Fruits Basket and the Possession
"Fruits Basket" is a romantic comedy that depicts the interactions between the main character, Honda Tohru, and the members of the Sohma family, who are harboring a secret.
The original work is a manga by Natsuki Takaya, which was serialized in the magazine Hana to Yume from 1998 to 2006.
It was also adapted into an anime, first aired in 2001, and then again in 2019, with the first season airing until September.
This is a bit of a spoiler, and it is revealed at the beginning of the manga and anime, but in this work "Fruits Basket", the key members of the Sohma family areAnimal possession" and transforms into one of the twelve zodiac animals plus a cat.
The reality of "possessed muscles"
"Possessive Muscle" is a theme that often comes up in folklore.
In reality, people do not transform into animals, but people who come from a family lineage of spirits that are possessed by spirits are said to have different abilities than ordinary people, such as using the spirits to steal property from others, and are therefore often despised.
In some areas, they are still subject to discrimination.
The most common animals that are possessed are foxes and dogs.werefox"or"pipe fox" and for dogs, "Inugami"It is sometimes called "
The Weasel Possession of Sado Island and Thank You
On Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, stories of people being tricked or possessed by weasels, living spirits, and dead spirits are passed down.
The causes of possession phenomena include:Possessed by a weasel" and one can then conclude that the cause of the disaster was oneself, someone around them, or someone who was grateful.
"Thank you" is a kind ofShamanIt is an agent that removes the curse and possession of the Mujina (raccoon dog), provides healing in traditional medicine, treats illnesses, and is said to have come to be called "Arigataya" because people who admire its spiritual powers say "arigataya".
Shamans like "Arigataya" on Sado Island areItakoand OkinawaUtahAnd so on, all over the country.
Appears in Shigeru Mizuki's "Nonnonbaato Ore"NonnonbaaHowever, in Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, a priest or prayer leader is called "Nonnon-san," and because she was his wife, she was called "Nonnon-baa."
The keyword "possessive muscle"
"Possessed lines" are sometimes an important keyword in manga, but in reality they play a special role within communities and are key elements in making up local communities.
Therefore, it is an unavoidable element when examining village societies of the past.
Living in a town with a short history, you may not know this, but I hear there are many areas where these customs still remain.
Although it may appear to be a glamorous romantic comedy at first glance, there may be a dark secret hidden within.
Image = © Takaya Natsuki / Hakusensha / Fruits Basket Production Committee, "Inugami" (Sawaki Takayuki) from "Hyakkai Zukan"
Text by Keijiro Watanabe
References: "Theory of Spirit Possession: An Attempt at Studying Yokai" (Kazuhiko Komatsu, Kodansha Academic Library), "The World of Shamanism" (Hiroki Sasaki, Kodansha Academic Library), "Ethnography of Possession and Curses" (Kiyoshi Umeya, Shigeru Urano, Yuji Nakanishi, Iwata Shoin)
■ Keishiro Watanabe (Kei-chan)
Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Graduated from the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. An independent researcher of monsters.
He currently splits his time between Sapporo, Hokkaido, and Tokyo, and works as a management and IT consultant, but he studied folklore and cultural anthropology at university, and continues to study yokai as his life's work.
I am currently writing articles about monsters associated with Hokkaido, where I currently live, as well as current news about business and economics.
Twitter:https://twitter.com/keishiro_w
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