Akasuna
Jōnin Strategist 🧠
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In my research, I've discovered numerous analogies and parallels to a multitude of religious and mythological beliefs that gyrate around the central focus that Kishimoto himself portrays, and I've been very interested in how he's incorporated these into his Manga. Months later, I'm finally taking the time to make this thread representing what I believe is some very exciting information.
You see, the recent thread made by guts2nevergiveup and my rereading of some of the older chapters has been a turning point in how I look at the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. I'd always known that they were inspired by numerous mythological and religious beliefs, and yet I've noticed a trend running throughout the length of the series: the Hyuuga represent Taoism, and the Uchiha Shintoism.
I'm attempting to keep this introductory paragraph compilation fairly short because I intend for this thread to be longer than usual, but essentially this thread is composed of my research towards the three topics that I just presented: the Hyuuga representing Taoism, and the Uchiha Shintoism. I hope you enjoy.
You see, the recent thread made by guts2nevergiveup and my rereading of some of the older chapters has been a turning point in how I look at the Uchiha and the Hyuuga. I'd always known that they were inspired by numerous mythological and religious beliefs, and yet I've noticed a trend running throughout the length of the series: the Hyuuga represent Taoism, and the Uchiha Shintoism.
I'm attempting to keep this introductory paragraph compilation fairly short because I intend for this thread to be longer than usual, but essentially this thread is composed of my research towards the three topics that I just presented: the Hyuuga representing Taoism, and the Uchiha Shintoism. I hope you enjoy.
I. Uchiha - Shintoism
Artwork depicting Izanagi and Izanami forming the islands of Japan.
Yomi.
Izanami chased Izanagi through Yomi in her rage and hurt at him not following her orders, yet Izanagi managed to escape Yomi and blocked off its entrance with a boulder. Izanami cursed Izanagi, saying that each day she would kill 1000 living people every day if he left her; Izanagi retorted by saying that 1500 would be born every day[6].
He left her there, and in sought to cleanse himself following his departure from Yomi; as he bathed, he created three Gods.
Susano'o and Amaterasu were rivals since birth, something that culminated in Susano'o throwing a restless fit and destroying Amaterasu's rice fields and murdering one of her attendants. Amaterasu, in her sorrow, hid in Awamano-Iwato (天岩戸; Literally translating to 'Heavenly Rock Cave'), effectively hiding the Sun for a period, yet she was brought out by a special ceremony and equally special dancing.
Susano'o, however, was banished from Heaven, and sent down to his domain of the Sea. Eventually, during his wanderings, he learned that the eight headed Dragon Yamato no Orochi was planning on devouring Kushinada-Hime, the last daughter of a family who had had the rest of their daughters eaten by Orochi as well. Susano'o committed to the task of defeating Yamato no Orochi as long as he could have the hand of Kushinada-Hime in marriage directly following.
The defeat of Yamato no Orochi.
The family agreed, and so Susano'o set out to defeat the fabled dragon[12]. With his father's legendary blade Totsuka-no-Tsurgi at his fingertips, he severed the heads of Orochi. He finds, however, in the fourth head, Orochi's equally legendary blade Kusanagi. The Kusanagi Blade joins Totsuka-no-Tsurgi and Yasanaki-no-Magatama as the third sacred weapon. Susano'o and Kushinada-Hime married.
Notes
As one can see, the Uchiha Clan and the techniques of their own are heavily inspired by Shinto Mythology; Izanagi in the Myth can be considered the progenitor of the Uchiha, and both Izanagi and Izanami fulfill the Sage's purpose. I find this particularly interesting mainly because of the other parallels in Naruto to other Mythologies and Religions.
II. Hyuuga - Taoism
A focus of Taoism is insight, something that contributes to the overall idea of Taoism; Wei Wu Wei.
Let's step back a bit first, however: what exactly is Wei Wu Wei? To put it in English, Wei Wu Wei essentially translates to 'Action without Action'. Huh? I think some elaboration is in order. For this I'll use a quote from a member that seems to be able to describe Wei Wu Wei better than me, Aim64C.
