Ochimusha
Ochimusha (落ち武者) is the ghost of a warrior that during the conflict flees the battlefield, "ochi" literally means "rebel remnants of a defeated faction” and " musha” means warrior, meaning defeated warrior that fled the enemy.
The ochimusha is considered a low-class, no longer at the level of a samurai, since he fled battle instead to commit seppuku. In some instances, is said that to escape safely those warriors get to hide themselves in villages at mountainous areas.
According to the folklore to became an Ochimusha the warrior should be killed by farmers looking for his belongings and to take the reward usually offered for the decapitated head of enemies during the Sengoku period.[1]
Instead of only occurring during battle times, samurais and aristocrats whose support is no longer needed can also became an Ochimusha, if attacked by the townspeople of the region under their protection. There are tales of samurai mansions being plundered.
Is also subject to ochimusha a crimminal that goes into exile.[2]
In some areas of Nagano and Gifu Prefecture Ochimusha are referred to as daikō(だいこう). They were was also used to be called ochipuwaa(おちぷはあ) in some parts of Kansai, but this term is no longer in use due derogatory connotations.
Appearance
The iconography usually represents the Ochimusha with the crown of his head shaved and the rest of the hair long and loose, a dissolved chonmage. The dissolved chonmage would then mean losing the social status of the samurai. Arrows stuck in body is also a common motif.
Modern Times
In modern times the term is used to refer to politics that loose an election, while the term "Ochimusha hunting" is used in regard to a candidate caught cheating an election or to corrupt politicians that have been arrested.
Sometimes the term is also used to refer people with a bald top head and stretched hair on the sides.
In popular culture
- Ochimusha is the name of 1925 movie by Hiroshi Shimizu
- "The Ochimusha - Doemu Samurai Toujou" is a 2007 Japanese action game, developed by Tamsoft and published by D3 Publisher.
- Ochimusha is a low-level warrior-type monster in .hack game.
- Ochimusha Kote (Ochimusha gloves) an in game item in Final Fantasy XI.
- One of the antagonist in the manga Mob Psycho 100 at one point loses his head top hair, and claims that he looks like an Ochimusha.
References
- ↑ Imatani , Akira,戦国期の畿内周辺では、「落武者襲撃慣行」が出されており、土民百姓の落武者狩りは公認されていた. 岩波ジュニア新書, ISBN 4005003354 p.153
- ↑ ,Shimizu, Katsuyuki, forth chapter "喧嘩両成敗の誕生"講談社選書メチエ
- “Mob Psycho 100" Vol 2. Ura Sunday.
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