Was reading a different article and it linked to this one of reading Pearl as coded Asian, and I thought it was good so figured I’d share it for others to comment on.
My only comment (other than “yes, good”) is that I’m surprised they didn’t bring up the degree to which Pearl is very obviously a tengu. It’s one of the surprisingly few references to real-world mythology in the show, which feels significant?
I’ll confess, I’m not entirely sure what a tengu is, since I’m not off to snuff on my Japanese mythology. Care to elaborate?
I gave a read to wikipedia, and i found this:
Tengu are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and […] the tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest tengu
were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often beenhumanized as
an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the tengu’s defining characteristic in the popular imagination.
Buddhism long held that the tengu were disruptive demons and harbingers
of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of
protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests.
Beginning in the 13th century, tengu came to be associated in particular with the yamabushi, […] where tengu are most frequently depicted in the yamabushi’s distinctive costume, which includes a tokinand a pom-pommed sash (結袈裟 yuigesa).[6] Due to their priestly aesthetic, they are often shown wielding the Shakujo, a distinct staff used by Buddhist monks.
Staff (spear) + tokin, which is exactly where pearl’s gem is:
In folk tales, these fans sometimes have the ability to grow or shrink a
person’s nose, but usually they are attributed the power to stir up
great winds.
During the 14th century, […] the tengu became creatures associated with war.[33] Legends eventually ascribed to them great knowledge in the art of skilled combat.
This reputation seems to have its origins in a legend surrounding the famous warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
[…] This spirit taught the boy the art of swordsmanship so that he might bring vengeance on the Taira.[34]
During the Genpei War (1180–1185), in which theTaira clan was pitted against the Minamoto clan, thenaginata rose to a position of particularly high esteem, being regarded as an extremely effective weapon by warriors.[12]
A story […] tells of a girl with poor manual dexterity who is suddenly possessed by a tengu. The spirit wishes to rekindle the declining art of swordsmanship in the world. Soon a young samurai appears to whom the tengu has appeared in a dream, and the possessed girl instructs him as an expert swordsman.
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