This quote speaks of the 'Tao' a lot. To put it frankly, in Taoism the Tao signifies the flow of the universe. In broader terms, the Tao is "The One, which is natural, spontaneous, eternal, nameless, and indescribable. It is at once the beginning of all things and the way in which all things pursue their course." The Tao is the natural order of things, and in attempting to figure it out you're going against it. To truly understand it, you must allow it to sweep you away; to go along with its flow and not question it in its path. I can't go any more in depth than that. Taoism in itself is more than a philosophical belief
Something I can, however, go more indepth about, is the Bagua (八卦; Literally translating to Eight Symbols), as related in the I Ching (A Chinese Classic Text). The Bagua are a series of eight trigrams utilized to represent Nature in differing amounts of Ying and Yang.
The Bagua.
Based upon these Eight Trigrams, there are a possible Sixty-Four Tetragrams that can be formed.
Kishimoto has frequently displayed the Hyuuga in relation to the Ying Yang.
In my
Before doing so, however, I'm going to leave this scan here. Use it while you read the story and see if you're able to find the same parallels that I did.
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, I briefly detailed the traditional story of Izanagi and Izanami, as related in the Kojiki (essentially a collection of Shinto mythology). For maximum understanding, however, I'll relate the story once again.Before doing so, however, I'm going to leave this scan here. Use it while you read the story and see if you're able to find the same parallels that I did.
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And now, onto the story itself.
Originally, the first five deities to exist were known as the Kotoamatsukami[1] (別天神; Literally translating to 'Distinguished Heavenly Gods'), and believed to have first come to life during the beginning of everything. From there originated Seven Generations of Deities, depicted as the Kamiyonanayo (神世七代; Literally translating to 'Seven Generations of the Age of Gods'). The final generation of these Gods were known as Izanagi[2[SUP]1[/SUP]] (伊邪那岐; Literally translating to 'He Who Invites') and Izanami[2[SUP]2[/SUP]] (伊弉冉尊; Literally translating to 'She who Invites').
Originally, the first five deities to exist were known as the Kotoamatsukami[1] (別天神; Literally translating to 'Distinguished Heavenly Gods'), and believed to have first come to life during the beginning of everything. From there originated Seven Generations of Deities, depicted as the Kamiyonanayo (神世七代; Literally translating to 'Seven Generations of the Age of Gods'). The final generation of these Gods were known as Izanagi[2[SUP]1[/SUP]] (伊邪那岐; Literally translating to 'He Who Invites') and Izanami[2[SUP]2[/SUP]] (伊弉冉尊; Literally translating to 'She who Invites').
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Artwork depicting Izanagi and Izanami forming the islands of Japan.
Izanagi and Izanami were tasked with creating the islands of Japan below Heaven, on Earth. To do so they were given a Naginta (Spear covered in Jewels) named Ame-no-Nuboku[3] (天沼矛; Literally translating to 'Heavenly Jeweled Spear'), and told to depart to Ame-no-Ukihashi (Literally translating to 'Floating Bridge of Heaven'), the bridge that separated heaven and earth. By stirring the chaotic waters below with Ame-no-Nuboku and allowing salt water to drip from its tip, Izanagi and Izanami formed the first land mass known as Onogoro-shima (淤能碁呂島), and made their home on it.
They built a palace on the island with a large column in the middle to serve as the venue for their wedding ceremony; following said ceremony, they produced countless islands and deities via sexual relations.
Izanami, however, died while giving birth to the Fire God, Kagu-tsuchi[4], and her soul departed for Yomi, the Japanese Underworld; Izanagi, in his rage, would go on to kill Kagutsuchi with the longsword Totsuka-no-Tsurgi. He followed Izanami's soul to Yomi[5] in hopes of bringing her back, yet once he found her in the shadowy land she revealed that she had eaten the Fruit of Yomi and as such was bound to the land. She begged Izanagi not to look upon her, yet Izanagi, in his sorrow, set fire to the comb that held his hair and saw that her corpse had become reminiscent of a Hanya Demoness (Hanya Masks are used traditionally in the performance of Kaguya Rituals in Shinto Shrines), infested with maggots and broken flesh.
