The tsuchigumo are a type of yokai from Japanese folklore. They are also known by several other names such as yatsukahagi or ogumo. They appear in artworks as giant, spider-like monsters but their appearance in Spirited Away is very different. At the start of Spirited Away, Chihiro’s father gets lost and takes the wrong road. This pattern of traveling along a mistaken path as a route to entering an entirely different world is very similar to Dante’s Divine Comedy. While Chihiro’s voyage is not on the same scale, it does an excellent job of presenting Japan’s unique spiritual world. Thunder and Lightning of the Gods Not only was the movie beautifully animated but it also introduced a lot of people to some of the mythology and culture of Japan. It is worth noting that generally these kami are not at all of high status. While one polluted river spirit cleansed by Chihiro is apparently quite important, others are quite ordinary, despite being gods, and most travel in groups.

This is one example showing that trees have been revered for their divine nature. When Buddhism spread to Japan from continental Asia, the first statues of the Buddha were made from camphor trees, which were considered the most sacred of trees. The term shinboku is used for trees venerated as divine. In Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro, the titular creature lives in a camphor tree, and may possibly be its spirit. The Ushi-Oni are a type of yokai from western Japan. They are also known as the gyuki and are mostly depicted as beasts with cow-like heads. They make a very brief appearance in Spirited Away as guests to the bathhouse.

Spirited Away Figurines Collection 2021

In one well-known example, the Buddhist monk Kūkai (774–835) stated: “Composed of the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space, all things in creation contain echoes of the truth. . . . Dainichi Nyorai, the supreme Buddha, is the image of the world as it is.” Singer Matsutōya Yumi expressed the same idea in simpler terms in her song “Yasashisa ni tsutsumareta nara” (Embraced by Tenderness): “If I open the curtain, and I’m embraced by the tenderness of the calm sunbeams through the trees, everything I see is surely a message.” When Chihiro was a child, she once fell into the Kohaku river but was safely washed ashore. This is why she and Haku have such a close connection. They work in the Bathhouse in return for small star-shaped food, called Konpeitō. They are seen carrying coal to help power the boiler in Kamajī's Boiler Room. The have super strength relative to their body weight. Even Chihiro Ogino couldn't take a piece of coal without overextending herself. However, when they leave the tunnel, the wall has changed to look completely different from when they went in, overgrown with vegetation, while their car is covered in dust and leaves. Some considerable time may have passed, and if so, one worries whether Chihiro and her family have really returned to where they came from. The Bathhouse Garden

It does return to its usual timid self by the end of the movie, thanks to Chihiro and her emetic dumpling. Kintaro is less of a Japanese yokai and more of a figure in folklore tales, but he still makes an appearance in Spirited Away. In Japanese folklore, Kintaro is a superhuman child raised by a yama-uba. A kamikakushi refers to the sudden vanishing of somebody for no reason. It was apparently due to the absence of a known reason that such events were attributed to the kami (gods). Or it might be that identifying the kami as the perpetrators was a way of finding acceptance. In the Old Testament, when Moses brings the Ten Commandments down from Mount Sinai, there is thunder and lightning. In Hinduism, Indra derives originally from a thunder god. However, in many religions, the gods’ origins in thunder and lightning have been forgotten, as they have become detached from natural phenomena to become omnipotent deities transcending human understanding. The Onama-Sama share a lot of similarities to the Namahage. Those are yokai from the Oga Peninsula with ogre-like faces and straw capes. Today, Namahage appear during New Year’s rituals and celebrations.The Kappa make an appearance in Spirited Away as the mysterious river spirit Chihiro must run a bath for. As a result, a lot of people found out about kami and yokai from Spirited Away. These Japanese spirits are everywhere in Spirited Away. Some have large roles, others have small cameos – but which yokai make an appearance? There are no yokai from Japanese folklore similar to this type of yokai, but they are yokai nonetheless. They take inspiration from the general idea and tales of yokai overall – ghosts or spirits that roam Japan. They soon appear as cloaked figures. They have a close link to the Kasuga shrine in Japan and are likely kami that represent this shrine in Spirited Away.

The iconic Pixar lamp could have also inspired the hopping lantern as they both act in similar ways. As Spirited Away takes a lot of inspiration from yokai and kami, it is more likely that this is a tsukumogami. This type of yokai is a very strange one as they appear as objects acquired or possessed by spirits. In Spirited Away, the tsukumogami make a very brief cameo as the hopping lanturn which guides Chihiro and No-Face to Zeniba.

In Japanese folklore, Mizuchi are water dragons and are loosely linked to water deities. In Spirited Away, the Mizuchi serves as part of the inspiration behind the character of Haku. This makes them the perfect yokai to base the main villain, Yubaba, from. Yubaba is a greedy, selfish crone who runs the bathhouse and treats her workers poorly. The Yama-uba inspired the villainous character Yubaba. The Yama-uba are a type of yokai that appear as mountain crones or old hags (see also ‘ Can A Human Become A Yokai? – What You Need To Know‘). Tales tell of their cannibalistic nature and they are often compared to witches in western cultures. The susuwatari also make an appearance in other Ghibli movies like My Neighbor Totoro – see if you can spot them! These yokai only appear very briefly in Spirited Away, as a group of spirits who are entering the bathhouse when Chichiro first arrives. In the movie, these are the Onama-Sama. They wear capes of leaves, have large heads, and tusk-like teeth.

Yokai and kami play important roles in the story of Spirited Away. They are integral to the plot as Chichiro ends up in their world. The original Japanese name for the film is Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi, which might be translated literally as “The Spiriting Away of Sen and Chihiro.” But why this title?The susuwatari are tiny soot sprites that appear in the boiler room. They are a type of yokai that have been completely invented by Spirited Away’s creator, Hayao Miyazaki. Their cameo in Spirited Away is relatively minor but they also serve an important signal for the story. In folklore, Umi-Bozu appear when a calm sea becomes tumultuous. The Zen master Dōgen (1200–53) said that “even tiles and stones can achieve enlightenment to become a Buddha.” Thus, Japan’s great spiritual minds created a unique advanced synthesis of animism and Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, a faithful descendant of the Indian original, there has also been the idea that only animals can move along the path to enlightenment. In recent years though, the Dalai Lama has shown a great understanding of the concepts of Japanese Buddhism, and now tends toward the idea that all of nature can become Buddha.