The Mythological Secrets Behind Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun
It is not new that we see JSHK rooted in Shintuist culture, along with this culture, we have the classical Gods represented, in addition to, of course, some common items related to this.
But there are some points in particular that I wanted to delve into a little and the similarities represented. But, first of all, let's connect the reasoning to the main points before we get to the Gods.
1 - Tsukasa's fate = sacrifice himself, he sacrifices himself and stays in the house (If he can see supernatural things, then he was close to death, as mentioned by Hanako, people can only see supernatural things if they have a sixth sense (like exorcists) or when death is close).
2 - Nene and Kou finds the red house and convinces him to come back.
5 - Creates an alternative timeline full of errors and chain consequences (causing deaths of people who shouldn't die).
6 - At some point Amane decides to kill the family (theory) and sets the house on fire.
7 - It creates a "curse". (everyone who enters the house dies or disappears).
8 - Somehow Hanako becomes a supernatural being and loses control or does something really bad at some point, to the point where the Minamotos have to seal him and create the seven mysteries.
9 - Kako had to go back in time for some reason (to make Hanako forget some things).
10 - Hanako now plays a role, the leader, but at the same time he is the traitor (indicating that there are two Gods).
11 - He along with Tsukasa want to break the cycle of yorishiros and free themselves from this "prison" so that they can save themselves, Tsukasa wants to save Amane and Amane wants to save Tsukasa.
12 - So, Tsuchigomori is the guy who destroys the butterfly effect, but for some important reason, he will probably sacrifice himself for something in the end.
13 - And Nene, the "mermaid" girl who has a bond with Hanako. And let's remember that the entity is from the water, the tentacles and the people or their souls screaming on the other side of the window in the last chapter, you can see the air bubbles coming out of their mouths, which suggests that they are in the water.
14 - Entity from the well + tentacles + water = entity/God of the water that grants wishes. Like the classics, where you throw a coin in the well to make a wish.
15 - Hanako gets a mermaid scale and gives it to Nene to create a bond, so maybe the scale is directly linked to the entity. Even though we saw the mermaid, she is still a supernatural being.
16 - The mermaid giving up on Nene after the fish died was like a warning from the entity, since it was Tsukasa who killed it.
We saw a giant fish in the window of the red house, so maybe the entity is the strongest supernatural being that can influence the lesser supernatural beings.
17 - So, all connected, Nene being able to remove the seals, being a kannagi, coming from a mysterious family, makes me wonder about her connection with the entity.
18 - The Minamotos know something, and they still "help" Hanako because it seems to be necessary. Teru was happy when the supernaturals disappeared, but he was the one who decided to bring them back, even though he didn't want to.
19 - So, there's a reason for him to keep Hanako, as if it was necessary for him to do something, but Teru tries to keep him under control.
20 - In the end, there are probably two Gods (theory): The God of the yorishiros and the God (entity) beneath the red house.
21 - Hanako should work for the God of the yorishiros to receive redemption, but he is the traitor, that is, he works for the God of the red house, because he intends to save Tsukasa. Therefore, the twins want to remove all the seals to "free" the entity and get a wish.
22 -What we are seeing now is all the yorishiros being removed while we follow the stories of their owners, for now, away from the main story of the twins.
The Gods who represent the twins
Now that you understand where we are in the story, let's move on to the mythological part of things and the connection between the twins and Gods that haven't been mentioned yet.
Amaterasu: She is the Shinto goddess of the sun. The name Amaterasu is derived from Amateru, which means "shining in the sky." Her full name is Amaterasu-o-mi-kami, which means "Glorious Goddess Who Shines in the Sky."
Amane: A name derived from Amaterasu, (not literally, but a name that would resemble the name Amaterasu to show a slight connection with the Sun Goddess) he is also depicted as the sun in some panels of the manga, as well as being the opposite of Tsukasa, the moon.
Tsukuyomi: Also known as Tsukuyomi-no-kami, he is the god of the moon in Shinto and Japanese mythology. The name Tsukuyomi is a combination of the Japanese words moon/month (tsuki) and "to read; to count" (yomu). Another interpretation of his name is the combination of "Moonlit Night". Tsukuyomi is the god of the moon in Japanese mythology, brother of Amaterasu and Susanoo.
Tsukasa: often represented in the manga in some panels as the moon itself, as he himself mentions being the opposite of Amane, who is represented as the sun. The name Tsukasa also refers to the name of the god of the moon, similarly to Amane's name.
The two are siblings in mythology as well.
