I’ve been waiting for another Iyashikei yokai and supernatural folklore anime series to fill the void Natsume’s Book of Friends has left during its off-seasons, and it seems like Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods has shown up to fill it!
Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods Episode 1: A New Healing Masterpiece?
Wow, so I guess this is what experiencing a conscious synchronicity feels like! Since I watched My Happy Marriage and saw the use of origami cranes as a method of divination, I’ve been wondering about the nature of paper charms and talismans in Japanese culture.
We know Natsume used his breath (from his inherited bloodline) to release yokai from the written contracts his grandma Reiko wrote, but it didn’t really explain if Reiko’s spiritual power was strong enough to influence charms, or if it was simply due to the nature of a spiritual contract.
I just watched Mao episode one before this, and saw the use of a “katashiro” by an onmyoji against an ayakashi. I wondered whether or not, again if it was simply the onmyoji, or exorcist’s power that influences the use of “kami” as a vehicle of divination and charms, or is it something special in the handwriting, and did they purchase the charms from somebody special.
The rarity of Onmyoji in Minato’s world adds a layer of ‘forgotten history’ to the narrative, a theme that Rumiko Takahashi is also currently exploring with a darker twist. If you’re curious how this premiere stacks up against other recent supernatural mysteries, check out our Reliving the Inuyasha Nostalgia: MAO Episode 1 Review — A Darker Taisho Era Mystery.
The Lore of the Blessed Handwriting: Kusunoki Minato’s Power Explained
Well, we have our answer now, with Kusunoki Minato and his blessed handwriting!
Harima Saiga mentioned that in their day and age, onmyoji (who work as exorcists) are rare. In my theory post about how Japanese “witches” gain power, I wrote about the “tsukimono”, or “possessed thing” that gives one power, and is passed through the female bloodline.
Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou, My Happy Marriage, and now Mao and Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods have all spoken about inherited power that has all but died out, and a collective societal consciousness that hardly remembers the demons and yokai they are currently battling in secret.
Which is…very telling, to say the least.
Anywho, Minato’s blessed handwriting is so strong that he accidentally purified the haunted home he inherited from his father’s distant relative.
I wonder if it was his grandfather’s side, since in the childhood flashback, we saw gramps acknowledge Minato’s power after his interaction with the Zashiki Warashi.
(Wasn’t Shigeru-san Natsume’s distant relative that met Reiko, as well in Natsume Yuujinchou?)
Seeing Minato utilize his blessed handwriting to influence the supernatural reminds me of the intricate spiritual mechanics we see in other modern hits. This deeply rooted practice appears to be much more than simply writing ink on paper. For a more in-depth breakdown on the origins of these spiritual tools, see My Happy Marriage Theory: The Secret History of Paper Origami, Tsukimono, and Shintoism.
Shinto Folklore in the Garden: Yamagami and the Three Helpers
Anywho, like in Hotarubi no Mori e, the mountain god has taken an interest in Minato and his divination abilities, even so much as to leave gifts like mugwort for him. Mugwort is a plant known for its purification abilities in spirituality.
After gaining some of his power back through eating sweets and receiving praise, Yamagami was able to restore harmony in Minato’s backyard garden, and even divinely split an aspect of himself into three helpers named Seri, Torika, and Utsugi.
Like Amaterasu from Okami, Yamagami needs helpers to restore harmony and beauty back to his mountain and the “neighboring” area after growing weak and watching the now-sealed and banished evil run amok.
Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods captures that rare, ethereal loneliness that only a few series have mastered. If you find yourself drawn to the quiet connection between Minato and the Mountain God, you’ll find a similar soul-stirring mystery in our Hotarubi no Mori e Review: Is Gin Actually Natsume Takashi?
Final Verdict: Is Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods Worth Watching?
I’ve been waiting years for another wholesome, Iyashikei show like Natsume Yuujinchou, and I finally think we got it in Kusunoki’s Garden of Gods. It is definitely worth watching if you enjoy slow-paced, slice-of-life folklore anime that really make you ponder about the surroundings around you, and wonder what mysteries remain unfound within nature.
But, tell me your thoughts: Do you think Minato will have success helping the exorcist with his blessed handwriting?
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