soft spoken and honest, a true vulnerability shining through as the wanderer mutters them into the empty air surrounding them. aether scoots a bit closer, fingers reaching out to gently take michizane's hand in his own. he doesn't quite know what to say, so instead he lifts the other's hand to his mouth, pressing a soft kiss to the back of it. his lips linger there, pressing a few more pecks before dropping their combined hands onto his lap. aether squeezes mochi's palm and lets out a quiet noise.

"you deserved a chance," he finally says quietly, "you were dealt a bad hand and so you did bad things. but it doesn't make you a bad person. and it doesn't make you irredeemable." aether reaches out with his free hand to take michizane's chin in his hands, tilting the other's face so that they're looking at each other. this moment is special, it means a lot to the blond that the wanderer can be so honest with him. he won't take advantage of his trust like all others before him. "i don't mind... taking a chance on you."

[ourmondobongo]

You know there is something really wrong with the reading comprehension in the fandom you are in when one of the major side characters is heavily criticized for doing what minor side characters who appeared for like 3-5 chapters couldn't.

[kyotodreamtrips]

Enjoy the fragrance of these beautiful flowers. It has been said that “The Cherry may be the prettier of the two, but once you have seen the red Plum Blossom in the snow at the dawn of a spring morning, you will no longer forget its beauty.” Fujiwara no Kintō.

[ekikosama]

Seems like there's actually Sugawara fans out here on Tumblr so I made another fanart cuz' why not :)

[bonguri]

20231230 Nakamura park-Meieki 7 by Bong Grit Via Flickr: 読み方は「しんとくかぐわし」であってる？ @Nakamura park area, Nakamura ward, Nagoya city, Aichi pref., Japan.（愛知県名古屋市中村区 中村公園地区）

[magicwingslisten]

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (月岡芳年) (1839-1892)

Sugawara no Michizane (845-93) as the Tenjin (kami of thunder)