Ocular aspects

[BlinkST]

Recently, I was rethinking the idea of ocular powers and "branding", and how to they blend together. The consensus is that the "Sharingan" spun-off from the Rinnegan, beginning with Indra, a third-generation child of Hagoromo Ohtsusuki. The original eye was the Shinju's eye.

Later on, it began to seem as if it was the other way around: the Rinnegan spun-off from the Sharingan. Hagoromo said his mother possessed the Sharingan's power [Genjutsu].

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

But then, Madara said Sasuke had awoken the Rinnegan, which looked identical to Kaguya's/Shinju's eye.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

So, what's going on?

To rethink this, I started to consider that maybe the package is not called "Sharingan" or "Rinnegan", but rather, these can be considered as "contents" of a single eye, and there's no technical name.

In other words, multiple ocular powers working together, instead of just one.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

The way I would label the contents, would be:
-Sharingan (Copying)
-Saimingan (Hypnosis)

Dosatugan (Insight)​

-Mangekyo (Kaleidoscope)

-Choku tomoe​

-Rinnegan (Rebirth cycle)

Dotsatugan (Insight)​

For example, there is such a thing as "Saimingan", yet it's not literally referring to the eyeball. [

You must be registered for see links

]

With that kind of thinking, it made sense for the Sharingan and Rinnegan have a "half and half" relationship, from what Itachi suggested, and what Madara later did. There are many points I can mention, but I have a few key points.

The Rinnegan user is capable of using the main 5 five elements, in addition to residual Inton/Yoton power, which manifests itself as chakra rods.

The Sharingan on the other hand, can use residual Onmyoton power, which manifests itself as Izanagi.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

After that, there is the famed genjutsu, and Susano'o, which is like a lifeless container.

Comparably, the Rinnegan user's power [Gedo] can allow them to control living things via chakra rods, and the closest thing to a creation power it has is Chibaku tensei, but that doesn't count as Banbutsu sozo.

However, these bridges connect the two ocular powers. Susano'o especially, which takes it's name from a kami, who gave birth another entity, who in turn gave birth to the tengu, who are the progenitor of shinobi. Here are some important points.

Spoiler

The literal meaning of Tengu is "Heaven 天” and “Dog 狗." In Chinese mythology, there is a related creature named Tien Kou (Tiangou 天狗), or "celestial hound." The name is misleading, however, as the crow-like Tengu looks nothing like a dog. One plausible theory is that the Chinese Tien Kou derived its name from a destructive meteor that hit China sometime in the 6th century BC. The tail of the falling body resembled that of a dog, hence the name and its initial association with destructive powers.

-This can be seen when Madara used Susano'o to call down meteors (Whether through summon or attractive force, we don't know).

Spoiler

Tengu 天狗 are mountain and forest goblins with both Shinto and Buddhist attributes. Their supernatural powers include shape-shifting into human or animal forms, the ability to speak to humans without moving their mouth, the magic of moving instantly from place to place without using their wings, and the sorcery to appear uninvited in the dreams of the living.

-This can be seen when Sasuke used his powers to move inexplicably. Suggestively, he was depicted with wings. [

You must be registered for see links

]

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

The next bridge is the tomoe. What do tomoe/magatama mean?

Spoiler

The character tomoe 巴 means eddy or whirlpool; however, it is not clear if this was the original idea of the design. Some scholars are convinced that it stems from the design on leather clothing worn by ancient archers (tomo 鞆 thus tomo-e 鞆絵), a tomo picture. Others say it was originally a representation of a coiled snake. It may be the oldest design in Japan, because it is similar in shape to the magatama 勾玉 jewelry beads of the Yayoi period. It appears as a design on the wall paintings of the Byoudouin Hououdou 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053; Kyoto) and in the Illustrated scroll of the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari emaki 源氏物語絵巻) of the early 12c. It was widely used from the Kamakura period onward and is often found on utensils, rooftiles and family and shrine heraldry. Its frequent appearence in connection with Shinto shrines indicates that it was thought to express the spirit of the gods. Patterns of one, two and three tomoe exist, some facing left, others right.

There are lots of ways for how this information ties into the story:

-The clothing of the Ohtsusuki family is adorned with tomoe.
-Sasuke is an archer [

You must be registered for see links

], and he can transform black fire into tomoe shapes [

You must be registered for see links

].
-Tendo (god realm), used by Nagato, wore a magatama necklace. [

You must be registered for see links

]
-The appearance of Naruto's Biju mode has tomoe. [

You must be registered for see links

]
-The formation of the bijudama is sometimes shown with tomoe.
-The Senjutsu of Hagoromo Ohtsusuki appears as 9 tomoe accompanied by a marking that appears similar to the Rinnegan. [

You must be registered for see links

]

-Orochimaru has placed Curse marks on people, all of which contain his senjutsu chakra. [

You must be registered for see links

]

But, as far as tomoe representing kami? There is a famous story of th kami Amaterasu, who locked herself in a cave, and the other kami used magatama and a mirror to lure her out.

