Untitled

Hello I am bored so I'm going to post some nonsense pertaining to my other obsession.

Tengu (of course I start with them) are mountain-dwelling bird-man goblins, who in their human forms have very long noses. Said creatures are supposed to be very proud, and their noses have become a symbol of arrogance as much as Pinnochio's is a symbol of lying in the West. "Tengu ni naru" (you're turning into a tengu) is an admonition not to be so boastful.

And yet in at least one folktale a gambler scares a tengu away simply by shouting "BANG!"

I think Oda was thinking just as much of them as Pinnochio when he created our favorite slingshot-toting sniper.

And here is the ogre-like thunder-god, Raijin: http://www.jrtf.com/hoshun/images/raijin.jpg
Do his drums look a tad familiar?

Er… I'll post more things when/if I remember/notice them.

VildaHawk

Not Japanese mythology - but Skypiea is chock full of Jack and the Beanstalk:

"Giants" in the sky
Beanstalk
Stealing gold

Solar Knight

I think OP is based more on European stuff…

Originally posted by Solar Knight@May 2 2005, 01:53 PM
I think OP is based more on European stuff…
[snapback]41155[/snapback]

Well that's probably why I can only think of those two things then.

You know you want to see Chopper with a huge tanuki scrotum though.

Solar Knight

Not really :lol: .

Ivotas

Originally posted by VildaHawk@May 2 2005, 02:42 PM
**Not Japanese mythology - but Skypiea is chock full of Jack and the Beanstalk:

"Giants" in the sky

Beanstalk

Stealing gold
[snapback]40937[/snapback]**

And if IÂ´m not mistaken that Beanstalk is called "Giant Jack"! Someone please tell me if IÂ´m mistaken here.

The Source of Mihawk's Attack!!? <– Read by Luffy's voice-actor :D

I was actually going to make such a post when I was reading a book on the nitty-gritty of Buddhism (rather unreadable and technical at that). Here's an excerpt and it's footnote:

**The Chinese T'ien-t'ai sect united the concept of the ten suchnesses with that of the ten realms of existence to establish its basic teaching that all phenomena are contained in a moment of thought (literally, "three thousand realms in one thought").

The ten realms of existence interpenetrate (10 x 10 = 100). Each of these is characterized by the ten suchnesses (100 x 10 = 1,000), and these thousand items are each seen in terms of sentient beings, the aggregates, and space (1,000 X 3 = 3,000). "Three thousand realms in one thought" indicates the interpenetration of all dharmas within the mind, an understanding achieved through the practice of concentration**

Obviously really heady stuff, but to summarize, this is basically a chapter on "The Seals of the Law", i.e., three or four points a teaching is judged against to determine whether it is a true teaching of the Buddha. Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, my memory of the fight between Zoro and Mihawk came back to me and his attack, "Three Thousand Realms" (again, if I'm not mistaken.. If I am, this is all spurious and I've completely embarrassed myself).. I had wondered whether Oda had studied Buddhism to any extent, though I don't know how commonplace that phrase or understanding is, and it's quite possibly a coincidence.

But neat, huh? :P

Quirky.

[spoil]Actually, I've read the manga ahead a bit, and now do remember some powerful character being referred to as a Buddha God (his name was something like that) shortly before the Luffy pirates embarked on their Skypiea adventure[/spoil]

VildaHawk

All the priests in Skypiea are named after deities

Eneru is based off of the Japanese Thunder god… yes....

Bloodfoot

Woo, I'm late.

Does anyone else remember the discussion about the seahorse from the"memory drain" filer arc? That was based on the myth of seahorses being baby dragons. Or something like that; I can't find the thread.

Solid

Originally posted by tengu@May 2 2005, 02:44 AM
And yet in at least one folktale a gambler scares a tengu away simply by shouting "BANG!"

Could this mean that Paulie (the gambler) will defeat Kaku (Tengu)?

ooshi78

Originally posted by Solid@May 5 2005, 06:55 AM
Could this mean that Paulie (the gambler) will defeat Kaku (Tengu)?
[snapback]42759[/snapback]

wow, that would be really interesting…

btw, all of eneru's attacks are based on somekind of mythology.
(from book 33 SBS)
hino= american indian
kiten= japanese
jyambuul= arnemuland?
mamalagan= australia
pikachu= pokemon
amalu= nintendo
kali= malay

ooshi78

Greg

All the priests in Skypiea are named after deities

Actually they're named after Buddhist terms. I know off the bat that Satori is enlightenment but I won't be able to recall the others precisely without looking up my notes. If Saiya Jedi reads this he researched it personally so he should know.

The Usopp/Tengu things has been bounced around for a long while, not just the nose but also the eyes. In fact I think I even put that on my site a few years ago…..

Yeah I did:

Usoppâ€s name is a pun on the Japanese word â€˜usoâ€ meaning a lie. This is suitable for him since he is known for his tricks and lies. You also might find his nose quite odd, but that is probably a reference to Pinocchio and the lies he would tell that caused his nose to grow. One might also consider that it is a reference to Japanese demons known as Tengu that could play cruel or mischievous tricks on humans. A Tengu leader was known for its prolonged snout.