They built a palace on the island with a large column in the middle to serve as the venue for their wedding ceremony; following said ceremony, they produced countless islands and deities via sexual relations.
Izanami, however, died while giving birth to the Fire God, Kagu-tsuchi[4], and her soul departed for Yomi, the Japanese Underworld; Izanagi, in his rage, would go on to kill Kagutsuchi with the longsword Totsuka-no-Tsurgi. He followed Izanami's soul to Yomi[5] in hopes of bringing her back, yet once he found her in the shadowy land she revealed that she had eaten the Fruit of Yomi and as such was bound to the land. She begged Izanagi not to look upon her, yet Izanagi, in his sorrow, set fire to the comb that held his hair and saw that her corpse had become reminiscent of a Hanya Demoness (Hanya Masks are used traditionally in the performance of Kaguya Rituals in Shinto Shrines), infested with maggots and broken flesh.
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Yomi.
Izanami chased Izanagi through Yomi in her rage and hurt at him not following her orders, yet Izanagi managed to escape Yomi and blocked off its entrance with a boulder. Izanami cursed Izanagi, saying that each day she would kill 1000 living people every day if he left her; Izanagi retorted by saying that 1500 would be born every day[6].
He left her there, and in sought to cleanse himself following his departure from Yomi; as he bathed, he created three Gods.
[*=left]Amaterasu (天照), borne from his left eye; Traditional Goddess of the Sun. She controlled the Light, Day, and Sun. [7-8]
[*=left]Tsukuyomi (月読), borne from his right eye; Traditional God of the Moon. He controlled the Dark, Night, and Moon. [9-10]
[*=left]Susano'o (須佐之男), borne from his nose; Traditional God of the Sea and Storms. He controlled the Sea and Storms. [11]
Susano'o and Amaterasu were rivals since birth, something that culminated in Susano'o throwing a restless fit and destroying Amaterasu's rice fields and murdering one of her attendants. Amaterasu, in her sorrow, hid in Awamano-Iwato (天岩戸; Literally translating to 'Heavenly Rock Cave'), effectively hiding the Sun for a period, yet she was brought out by a special ceremony and equally special dancing.
Susano'o, however, was banished from Heaven, and sent down to his domain of the Sea. Eventually, during his wanderings, he learned that the eight headed Dragon Yamato no Orochi was planning on devouring Kushinada-Hime, the last daughter of a family who had had the rest of their daughters eaten by Orochi as well. Susano'o committed to the task of defeating Yamato no Orochi as long as he could have the hand of Kushinada-Hime in marriage directly following.
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The defeat of Yamato no Orochi.
The family agreed, and so Susano'o set out to defeat the fabled dragon[12]. With his father's legendary blade Totsuka-no-Tsurgi at his fingertips, he severed the heads of Orochi. He finds, however, in the fourth head, Orochi's equally legendary blade Kusanagi. The Kusanagi Blade joins Totsuka-no-Tsurgi and Yasanaki-no-Magatama as the third sacred weapon. Susano'o and Kushinada-Hime married.
Notes
1: Kotoamatsukami is Uchiha Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan ability; reckoned the be the most powerful Genjutsu of the Uchiha Clan, and one of the most powerful Genjutsu to ever exist. [
2[SUP]1[/SUP]: Izanagi, the 'ultimate' Genjutsu one can use to cast upon themselves. It allows one to briefly take wounds and disadvantages even as much as death, and turn them into mere 'dreams' [
3: As Ame-no-Nuboku was originally used to create the first landmass on the previously chaotic form of Earth, Kishimoto similarly named Hagoromo's Blade the Sword of Nuboku, which he used to create Earth. [
4: Enton: Kagutsuchi is the name of Uchiha Sasuke's technique; he uses it to control the extremely hot flames of Amaterasu [
5: The is yet another principle of Izanagi in the Manga; it allows a User to essentially escape Death. Izanagi going to Yomi, a place of death, and then escaping can be taken like this.
6: Izanami works by forcing the victim to relive a painful experience: by saying that each day she would kill 1000 of Izanagi's creations, that could be Izanagi's 'loop' that he is forced to relive.