Spoiler

Some of the earliest religious uses of magatama beads were in Japanese shamanic practices. Here they were used as tools to draw a kami spirit into a shaman, who would serve as a medium between kamis and humans (Matsume 18-19). The beads were also used in spirit pacification rituals to “call back the spirit of the deceased and then to bind it and/or transfer it” (Ebersole 96). This was possible because the magatama beads are believed to be a lure to the kami as well as a temporary residing place for them (Blacker 106). These ideas are given further solidity when looking at the Kojiki story of coaxing Amaterasu out of the cave. Ame-no-uzume (the kami that causes the laughter) is thought by scholars to be a shaman who becomes possessed by Amaterasu while performing a spirit pacification ritual where she is reviving Amaterasu's soul (bringing it back from the dead and binding it in the world of the living by using magatama beads tied on a sakaki tree) (Ebersole 98; Matsume).

-This ties into what I mentioned earlier. But, an additional thing I didn't mention, was that one of Susano's weapons are called "Yasaka Magatama". [

You must be registered for see links

]

Spoiler

The most important magatama beads are called the yasakani no magatama and is one of the imperial regalia objects. In this context the beads are believed to possess the soul of a person wherein it can be passed on to others as a means of passing one's authority or power to its receiver. Izanagi's gift of these beads to Amaterasu is so important because in doing so, “Izanagi ceded all of his spiritual power to Ama-terasu-opo-mi-kami” to rule with (Philippi 71). This is because Izanagi had previously put his soul into the beads by shaking them (indication of a spirit pacification ritual) (Philippi 71). The transfer of power and authority to rule Japan has been handed down in this way - through the yasakani no magatama beads - from Amaterasu to her descendants, right up to the present emperor and continues to be done through the imperial accession ceremony (Ebersole 96).

-One of the more profound ways this has manifested, is with the Sharingan jutsu "Amaterasu", which was referred to by Kabuto as the best offensive ocular jutsu. [

You must be registered for see links

] Amaterasu is considered to be the supreme Shinto kami, as she was given the right to rule the high plain of Heaven by her father, Izanagi.

 

[BlinkST]

The closest thing to Amaterasu is Kaguya, who originally employed the Sharingan and Rinnegan powers to control the population.

To wrap it up, tomoe are used [Obviously in my opinion] as a way to indicate a kind of nobility; to symbolize those who inherited the right to rule. It began with the source -- the Shinju --, and transferred to humans when Kaguya took the fruit, and Hagoromo later had children who became the forerunners to the Senju and Uchiha clans.

Importantly, the transference of things [Tensei] is a motif associated with the ocular powers. The Sharingan can literally be transferred to another party [

You must be registered for see links

], and it's control over living things sometimes causes the Sharingan to appear in their eyes [

You must be registered for see links

]. It's like spiritual possession, in a way, and is considered to be one of the most ghastly things [According to Hagoromo]. With the genjutsu Koto'Amatsukami, someone can be manipulated without them ever realizing [

You must be registered for see links

], while Itachi's genjutsu was notorious for manipulating Sasuke. [

You must be registered for see links

]

With the two chief Uchiha kinjutsu, a person can change the fate of themselves [Izanagi], or even decide the fate of another [Izanami], even without eyesight. [

You must be registered for see links

] Izanami in particular was invented to rescue Uchiha brethren that became lost in the power of Izanagi. [

You must be registered for see links

]

Similarly, the Rinnegan appears in the eyes of those under the control of the Gedo [Outer path], although these were typically dead individuals. The exception of this is the entity that appears when used by the Jigokudo. [

You must be registered for see links

]


[...]

So, how do the two compliment each other? To start with, I think we’ve been using the word “Mangekyo” for so long that we kind of became oblivious to what it means.

A kaleidoscope is a cylinder with mirrors containing loose, colored objects such as beads or pebbles and bits of glass. As the viewer looks into one end, light entering the other creates a colorful pattern, due to the reflection off of the mirrors. Coined in 1817 by Scottish inventor Sir David Brewster, "kaleidoscope" is derived from the Ancient Greek καλός (kalos), "beautiful, beauty", εἶδος (eidos), "that which is seen: form, shape" and σκοπέω (skopeō), "to look to, to examine”, hence "observation of beautiful forms."

