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Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu

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() () (えい) () ・ヤマザナドゥ
ɕikie̞ːki ja̠ma̠za̠na̠dɯᵝ (♫)
Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu
Siki Eiki Yamaxanadu; Shiki Eiki Yamaxanadu

More Alternative Spellings
Eiki Shiki
Supreme Judge of Paradise
More Character Titles
Species

Yama

Abilities

Can distinctly judge anything to be good or evil

Occupation

Judge of the Dead

Location

Hell, sometimes Higan

Music Themes
Appearances
Official Games
Print Works
"You bear a large sin. You abandoned your allies, leaving them to die, while you're the only one here living happily.
That's right, you're a bit too selfish."
"..."
Eiki Shiki and Reisen Udongein Inaba (Phantasmagoria of Flower View Reisen's Scenario.)

Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu (四季映姫・ヤマザナドゥ Shiki Eiki Yamazanadu, given name "Eiki", surname "Shiki") is one of the Yama who judge the dead and decide whether they go to Heaven, Hell, the Netherworld, or get reincarnated. She currently resides in Hell. Whether it's because she simply has a habit of lecturing or because she genuinely wants others to change for the better, she's become well known in Gensokyo for lecturing anyone and everyone about their faults. The souls of the dead are brought to her by Komachi Onozuka, who ferries them over the Sanzu River to Higan. However, not every soul makes it all the way across without being tired out from the journey or being extinguished by Komachi.

General Information

She first appeared in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, where she served as final boss for most of the Story Mode scenarios and could be unlocked as a playable character. She later re-appeared as one of the stage 10 targets in Shoot the Bullet.

Personality

As the Yama who judges people after they die, Eiki is impartial to anyone when lecturing them, whenever they are human or youkai. Since she is very preachy and is never mistaken about anything, this makes her hard to approach. Despite her stern attitude and seriousness at her job, Eiki has a teasing side, smiling even when revealing the shortcomings of the people she's lecturing. She's described as being polite and patient when lecturing.

Abilities

Establishing as clear good and evil (black and white)

This is as literally stated. With this power, in order to hand down judgements, the charges that have been established once as clear good and evil cannot, no matter what measures the judged person takes, be overturned. The reason why Yukari Yakumo is not good at dealing with Eiki[1] is probably not just because she dislikes preaching, but also because the Yukari that loves chaos and disorder can be said to dislike things to be established as clear good and evil.

Occupation

Eiki illustration in The Grimoire of Marisa

Eiki is a yama who belongs to the Ministry of Right and Wrong located at Hell.[2] Although there are many yamas, Eiki is the one in charge of Gensokyo. She, like the other yamas, holds the Cleansed Crystal Mirror that lets them look into a person's past, learn anything they want to know about him/her, and then use that knowledge to make fair judgements.

Eiki does have work breaks, but even during these she doesn't pass up chances to lecture people in the hope that they will change for the better and so she won't have to send them to Hell. For people with particularly bad karma, she will go directly to that person to warn them, sometimes by exaggerating the punishment that they would receive. It's implied that youkai tend to avoid her because of this habit.

Eiki was not always the Yamaxanadu. According to Komachi in Oriental Sacred Place, she was originally a jizou statue, who received enough faith to gain divine powers, and was promoted.

Possessions

Rod of Remorse

Always in Eiki's possession, it can be said to be a rod or a piece of wood. Upon writing the charges on this rod, the weight of the rod changes according to the weight of the sins, and the number of times to beat the sinner is also decided, after which Eiki proceeds to do the beating. This is one of the necessary items for use by Yama for punishment. As explained in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, she carries this rod with her everywhere.

In the past, each rod was used for one person, and thrown away after its usage was finished. However, for the sake of the environment, it seems that they've been changed to use new material that can be erased and reused.

Cleansed Crystal Mirror

This is also an item meant for Yama to perform judgement. When a sinner is reflected in the mirror, it reflects all of the sinner's past deeds, though it is tiring to use. It is a dreadful tool for which privacy is even less than worthless, but perhaps because it does not show up in Eiki's sprite, it has a tendency to be forgotten. It can be said that the mirror of the Yama can change shape as they please, but Eiki's mirror takes the form of a hand mirror.

It can even turn these deeds against the person in question, as shown in Shoot the Bullet when Eiki uses the spell card Judgement "Cleansed Crystal Judgement -Aya Shameimaru-" to pit Aya against herself. The "-Aya Shameimaru-" subscript in the card's name suggests that she can create other versions of this card for use against other characters.

Character Design

Eiki, as illustrated in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense

Origin

Eiki is based on the Yama Kings, a Buddhist reinterpretation of the Hindu god Yama (Enma), influenced by the concept of an "afterlife bureaucracy" present in Chinese folk religion. Japanese folklore usually mentions ten kings, but elsewhere different number of yamas is occasionally mentioned, with some Chinese legends outright presenting it as a rank any suitably virtuous entity, including humans, might acquire.