7: Amaterasu, in the Manga, is a Mangekyō Sharingan ability that allows one to call down the incredibly hot black flames of Amaterasu. [
8: Once again, let's refer to my original Scan and my own Taoist knowledge; Amaterasu exemplifies Yin, or Yoton; her realms of control are the Day, Light, and the Sun, the Yin side of Nature.
9: Tsukuyomi is another Mangekyō Sharingan ability, this time a Genjutsu; noted to be one of the most powerful Genjutsu in existence, it works by trapping the victim in their own mind, with the user able to control the 'world'. Itachi's mastery of this technique was so great that to some extent he was even able to control the amount of time that went by in it.
10: Tsukuyomi exemplifies Yang, or Inton: his realms of control are the Night, Darkness, and the moon, the Yang side of Nature.
11: Susano'o is another Mangekyō Sharingan ability; it summons a giant warrior to surround the user, and is noted to be one of the strongest defenses.
12: Susano'o defeating Yamato no Orochi with Totsuka-no-Tsurgi is reminiscent of Itachi sealing away Orochimaru with the Totsuka Blade of his Susano'o. [
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-
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]2[SUP]1[/SUP]: Izanagi, the 'ultimate' Genjutsu one can use to cast upon themselves. It allows one to briefly take wounds and disadvantages even as much as death, and turn them into mere 'dreams' [
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]. Allow us to refer back to the scan I originally posted. Obito describes Izanagi as simply a 'practical' version of the Rikudou's 'Creation of All Things' Jutsu [
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].2[SUP]2[/SUP]: Izanami, considered to be the direct counter to Izanagi, is yet another Genjutsu; it was originally created to punish those who used Izanagi lightly [
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]. It works like
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.3: As Ame-no-Nuboku was originally used to create the first landmass on the previously chaotic form of Earth, Kishimoto similarly named Hagoromo's Blade the Sword of Nuboku, which he used to create Earth. [
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]4: Enton: Kagutsuchi is the name of Uchiha Sasuke's technique; he uses it to control the extremely hot flames of Amaterasu [
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-
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]5: The is yet another principle of Izanagi in the Manga; it allows a User to essentially escape Death. Izanagi going to Yomi, a place of death, and then escaping can be taken like this.
6: Izanami works by forcing the victim to relive a painful experience: by saying that each day she would kill 1000 of Izanagi's creations, that could be Izanagi's 'loop' that he is forced to relive.
7: Amaterasu, in the Manga, is a Mangekyō Sharingan ability that allows one to call down the incredibly hot black flames of Amaterasu. [
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] In the Myth, Amaterasu is depicted as the Sun god.8: Once again, let's refer to my original Scan and my own Taoist knowledge; Amaterasu exemplifies Yin, or Yoton; her realms of control are the Day, Light, and the Sun, the Yin side of Nature.
9: Tsukuyomi is another Mangekyō Sharingan ability, this time a Genjutsu; noted to be one of the most powerful Genjutsu in existence, it works by trapping the victim in their own mind, with the user able to control the 'world'. Itachi's mastery of this technique was so great that to some extent he was even able to control the amount of time that went by in it.
10: Tsukuyomi exemplifies Yang, or Inton: his realms of control are the Night, Darkness, and the moon, the Yang side of Nature.
11: Susano'o is another Mangekyō Sharingan ability; it summons a giant warrior to surround the user, and is noted to be one of the strongest defenses.
12: Susano'o defeating Yamato no Orochi with Totsuka-no-Tsurgi is reminiscent of Itachi sealing away Orochimaru with the Totsuka Blade of his Susano'o. [
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]As one can see, the Uchiha Clan and the techniques of their own are heavily inspired by Shinto Mythology; Izanagi in the Myth can be considered the progenitor of the Uchiha, and both Izanagi and Izanami fulfill the Sage's purpose. I find this particularly interesting mainly because of the other parallels in Naruto to other Mythologies and Religions.
II. Hyuuga - Taoism
And now, onto the Hyuuga. Granted, there's no myth I'm relating in this chapter; it's mainly a much more specific point of view for this one.
Allow us to first begin with what I consider to be the defining symbol of the Hyuuga, the Byakugan. The Byakugan is said to have powers of insight that are greater than even that of the Sharingan; in fact, the Sharingan is said to have originated from the Byakugan itself.
