A Story Set in Japan

The Period

First, the story has a lot of historical references. The story is set during a real period: the Muromachi Period (1336-1573). It is often described as politically chaotic (many conflicts). There was at the beginning of this period a civil war lasting sixty years opposing Northern and Southern Courts (during the Nanboku-chô period), this means opposing the emperor Komyo to the emperor Go-Daigo5. The following Sengoku period was a conflicting period too: the daimyô (warrior chiefs) have become powerful and are fighting incessant wars. The Muromachi period ends with the destitution of the last shogun: Ashikaga.

The Characters

It’s in this conflicting period that the story of Princess Mononoke takes place. Ashitaka is a part of the Emishis, a population on the margins of society, that is against the Shogun emperors. Emishis were in that period known to be great warriors, who handled the bow very well and were horsemen. This perfectly describes Ashitaka, as we see his talents when he fights the Samouraïs at the beginning of the movie. Lady Eboshi has some of the characteristics of the Daimyôs (even if in reality, they were exclusively men): she is strong and protect at all costs her citizens.

Symbols...

In this story, there is a fictive anonymous emperor that asks for the head of the Great Spirit of the Forest to have an eternal life. Miyazaki wanted here to show how at that time, the emperor had too much power, and what this kind of selfish madness leads to. The difficult period is depicted with the war between Irontown and the samouraïs from the lord Asano too: they represent a civil war with multiple enemies. The movie depicts the exclusion of lepers and prostitutes at this time. Even if prostitutes and lepers were not directly discriminated against (prostitution was legal), their situation often led them to misery. Lady Eboshi in this movie helps them live in a society and give them a job.

A Mysterious Nature with Spirits...

Powerful spirits

Lastly, there are many references to Japanese traditions and believes. There is a depicted God (Kami) which decides the death or life of beings (the Great Forest Spirit). It is very mysterious and mythical because it appears only rarely and for very specific purposes. The other spirits of the forest respect him. As the characters in the film say, he has a human face, but it looks like the masks from the traditional Japanese theater, which makes him seem less expressive, neutral, which highlights the fact that he does not take sides. Finally, when Lady Eboshi shoots him, like if he was wearing a mask, his face does not change.

Japanese Folklore

The movie features characters that are very similar to those from Japanese stories. Ashitaka follows the advice of the village shaman to find a solution to his curse. This woman is wise and respected by the community. San looks like the goddess Kanagayo, because she rides a wolf, and carries on her the gem that Ashitaka gave her. The wolves that accompany San look like foxes (Kitsune) that have multiple tails. Each tail represents a century of age for the animal.

Evil Spirits

Finally, there are powerful spirits that can become angry and take a demonic form, like Nagon, the giant boar that attacks Ashitaka’s village at the beginning. It seems to be covered with black worms. This may refer to the poison created by wizards called "kodoku" which would be made from poisonous insects and take the form of worms.