The creation myth of the Shinto tradition in Japan is wrapped up in a beautiful and tragic love story between the divine couple Izanagi and Izanami.
Heaven and Earth separated during this long creative process, so Izanagi and Izanami, representatives of what was then the newest divine generation, took on the task of generating life in the immense primordial liquid environment.
Izanagi and Izanami decided to improve their creation, molding the relief with mountains, spreading vegetation to cover the soil and creating rivers to promote fertility.
The rest of creation required carnal acts practiced between Izanagi and Izanami, which has a strong symbolism because it highlights the union between the masculine and feminine for the generation of life and procreation.
They generated divine children after the islands were conceived, each of them associated with important aspects associated with nature.
When Izanami gave birth to Kagutsuchi, the god of fire, she ended up burning to death during childbirth. The father was furious and murdered his son.
Izanagi tried to rescue his beloved from the underworld, the dark Yomi. The exits to Yomi are guarded by terrible creatures and are where the dead go to, apparently, rot for an indefinite period of time. Once fallen there, the soul can never return to the land of the living.
Upon arriving there, Izanami asked her husband not to look at her, to return to Earth and to wait while she tried to escape from Yomi.
The impatient Izanami does not obey and looks at his wife, unrecognizable and with a frightening cadaverous appearance, deteriorated and infested with agents of decomposition.
Now she was a form of decomposing flesh that gave birth to several demons, with worms and demonic creatures slithering over her body. She, realizing her husband's audacity, orders the demons to chase him.
Izanagi flees from the demons, and rolling a huge stone, traps them in Yomi. Izanagi, furious at Izanami's betrayal, uses the powers of the sun to destroy all the demons. Thus began the existence of death, caused by Izanami's pride.
After Izanagi left his wife Izanami, locked in the Shinto underworld of Yomi, he purified himself in a spring and accidentally gave birth to three children.
The sun goddess Amaterasu was born from Izanagi's left eye, the moon god Tsukuyomi was born from his father's right eye, and the god of the sea and storms Susanoo was born from Izanagi's nose.
Where are the similarities in JSHK?
Izanami: Izanami is related to death and she's trapped in the world of Yomi, the world of the dead, she hides her appearance because of her cadaverous form, like she did with her husband.
Entity: In JSHK we also don't see the entity, which stays in the dark.
And we have the sacrifices, which are linked to the same reasoning, gradually losing their human form and becoming cadaverous beings.
In JSHK, the entity is said to be very strong, it is weak because it is sealed, "trapped", just like Izanami is trapped in the underworld and cannot return.
Second possibility about the entity
Serpent Yamata no Orochi: was a colossal dragon with eight heads and eight tails. According to legend, Yamata no Orochi terrorized the Izumo region, demanding that a young girl be sacrificed to him every year.
In the story, a couple's daughters were sacrificed, leaving only the youngest one alive. The dragon was killed by Susanoo when he tried to save the young woman from being sacrificed. He fell in love with her and married her.
The entity demands sacrifices with young women, usually from the same family, since Kannagis come from families that offer to give one of their daughters for sacrifice.
The representation of marriage and Sumire may be linked to the meaning of Sumire's desire to be saved, directly reflected in the mythology of the serpent.
When Suzanoo fell in love with the woman who was going to be sacrificed, he saved her and got married with her.
In Sumire's case, she was not saved and did not marry Hakubo, as she wished. A tragic version of the story.
Implying that the entity of Sumire's time was perhaps the serpent.
Let's continue with the comparisons.
Izanagi: He was responsible for imprisoning Izanami in the world of the dead, and tried to keep her imprisoned.
The God of Yorishiro: the one who values maintaining seals and mysteries, apparently to keep "something" imprisoned, implying that it is in fact the entity of the red house that is officially sealed.
Let's continue with the comparisons.
Susanoo: Susanoo is the god of the sea and storms, son of Izanagi and brother of Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, and Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon.
Yashiro: Often depicted as a mermaid and having a direct link to Hanako because of the scales, we can associate her with the myth of Susanoo.
We may still have doubts about Nene's association with him, but Suzanoo had a direct connection with Amaterasu (the sun goddess we are representing as Amane).
At a certain point, Suzanoo goes to Amaterasu's house to resolve a conflict between them.
To link this to JSHK, if you notice, when Hanako throws Nene in fish form into the sky (at the end of the anime) a small storm appears.
Some people theorized that it represented her crying, but at the end, the clouds appear next to the sun and the rain begins. Representing the "storm".