Allow us to first begin with what I consider to be the defining symbol of the Hyuuga, the Byakugan. The Byakugan is said to have powers of insight that are greater than even that of the Sharingan; in fact, the Sharingan is said to have originated from the Byakugan itself.
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A focus of Taoism is insight, something that contributes to the overall idea of Taoism; Wei Wu Wei.
Let's step back a bit first, however: what exactly is Wei Wu Wei? To put it in English, Wei Wu Wei essentially translates to 'Action without Action'. Huh? I think some elaboration is in order. For this I'll use a quote from a member that seems to be able to describe Wei Wu Wei better than me, Aim64C.
Aim64C said:
This quote speaks of the 'Tao' a lot. To put it frankly, in Taoism the Tao signifies the flow of the universe. In broader terms, the Tao is "The One, which is natural, spontaneous, eternal, nameless, and indescribable. It is at once the beginning of all things and the way in which all things pursue their course." The Tao is the natural order of things, and in attempting to figure it out you're going against it. To truly understand it, you must allow it to sweep you away; to go along with its flow and not question it in its path. I can't go any more in depth than that. Taoism in itself is more than a philosophical belief
Something I can, however, go more indepth about, is the Bagua (八卦; Literally translating to Eight Symbols), as related in the I Ching (A Chinese Classic Text). The Bagua are a series of eight trigrams utilized to represent Nature in differing amounts of Ying and Yang.
You must be registered for see images
The Bagua.
Based upon these Eight Trigrams, there are a possible Sixty-Four Tetragrams that can be formed.
Sound familiar? Both the Eight Trigrams and Sixty-Four Tetragrams are utilized in the Hyuuga fighting style, Jyuuken, as techniques. Each strike in the Sixty-Four Trigrams technique is different, with differing amounts of chakra forced out the Tenketsu to lead up to a final powerful strike.
The Jyuuken fighting style in itself is based off of both T'ai chi ch'uan and Baguazhang.
First off, T'ai chi ch'uan, simplified as Tai Chi, is a function of Wu Xing; Wu Xing is the medicinal, mechanical, or alchemical philosophy within Taoism. Each of its five phases (mù, huǒ, tǔ, jīn, and shuǐ) serve as the function of the material world and play a critical role in the theory behind Chinese traditional medicine.
Tai Chi serves to exemplify the the same philosophy; same as Taoism is a philosophy that involves responsiveness, adaptation, and observation, Tai Chi is a defensive style that involves observation of the opponent and adaptation to their strikes, as well as potency in the user's own strikes. Same as with Jyuuken, which involves observation using the Byakugan to locate the opponent's Tenketsu and fluidity in their own strikes, as well as a single touch being deadly due to the user's own chakra.
Tai Chi can as well be used for health benefits and assisting in the healing process, as with Jyuuken.
Baguazhang, on the other hand, is a mainly circular fighting style. The name itself literally means Eight Trigram Palm, and there are multiple variations of the style; the one I find to be most closely related to Jyuuken is called the Yin Style, and focuses on slight touches to the opponent's pressure points and very swift movement, as well as stances that can be considered unorthodox.
And now for the finale, we slide into one of the defining features of Taoism and the Hyuuga both; Ying Yang, and their relation to it.
The Jyuuken fighting style in itself is based off of both T'ai chi ch'uan and Baguazhang.
First off, T'ai chi ch'uan, simplified as Tai Chi, is a function of Wu Xing; Wu Xing is the medicinal, mechanical, or alchemical philosophy within Taoism. Each of its five phases (mù, huǒ, tǔ, jīn, and shuǐ) serve as the function of the material world and play a critical role in the theory behind Chinese traditional medicine.
Tai Chi serves to exemplify the the same philosophy; same as Taoism is a philosophy that involves responsiveness, adaptation, and observation, Tai Chi is a defensive style that involves observation of the opponent and adaptation to their strikes, as well as potency in the user's own strikes. Same as with Jyuuken, which involves observation using the Byakugan to locate the opponent's Tenketsu and fluidity in their own strikes, as well as a single touch being deadly due to the user's own chakra.