Suddenly, things began to click.

"the resurrection of jubi!
and ill be the jinchuriki of jubi"
"I’ll utilize the power (of jubi) to expand my own ocular power
…to activate a certain jutsu. "
"its a grand illusion that projects one’s(=the casters) own eye(/s) onto the moon"
"the mugen tsukuyomi…”

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

The “Mangekyo” Sharingan, does indeed have a “pattern”, while the Sharingan generally carries ocular genjutsu.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

As I pointed out earlier in the OP, the Rinnegan was often associated with Hagoromo, while the Mangekyo Sharingan was often an individual thing.

After seeing Hagoromo make it clear that he was not to be associated with jutsu, it made sense for him to not be known as a Sharingan user, while speaking condescendingly about Infinite Tsukuyomi [Even though he also possessed that power]. Hagoromo represented ninshu, which was peace through the teachings of chakra, while his mother was the one who originally came up with the idea of jutsu, after becoming too arrogant.

Once again, I don’t think Hagoromo and Madara were actually contradicting each other.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

The power of Rinne [“Journeying”; cycle of birth, death, and rebirth] as in Rinnegan, was something that dealt in the Hindu/Buddhist ideologies of life. Most of this is too long-winded to get into a whole lot of detail right now, but the basic gist of the ideologies are that people are perpetually reborn into 6 main states of existence (Tendo, Chikushodo, Gakido, Jigokudo, Shurado, Ningendo), based on the nature of karma, and only by achieving nirvana can they be freed from the cycle, and be reborn into higher realms.

In Madara’s genjutsu, he seeks to free people from the struggles of the material world, by trapping them in a world where they no longer have to deal with the pitfalls of human life.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

Rather than the Sharingan, a Rinnegan is projected over the eyes of those seized by the genjutsu, because the Rinnegan symbolizes the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Assuredly, everyone captured, is being reborn in the genjutsu, as if they are reborn into one of the higher realms (Buddhahood).

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

This is accompanied by the use of the Shinju’s wood power, which appeared in humans as the famous “Mokuton” of Hashirama Senju. As we know, many of Hashirama’s jutsu were modeled after Buddhist folktales.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

And in closing, we revisit the folktale of Amaterasu.

Spoiler

Perhaps the most celebrated myth concerning Amaterasu is when she blocked herself in a cave following an argument with Susanoo when he surprised the goddess with a monstrous flayed horse when she was quietly weaving in her palace with her younger sister Waka-hiru-me. As a consequence of Amaterasu’s disappearance the world was cast in total darkness and evil spirits ran riot over the earth. The gods tried all manner of ways to persuade the peeved goddess to leave the cave. On the advice of Omohi-Kane, cocks were set outside the cave in the hope their crows would make the goddess think that dawn had come. The gods also placed a large sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica) outside the cave and decorated it with sparkling jewels (magatama), fine white clothes and a mirror at its centre. In addition, the goddess Amenouzume (or Ama-no-Uzeme) danced so wildly in a strip-tease routine that the other gods’ uproarious laughter finally excited the curiosity of Amaterasu. Opening the blocked cave just enough to see what was going on and whilst distracted by seeing her stunning reflection in the mirror, the strong god Ame-no-tajikara-wo yanked the goddess out of the cave. Tuto-Tamu then held behind the goddess a pole of plaited straw and emphatically stated that the goddess could hide no longer and the world was once more bathed in her radiant sunlight.

We can already see Kishimoto’s spin on this. This, is symbolically what is occurring with Infinite Tsukuyomi: the eye of kaguya, the goddess who obtained the authority to rule, is being reflected upon the earth. [As if she’s equally captivated by her own image]

 

[Lightbringer]

I too believe the Juubi eyes contains both sharingan and rinnegan qualities.

But here's an interesting thought.


Kaguyas had two sons.

What if Hagoromo obtained the Rinnegan aspect of the eye, while the brother gained the Sharingan aspect

It would explain why Hagoromo doesn't possess the tomoe rinnegan.

But the power of the sharingan is still in his genes, which is why Indra was born with it. Though he didn't possess Ashura's chakra to gain the rinnegan.

 

[shelke]

A good read. I don't believe the Sage and Madara are contradicting each other - I just get the feeling that it's a matter of perspective at this point. I also do not think that Madara is completely aware of Kaguya's manipulation and the protoplast eye which seems to be a clear overlapping of three Rings of 3T Sharingan and Rinnegan.

