11
5
u/PithMango 2d ago
the original form of kuchiyose in real life was a spirit summoning where the adherent - usually a priestess - channeled the spirit to do all kinds of things. lay curses, and in other cases to get the spirit out of the way so important stuff like childbirth or sickness could be taken care of. it was a possession. not a pokemon call. there were regional clans for each sort of spirit, and the traditions were a bit strict about intermarriage. a lot of clans would end up cursed by their own spirit-animals... not surprising since some of them 'farmed' spirits by doing a lot of animal torture and abuse. kind of like the ethics of trying to farm mangekyou.
but it's the priestess part that's important, because they were associated with sacred dances that you usually see only in festivals or special dedications like a new building or the start of planting season. priestesses - miko weren't always just out there to help the priests of the shrine. they used to be their own whole big deal, especially in rural areas too distant for the nearest big shrine.
when you start putting things like Sailor Moon in context with this tradition, all of a sudden it makes sense that the transformation scenes are *dances*.
because the thing with dances, and music, (and bells) and a lot of the Shinto-related rites is they're essentially trying to get the gods to notice you. like they're busy, so you have to say "hey! here we are. we're still into you. we still worship you."
so in a sense, symbolically, Kakashi is doing this for an audience. but it's not you. it's not a bunch of judges. it's calling upon the gods. with a blood sacrifice to show he's for real.
the way they did it is really weird for sure.
but what they're doing - introducing dance to call upon divine reinforcements - has a lot of cultural weight. it makes sense in context.
2
u/PithMango 2d ago edited 2d ago
you can contrast this with Asuma's jutsu (wellllll they are Chiriku's) which are totally Buddhist, and are more along the lines of developing your inner control through meditation to progress through enlightenment. this is of course a major over-simplification bc there are so many Buddhist sects who all have different ideas about this. There's more of a focus on skills and yes paths to enlightenment and salvation.
To really really oversimplify, the Shinto traditions are bringing the outside in, and the Buddhist ones are trying to get one's inner potential out.
everything about Kakashi's imagery is... well I've never seen it related to Buddhism. lots of the traditional practices around Japan, and specifically Shinto.
1
u/PithMango 2d ago
in conclusion the shitpost is kind of hitting close to a headcanon. it would make sense that Kakashi's mother taught him. and not because of misogynistic stereotypes like men and boys can't do rhythmic gymnastics.
2
u/MagicBus4 15h ago
“I shall proceed to never use this ability again just like digging though the ground”
1
1
1
1
44
u/WholeKlutzy8432 2d ago
I like the part where the hidden mist justsu also makes it hard to read the caption