The cultural influences in OP are vast and not limited to any part of the world. I've been getting a lot new of insight from a Japanese online community that has been dissecting names to death recently.

Bah, I knew my quote on Mihawk was too esoteric for anyone to digest. Oh well ;)

wolfwood

well ive gotta point out that three thousand realms was zoros finaly attack,

im pretty sure of that…..

I'm not possitive if any of this is true, but the Shichi Bukai are based on the Seven Lucky Gods. Goku, the marines general is probably based on the Journey to the west story. So does that mean Aokiji and those other guys are based on Sanzo and the two demons that came with Goku?

Mog

The name of the High Commander of the Marines is ''Sengoku'', not Goku. Or at least, I think that's what you're thinking of. He's called ''Sengoku the Buddha'', which is a bit of a blatant reference.

Sengoku means civil war, I think.

wolfwood

well ive heard that it would literly translate as war country but then again im not very proficent at either japanse or english :P

changsho

Originally posted by TheTalentedMr.Sanji@May 5 2005, 11:19 AM
I'm not possitive if any of this is true, but the Shichi Bukai are based on the Seven Lucky Gods. Goku, the marines general is probably based on the Journey to the west story. So does that mean Aokiji and those other guys are based on Sanzo and the two demons that came with Goku?
[snapback]42829[/snapback]

Nah, the two other admirals are "Dog" and "Monkey", whereas in the myth the three followers of the priest are "Monkey", "Pig" and…um I forgot the last one but he was a river demon (in the Japanese stories he became a Kappa).

Ivotas

Originally posted by TheTalentedMr.Sanji@May 5 2005, 07:19 PM
I'm not possitive if any of this is true, but the Shichi Bukai are based on the Seven Lucky Gods. Goku, the marines general is probably based on the Journey to the west story. So does that mean Aokiji and those other guys are based on Sanzo and the two demons that came with Goku?
[snapback]42829[/snapback]

Oda said that the Shichibukai are an homage to one of his favorite movies "The Seven Samurai". While of course the Shichibukai donÂ´t resemble these characterÂ´s by appearance they are still an homage to them and thatÂ´s actually the reason why there is seven of them.
ThatÂ´s actually the reason why in the german version the Shichibukai are translated as "The Seven Samurai of the SeaÂ´s". It might not be perfect translation but it makes sense if you think about OdaÂ´s initial thoughts on those characters. :D

Cap'n Carter

Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru are based off of the Momotarou legend.

Bloodfoot

Momotarou is Peach Boy, right?

changsho

Yeah, the one who goes to the Ogre Island and stole their treasures, I think.

But there's no mention of Momotarou's companions having elemental powers XD

Originally posted by changsho
Nah, the two other admirals are "Dog" and "Monkey", whereas in the myth the three followers of the priest are "Monkey", "Pig" and…um I forgot the last one but he was a river demon (in the Japanese stories he became a Kappa).
[snapback]42843[/snapback]

Speaking of becoming a kappa, this comes up as the second google-images-search result for the kanji for said water imps:
http://www.gameking.com.cn/gk/dm/04/12/10/12240520.htm

so confused.

Buccaneer

I like those things. What's with the blue paint?

Momotaro pwns your bones.

I think Ace is a tengu.

Greg

**Bah, I knew my quote on Mihawk was too esoteric for anyone to digest. Oh wellÂ **

Not really. It's a simple concept. Yet again, I've had that info on my site for a couple years now.

Ubiq

Originally posted by omae no kaasan v.2@May 5 2005, 12:02 PM
Actually they're named after Buddhist terms. I know off the bat that Satori is enlightenment but I won't be able to recall the others precisely without looking up my notes.
[snapback]42790[/snapback]

Ohm is both a reference to Om from the Vedic scriptures and also a unit of electrical resistance. So it's a joke basically on two different levels.

Gedatsu is salvation, Shura is ashura.

Satsuki

Momotaro also comes in the Alabasta Arc. One version of the story shows Momotaro going to save his village with the help of a monkey (Luffy), a dog (Chaka), and a bird (Pell).

One Piece does seem to have mostly European folktale influences in that sense, but there are definitely a lot of uniquely Japanese ones too. Oda made this series like the potluck of manga.

changsho

Hmmm, I never noticed that Arabasta's characters could refer to Momotarou. They always seem like a distorted version of the Ancient Egyptian Mythology; Jackal, Falcon and Crocodile…

The thing is, Oda takes the existing characters, molds them but makes their interactions brand new, so although we know it's based on mythologies, it's only on a surface level...

Greg

They always seem like a distorted version of the Ancient Egyptian Mythology; Jackal, Falcon and Crocodile…

You're right. Momotarou really isn't anywhere close to the Alabasta story. Consider that the 'bird' is a pheasant, not a raptor and also that a dog isn't a jackal. Plus they all simultaneously worked together.