I simply get the feeling that Sharingan is the ultimate Clairvoyant eye - it records and absorbs information and then predicts future outcome in a sense of approaching attacks or rewriting reality with Izanagi or erasing what has already occurred. Rinnegan, I am not sure how many would agree, but it seems like a lesser eye, given its lack of ability to predict and be the all-seeing eye that makes up the Sharingan.

I believe it's Sharingan's incorporation into Rinnegan that exalts its value, granting it the ability of outer path with clairvoyance and illusion to truly make it lethal. Anyhow, good read regardless. + rep.

 

[BlinkST]

It would explain why Hagoromo doesn't possess the tomoe rinnegan.

If you're talking about the third eye, he did possess it. As Madara said, when he who has the power of Rinne approaches the moon, the eye will open. In chapter 671, Hagoromo explained why Infinite Tsukuyomi is considered to be the end of the world. According to Jiraiya and the great toad Sage, he who has the Rinnegan, can be the harbinger of great destruction.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

What this means, is that Hagoromo did indeed possess the third eye, but decided against putting it to use, for obvious reasons.

 

[Vega]

This was an Excellent thread, really good work here man.
The length did not deter me from reading it and I enjoyed it throughout the way. I also looked as the Juubi's eye as per say the 'union' of the Sharingan and Rinnegan.
One question, we saw Zetsu say Sasuke can "repel" the jutsu. Do you think Sasuke (reversely) would be able to effectively cast it as well [on a minor scale compared to what Madara is doing]?

 

[Lightbringer]

If you're talking about the third eye, he did possess it. As Madara said, when he who has the power of Rinne approaches the moon, the eye will open. In chapter 671, Hagoromo explained why Infinite Tsukuyomi is considered to be the end of the world. According to Jiraiya and the great toad Sage, he who has the Rinnegan, can be the harbinger of great destruction.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

What this means, is that Hagoromo did indeed possess the third eye, but decided against putting it to use, for obvious reasons.

well the eye on his forehead had a rinnegan design rather than the Juubi eye.

You must be registered for see images

He could have obtained the third eye only after becoming host to the Juubi.

When he met Naruto, he wasn't the host anymore, meaning he didn't possess the tomoe third eye and was left with the rinnegan design.


This is supported by Madara needing to become the Jinchuriki just to awaken it. He only obtained the "rinnegan" by combining Ashura's chakra with Indra', which is the power of the Sage.

I just question Hagoromo being born with the third eye while also possessing the rinnegan since the third eye, in theory, is already the accumulation of both sharingan and rinnegan.

 

[BlinkST]

This was an Excellent thread, really good work here man.
The length did not deter me from reading it and I enjoyed it throughout the way. I also looked as the Juubi's eye as per say the 'union' of the Sharingan and Rinnegan.
One question, we saw Zetsu say Sasuke can "repel" the jutsu. Do you think Sasuke (reversely) would be able to effectively cast it as well [on a minor scale compared to what Madara is doing]?

That's theoretically possible if Sasuke used chibaku tensei to make a smaller moon, and have that reflect his eye.

 

[shawakaze]

If only there was a school of anime/manga. I see A+ students.

 

[BlinkST]

well the eye on his forehead had a rinnegan design rather than the Juubi eye.

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

That "eye" is actually a sign; the real eye is hidden underneath. I don't believe he ever did use the power of the Sharingan, considering how he spoke of his mother.

He could have obtained the third eye only after becoming host to the Juubi.

When he met Naruto, he wasn't the host anymore, meaning he didn't possess the tomoe third eye and was left with the rinnegan design.

You could say the same for his senjutsu, which he wasn't shown with while fighting the Shinju [

You must be registered for see links

]. He still has the markings, even though he's no longer the jinchuriki.

 

[Lightbringer]

Spoiler

You must be registered for see images

That "eye" is actually a sign; the real eye is hidden underneath. I don't believe he ever did use the power of the Sharingan, considering how he spoke of his mother.


You could say the same for his senjutsu, which he wasn't shown with while fighting the Shinju [

You must be registered for see links

]. He still has the markings, even though he's no longer the jinchuriki.

hmmm I guess it's all up for debate.

I suppose my biggest question is if Sasuke awakened the Juubi eye, why is it not on his forehead, but instead in one of his eyes?

Also will he get them in both eyes eventually? I feel as if he will, but again, what are the implications?

I just hope Kishi elaborates further.

 

[ANiMUS]

Awesome read man! The entire thing was extremely informative. I am gonna bookmark this so I can read and reference this info you have provided