Furthermore, Susanoo is the God who saves the young woman from being sacrificed to the serpent. We see this represented in the moment when Nene is the only one who can "save" Sumire from being devoured by Hakubo, but in this case, she does not. Referring again to the tragic side of mythology and Sumire's story.
Let's continue with the comparisons.
Yomi is the Japanese word for the world of the dead in Japanese mythology and Shintoism. Its exits are guarded by terrifying creatures and it is where the dead go to apparently rot for an indefinite period of time. Once fallen there and fed in the fire at the center of Yomi, the soul can never return to the land of the living.
Similar to the red house specifically over the abyss where the sacrifices that fell began to rot and could not return.
Water as a Symbol of Transition and Cleansing
Water plays an important role in the series, particularly through its association with Hanako’s past and its connection to bathrooms and wetlands – liminal places between the world of the living and the dead. In Shinto, water is a symbol of purification and renewal, something that is also explored in the story of Hanako, a spirit trapped by regrets who seeks redemption.
The aquatic environment can be interpreted as an allusion to Susanoo, a deity associated with the sea and storms.
Light and Darkness – Themes of Life and Death
Just as Amaterasu represents light and order, some elements of the series suggest a cycle between hope and despair, or redemption and regret. Hanako-kun is a spirit who carries both light (his moments of affection for Nene) and darkness (his tragic secrets and violent past). This duality may echo the myth of Amaterasu, where light and darkness must find balance.
The Seven Mysteries as Guardians and Forces of Chaos
Just as the kami (gods) of Japanese folklore have different personalities and roles, the Seven Mysteries in the series play specific roles that resemble the forces of nature. Some are benevolent and seek balance, while others represent chaos and danger. This multiplicity is characteristic of Japanese myths, where there is no clear division between good and evil.
Although Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun does not directly mention Amaterasu or Susanoo, the themes of water, purification, light, and darkness found in the series can be seen as a subtle reference to these gods and the natural forces they represent.
In addition, we must add urban legends.
Influences of Japanese Folklore on Hanako-kun
Seven Mysteries of School (七不思議, Nana Fushigi)
One of the main inspirations for the series are the legends of the "Seven Mysteries of School," popular stories told among Japanese students about supernatural occurrences that happen in schools. Each mystery usually involves ghosts or strange events, and each school may have its own versions.
In the Hanako-kun universe, these Seven Mysteries are essential, as the spirits that govern each of them have influence over the spirit world and the school.
Spirit World and Boundaries Between Realities
In Hanako-kun, there is a strong separation between the world of the living and the spirit world. Places in the school, such as bathrooms or forgotten rooms, function as portals that connect these two worlds. This idea reflects the traditional Japanese concept that certain places, such as temples, cemeteries, or ruins, are meeting points between the physical and spiritual worlds.
Supernatural Elements Inspired by Yōkai and Spirits
Many of the characters and creatures featured in the series are based on or inspired by yōkai (supernatural creatures) and onryō (vengeful spirits) from Japanese folklore. The series also introduces concepts of its own, such as:
Tsukumogami: Ancient objects that gain life and consciousness after 100 years. Some characters in the series resemble this idea, as spirits are tied to specific places or objects in the school.
Onryō: Hanako is a spirit with a tragic past, reflecting the idea of vengeful ghosts or those trapped on Earth due to unresolved regrets.
Akuma and Mononoke: Some spirits are aggressive and need to be purified or controlled, as is the case with several antagonists in the series.
Spiritual Hierarchy and the Conflict Between Mysteries
Within the story, the Seven Mysteries have a hierarchy and follow specific rules that govern the coexistence of humans and spirits. The main conflict of the series arises when the mysteries begin to rebel, seeking to change these rules and gain more power. This hierarchical structure is an original creation of the series, but it recalls the idea that kami and yōkai have their own laws and orders in Japanese folklore.
While Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun doesn't explicitly follow a specific Shinto or Buddhist mythology (so far), it does draw heavily from Japanese urban legends, the Seven Mysteries of School, and concepts from Japanese spiritual folklore such as yōkai, tsukumogami, and onryō.
The series creates its own mythology by combining these traditional elements with a unique narrative.
Which is particularly fascinating!!
It was a fun journey to find these new details to add to the events of the series. Of course, despite the associations and similarities, don't take anything in this post too seriously or canonical, it's just for fun.
There are probably many more details that still need to be discovered or included, (like the mythology about the Minamoto family, and even some common supernatural beings, like Tsuchigomori, who represents Tsuchigumo, but well, if I talk about all of them, this post will be huge).
For this post, that's enough.
If you've read this far, I hope you've had fun!
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