Tai Chi can as well be used for health benefits and assisting in the healing process, as with Jyuuken.
Baguazhang, on the other hand, is a mainly circular fighting style. The name itself literally means Eight Trigram Palm, and there are multiple variations of the style; the one I find to be most closely related to Jyuuken is called the Yin Style, and focuses on slight touches to the opponent's pressure points and very swift movement, as well as stances that can be considered unorthodox.
And now for the finale, we slide into one of the defining features of Taoism and the Hyuuga both; Ying Yang, and their relation to it.
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Kishimoto has frequently displayed the Hyuuga in relation to the Ying Yang.
In Taoist metaphysics, Ying and Yang are equals. One cannot exist without the other. They complement each other perfectly; while not only supplementing what the other lacks, it has the perfect balance in its own quantities to not overshadow the other. As the quote in the 'Uchiha - Shintoism' portion of this thread read, Yang is used to create form and Yin is used to breathe life into that form. And they do all of the previously said effortless, once again another example of Wu Wei. Ying Yang are a child of the Tao.
Kishimoto has always portrayed the Hyuuga in a fashion of Ying Yang, this culminating in Ying Yang being one of their clan symbols. From their diplomatic attitudes to their somewhat minimalist form of fighting, it's obvious to me that Kishimoto attempts to portray the Hyuuga in a Taoist fashion.
Let me use Hinata as an example; from the beginning of the Manga in her first fight she was shown to exemplify the 'Yin' form of Ying Yang - "the material with existence and change with no shape or form". Neji's ability to successfully read her during their fight was an example of this.
Due to her interactions with Naruto, however, one who can be considered purely Yang (physical energy) as of his introduction to the series, she began to balance out; the Yang of Naruto began to show in her due to his ideals. This culminated during her intervention during his battle with Pain: her form of Yang took control during this exposure, and she showed her willingness to literally give her life for her role model.
Consequently, and on a side note, Naruto has shown more Yin to balance out his originally overwhelming Yang side. He's gentler, more spiritual orientated at this point. This was displayed in his ability to reason with Nagato, the one who attempted to completely obliterate him mere minutes prior; something that can actually be related to Hinata, her shocking confession and even more subtle interactions between them previously in the series.
In the words of Aim64C once more: "A gentle touch here. A nod there. A splash of water - and one changes the world."
Hinata, a mere example I used, has not only assisted the main protagonist in his journey through the philosophies of Wu Wei, but also traveled along the journey to fulfill her own destiny through the Tao.
Kishimoto has always portrayed the Hyuuga in a fashion of Ying Yang, this culminating in Ying Yang being one of their clan symbols. From their diplomatic attitudes to their somewhat minimalist form of fighting, it's obvious to me that Kishimoto attempts to portray the Hyuuga in a Taoist fashion.
Let me use Hinata as an example; from the beginning of the Manga in her first fight she was shown to exemplify the 'Yin' form of Ying Yang - "the material with existence and change with no shape or form". Neji's ability to successfully read her during their fight was an example of this.
Due to her interactions with Naruto, however, one who can be considered purely Yang (physical energy) as of his introduction to the series, she began to balance out; the Yang of Naruto began to show in her due to his ideals. This culminated during her intervention during his battle with Pain: her form of Yang took control during this exposure, and she showed her willingness to literally give her life for her role model.
Consequently, and on a side note, Naruto has shown more Yin to balance out his originally overwhelming Yang side. He's gentler, more spiritual orientated at this point. This was displayed in his ability to reason with Nagato, the one who attempted to completely obliterate him mere minutes prior; something that can actually be related to Hinata, her shocking confession and even more subtle interactions between them previously in the series.
In the words of Aim64C once more: "A gentle touch here. A nod there. A splash of water - and one changes the world."
Hinata, a mere example I used, has not only assisted the main protagonist in his journey through the philosophies of Wu Wei, but also traveled along the journey to fulfill her own destiny through the Tao.
I truly do hope you enjoyed, because this was a very large amount of effort on my part; I ask, which part of it did you happen to prefer (Uchiha or Hyuuga)?
