Yuna Mouun (Japanese: 曚雲 Mou'un) was a shrine maiden and whalesong master from the Yuna Clan of the Watatsumi Island, Inazuma, who established the first navy of the island with the mighty whale Daikengyou. Along with her younger twin sister Ayame the Umigozen and her student Touzannou (Akuou), she played a key role in the war between Orobashi and the Raiden Shogun, meeting her end by an ambush by the tengu general Sasayuri's subordinates.
Profile[]
Mouun was born to the great house Yuna Clan, one of the oldest Watatsumi clans that trace back Byakuya no Kuni (Enkanomiya), a realm in the depths of the sea.[1] From the Divine Priestess she learned the rituals of shrine maidens, as well as history, governance, and island folk-tunes (Japanese: 島唄 shima-uta, lit. "island songs").[1] Being a wise and gentle woman, she was good at mediating quarrels.[1] She is widely considered to be the greatest master of whalesong in history.[1]
Her close friend Daikengyou (Japanese: 大検校 lit. "Great Kengyou [Visually Impaired Officer]") was a blind, 900-year-old whale who commanded five hundred narwhals as bodyguards and five hundred humpback whales as musicians,[Note 1] in addition to deep-sea fish and moonglow-like jellyfish as servants.[1] Legend says it was so gigantic that it could swallow coral islands.[1]
Story[]
Born to a great family, she served the then-Divine Priestess of the Sangonomiya Clan from the young age and became her entrusted shrine maiden by the time when the war with the Raiden Shogun was about to begin.[1] Then, given an order by the priestess to assemble the first navy of the island, she spent three days to persuade the great whale Daikengyou to be allied with the Watatsumi Island.[1]
At some point in the history, the twin sisters Mouun and Ayame the Umigozen mentored an unnamed boy, who would later become Touzannou (also later known as Akuou), the champion of the serpent god Orobashi.[2] Touzannou learned whalesongs and rituals from the sisters, but it was one beautiful night when he swam with Mouun that inspired him to develop two famed sword arts.[2] He seems to have had romantic feelings toward his mentor, and Getsumouun ("Moon Mouun"), the name of one of the two arts,[2] may be his tribute to Mouun.
After the war with the Raiden Shogun began, Orobashi, and the army of Touzannou embarked on the Yashiori Island,[2] while Mouun and Ayame led the navy with Daikengyou.[1][3] Following fierce battles, they successfully slayed the tengu Sasayuri, a general cherished by the shogun.[4] However, Musou no Hitotachi, the signature sword art of the shogun, severed Orobashi and Touzannou together just with one slash, creating a huge gap now known as the Musoujin Gorge.[2]
Upon hearing the deaths of her god and student, she and Daikengyou tried to retreat but were killed by an ambush by the subordinates of Sasayuri.[1] Their bodies were captured by the Bakufu.[1] Her sister Ayame the Umigozen also disappeared into the sea.[1]
Even after many years passed, the people of Watatsumi Island still sing the deeds of Mouun in folk-tunes.[1] The Mouun Shrine on the island may be dedicated to honor her memory.
Trivia[]
Etymology[]
- Mou'un (Japanese: 曚雲 lit. "Dark Cloud") is the name of a fictional Okinawan sorcerer in the Japanese fantasy novel Chinsetsu Yumiharizuki (1807–1811) by the novelist Takizawa Bakin and the artist Katsushika Hokusai.
- In the novel, Mou'un has the ability of illusory magic to summon various creatures and later it is revealed that his true form is a water serpent dragon.[5] These stories may have inspired the in-game Mouun's association with marine life and the great serpent Orobashi. Unlike Mouun in this game, however, Mou'un in the novel is an evil male sorcerer who terrorizes Okinawa and is finally slain by a young warrior who will become the legendary Okinawan king Shunten (1166–1237).[5]
- "Island folk-tunes" (Japanese: 島唄 shima-uta, lit. "island songs") refer to a type of traditional song in the Amami Islands (a part of the Okinawan cultural sphere).
- Her friendship with whales may be inspired by the fact nowadays the Amami Ooshima (its largest island) is known for whale watching for humpback whales.
- The name of the whale Daikengyou (Japanese: 大検校 lit. "Great Kengyou [Visually Impaired Officer]") refers to the highest title given to a virtuoso of koto (Japanese zither).[6] Considering the sea-themed design of the Watatsumi Island, it may be a reference to the daikengyou Miyagi Michio (1894–1956), who composed The Sea in Spring.
Notes[]
- ↑ The Life of Mouun the Shrine Maiden.
EN: "For its bodyguard, it had fifty narwhals on its left flank and fifty humpback whales on its right."
CN: 左有五百条角鲸为护卫，右有五百条座头鲸为乐师。 "On its left are five hundred narwhals serving as bodyguards, and on its right are five hundred humpback whales serving as musicians."
Other Languages[]
| Language | Official Name |
|---|---|
| English | Mouun |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 曚云 Méngyún |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 曚雲 Méngyún |
| Japanese | 曚雲 Mou'un |
| Korean | 모운 Moun |
| Spanish | Mouun |
| French | Mouun |
| Russian | Моун Moun |
| Thai | Mouun |
| Vietnamese | Mouun |
| German | Mouun |
| Indonesian | Mouun |
| Portuguese | Mouun |
| Turkish | Mouun |
| Italian | Mouun |
Change History[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Book: The Life of Mouun the Shrine Maiden
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Book: Debates on the "Viceroy of the East"
- ↑ Weapon: Mouun's Moon
- ↑ Book: Sangonomiya Chronicles
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Seikei University: 『鎭西八郎為朝外傳椿説弓張月』
- ↑ Miyagi Michio Official Site: 宮城道雄の生涯と業績