Princess Mononoke
Set in late Muromachi-period Japan, young Emishi warrior Ashitaka travels west after receiving a curse, becoming entangled in the conflict between the ironworks settlement of Irontown and the gods of the ancient forest. A Studio Ghibli film directed by Hayao Miyazaki (1997) that confronts head-on the question of whether humans and nature can coexist.
- Genre:
- ファンタジー / アドベンチャー / 歴史 / アクション
- Medium:
- Film
Princess Mononoke — Timeline11 events
A Demon God Appears at the Emishi Village; Ashitaka Drives It Off with an Arrow but Receives a Curse on His Right Arm
A demon god — a great boar transformed by hatred — attacked the remote Emishi settlement in the east. On watch duty, Ashitaka drove it off with arrows and saved the village, but his right arm was infected by the curse during the battle. A lead ball of foreign origin was found in the demon god's body, confirming that humans in the west had shot it.
Ashitaka Departs the Village to Seek a Cure for His Curse and Journeys West
The village elder's divination revealed that the curse would bring death, and Ashitaka resolved to travel west to find its source. Following tribal custom, he cut his topknot, bid farewell to the clan, and set out with his elk Yakul. The departure amounted to exile — he could never return to the Emishi settlement.
Ashitaka Rescues Wounded Samurai During His Journey and Is Led Toward the Forest of the Deer God
During his journey west, Ashitaka encountered a group of wounded samurai and used the uncanny strength of his cursed arm to save them. Following their trail, he reached the vicinity of the Forest of the Deer God and witnessed first-hand the tension existing at the boundary between the forest and human settlement.
Ashitaka Reaches Irontown and Learns the Reality of Lady Eboshi and Her Settlement
Ashitaka arrived at the ironworks settlement governed by Lady Eboshi. There, women who had been sold into servitude and people with leprosy formed the core workforce, producing iron and manufacturing firearms. Eboshi aimed to drive out the gods of the forest and expand production by clearing the mountain.
Ashitaka Encounters 'Princess Mononoke' San and Directly Witnesses the Confrontation Between the Forest Gods and Humans
Ashitaka encountered San, a human girl raised among the wolf gods of the forest. Though human, San stood firmly on the side of the forest and participated in attacks against Irontown. Ashitaka, observing events from within both worlds, sought to explore the possibility of reconciliation between the two sides.
Eboshi Reveals Her Plan to Take the Deer God's Head; Her Alliance with Jigo, Acting on Imperial Orders, Takes Shape
Lady Eboshi revealed that she had received a commission from the Imperial Court, which believed that possessing the Deer God's head would confer immortality. Acting in concert with Jigo, the Court's agent, a plan to seize the Deer God's head took shape as the final objective — setting the stage for a decisive clash with the gods of the forest.
A Host of Boar Gods Charges Irontown and Clashes with Eboshi's Rifle Corps
The boar gods of the western forest charged Irontown en masse. Eboshi's rifle corps cut down many of the boar gods, but their leader, Okkoto, accumulated so much resentment that he transformed into a demon god. Moro also sustained a fatal wound in the battle. The forest gods' large-scale counterattack ended with enormous losses on both sides.
Eboshi Shoots Off the Deer God's Head; the Fluid of Life Floods Across the Land
Lady Eboshi succeeded in shooting off the Deer God's head with a rifle. Deprived of its head, the Deer God became an enormous dark fluid that spread across the land, killing all it touched and withering the forests and hills. Irontown suffered catastrophic destruction. In her dying moments, Moro bit off Eboshi's right arm.
Ashitaka and San Recover the Deer God's Head and Return It to the Great Forest Spirit
Ashitaka and San pursued Jigo, who had seized the head, and recovered it. Together they returned the head to the Great Forest Spirit in its giant Nightwalker form. Having reclaimed its head, the spirit collapsed and dissolved in the morning light. In that instant, a faint green began to return to the devastated land.
Ashitaka's Curse Is Lifted; He Chooses to Remain at Irontown and Pledges to Live Alongside San
At the moment of the Deer God's dissolution, the curse on Ashitaka's arm was lifted. Lady Eboshi survived, though she had lost one arm, and vowed to rebuild Irontown. Ashitaka chose not to return to the Emishi settlement but to remain in the land of Irontown. Though he and San would live apart — she in the forest, he among the people — they promised to visit each other.
Life Returns to the Barren Hills and Forests; Humans and the Forest Take the First Steps Toward a New Relationship
Even after the Deer God's power had faded, life continued to flow back into the earth, and vegetation began to sprout from the devastated hills and plains. The people of Irontown set about rebuilding their burned settlement. Both the human side and the forest gods had suffered enormous losses, and a phase of searching for a new equilibrium began.
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