Tajimamori's role as the God of Sweets is the result of this story however, the use of the word "konomi", in reference to "fruit" is considered archaic, and is used in recent times to refer to confectionary treats. Since there have been several classification systems for citrus fruits, the classification of the tachibana orange as either one of various citrus varieties, or its own special genus if one consults the system derived by Chōzaburō Tanaka.Įffects of Shinsenkyo – Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku The fruit that Tajimamori brought back is thought to be the tachibana orange (binomial nomenclature: citrus reticulata tachibana or simply citrus tachibana), a variety of citrus that grows in the Japanese mountains. He gave half of the branches to the Emperor's widow, offered the other half at the emperor's tomb and then died himself, overwhelmed with grief. After 10 years, Tajimamori returned with some branches bearing fruit however, by then, Emperor Suinin was already dead. Within both of these early-Japanese chronicles, the story of Tajimamori is detailed, with its origins being in the Kofun period of Japanese history (from around 300 to 538CE).Ĭhief of Iwagakure – Hell's Paradise Jigokuraku Episode 3Īccording to legend, Tajimamori was sent on an expedition by Emperor Suinin, the 11th Japanese Emperor of legend, to find a magical fruit known as the Tokijiki no Kagu-no-konomi 「非時香菓」, which required him to travel to the land of Tokoyo no Kuni (literally "The Everlasting Land") which is written in Japanese「常世の国」. In the chronicles of Japanese history, the Nihon Shoki as well as the Kojiki, both of which have their origins in the 7th and 8th centuries and contain various oral traditions, hymns, legends and an account of the creation of the Japanese archipelago, its kamuy (gods and similar entities) and even the genealogies of significant figures. What connects Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku with mythology is Gabimaru's use of a different name for the object they are searching for: " Tokijiku no Kagu no Mi", which is slightly different but follows a similar nomenclature as " tokijiku no kagu no konomi" – the MacGuffin in the Japanese mythological legend of Tajimamori, the God of Sweets. Of those six parties, there has only been a single survivor. Its existence aside, the Shogunate seeks the Elixir and has sent six expedition parties to the island, but with each one, only one boat filled with flowers and a human body with flowers blooming all over it returned. Flashbacks to Gabimaru's childhood depict the chief sustaining all kinds of grievous harm to his body, including disembowelment, but grinning through it as if none of the fatal wounds were even painful. However, the Chief of Iwagakure is a man rumoured to have obtained the mysterious substance at some point. Several samurai search parties have been sent to the island in order to find the Elixir of Life reported to be available on the island however, its existence is still argued by many who dismiss it as a myth. Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku follows a band of criminals who are sent on an expedition to the mysterious island of Shinsenkyo with a group of samurai executioners as attendants by the Shogunate. RELATED: Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku - Introducing the Criminals Condemned To Paradise Jigokuraku – The following article contains heavy spoilers for Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. Calling it " Tokijiku no Kagu no Mi", Gabimaru has known about its existence for a long time, but that specific name is the biggest clue regarding the possible mythological inspirations behind Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku. Upon their arrival, Gabimaru's attendant, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, reacts in awe at the beauty of their environment however, Gabimaru found the presence of varying types of plant life that shouldn't be together in the same place quite eerie.ĭuring their initial conversation on the island, Gabimaru tells Sagiri that she speaks like someone who didn't believe in the existence of the island, or the elixir, but he assures her it exists however, the name he uses in reference to the series' MacGuffin is not what is usually used. The purpose of their expedition to an area packed with unknown dangers is to retrieve the fabled Elixir of Life, a substance capable of granting those who partake of it the coveted quality of immortality. The third episode of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku marked the arrival of the Vanguard Party upon the island of Shinsenkyo, and within hours, several criminals and a few Yamada Asaemon were dead.
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