Her backstory is likely a nod to king Enma, the most prominent of the kings, being associated with bodhisattva Jizou, either outright as a gongen (manifestation), as a subordinate, or simply as a related afterlife deity. Jizou is also often described as preaching to still alive sinners to save them from torment in hell.

Name

Her full name is Shiki Eiki (四季映姫); Eiki Shiki (using Western name order) would be her romanized name. The kanji for Eiki (映姫) literally means "reflection/projection/casting princess", while Shiki (四季) is the Japanese word for "the four seasons". Her Yamaxanadu (ヤマザナドゥ) title is considered to be a combination of Xanadu (an ancient palace of the Mongol warlord Kublai Khan, which was later used as meaning a "Pleasure Palace" in a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Xanadu can mean "an ideal place" or "idyllic magnificence and beauty") and her status as Yama, and can mean something along the lines of "Yama of Paradise". This title can be read as "閻魔楽園 (ヤマザナドゥ) ", which has roughly the same meaning as the above.

In the data files for Hopeless Masquerade, Eiki (映姫) was misspelt with the kanji "映季"; the latter kanji means "season". This is a common mistake in the fanbase because the reading of "ki" in is rarely used, so IME commonly converts it into the former one.

Design

In Phantasmagoria of Flower View's official art, Eiki has blue eyes and green hair that is longer on the right side. She wears a dark blue, sleeveless apothecary robe with gold decorations on top of a black skirt and white shirt with one ribbon on both sleeves. She wears a blue and white hat with a gold emblem in front and a red and white bow on the back; the emblem and bow are balanced equally. She also wears black shoes with a red bow on them, and frilly socks. Furthermore, there seems to be a pattern on her uniform that seems balanced and she carries the Rod of Remorse, described above.

Her alternative outfit in Phantasmagoria of Flower View is the same as her usual outfit, but her hat and apothecary robe are red, and her white shirt is purple.

Appearances

Game

Phantasmagoria of Flower View
Eiki's back sprite in PoFV
Eiki's sprite in PoFV

Eiki's role was to judge the souls that managed to cross the Sanzu River, but unfortunately couldn't do any major work due to Komachi Onozuka slacking off in the face of the sheer mass of ghosts that were coming through to Gensokyo. Meanwhile, Eiki's interrupted by various residents because they were curious about the huge number of flowers blooming, and Eiki started lecturing them on what negative personalities they've got. She also later researches how many of those people have taken her advice on doing good deeds, in which many of them haven't.

Wily Beast and Weakest Creature

She instructs Kutaka Niwatari to test the protagonist for their strength before letting them into hell, she also relays to them via Kutaka that they should not trust the animal spirit possessing them, foreshadowing its betrayal.

Spin-offs

Eiki in HM
Shoot the Bullet

In Shoot the Bullet, Aya Shameimaru encountered Eiki on stage 10 and took photos of her danmaku.

Hopeless Masquerade

Eiki made a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Divine Spirit Mausoleum stage. She is seen standing still on top of the mausoleum.

Violet Detector
Attention: This section is a stub and it needs expanding with more information related to the section's topic. If you can add to it in any way, please do so.

Literature

Attention: This section is a stub and it needs expanding with more information related to the section's topic. If you can add to it in any way, please do so.
Perfect Memento in Strict Sense
Silent Sinner in Blue
Oriental Sacred Place
The Grimoire of Marisa
Strange Creators of Outer World
Visionary Fairies in Shrine

Eiki Shiki appears in chapter 5 when Reimu goes to Higan to ask about Clownpiece being out of Hell and in Gensokyo and goes to meet Shiki Eiki to ask. Eiki Shiki suggests that Hecatia is letting Clownpiece escape from Hell but Eiki Shiki is confident about Reimu and tells her she only really needs to keep an eye on her.

Wild and Horned Hermit

Relationships

She is known and feared among humans and youkai alike for her lectures.

Komachi Onozuka

She has Komachi Onozuka as her subordinate, who she regularly scolds for slacking off.

Hecatia Lapislazuli

She has only heard of her and her eccentricities, and has yet to meet her personally.[3][4]

Yuyuko Saigyouji and Youmu Konpaku

According to Perfect Memento in Strict Sense, Yuyuko was appointed her position by the yama, therefore it can be assumed that Eiki outranks her (Yuyuko also refers to Eiki as "Eiki-Sama" in Phantasmagoria of Flower View). Yuyuko knows Eiki personally, as Eiki dropped by to push her to teach Youmu more in Youmu's ending in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, which also seems to be the first time Youmu and Eiki met in person.

Kutaka Niwatari

Kutaka is another of Eiki's subordinates, as confirmed in one of Marisa's Wily Beast and Weakest Creature scenarios.

Gallery

Covers

Artworks

Illustrations

Screenshots

Others

Skills

Skills
Name Translated Comments Games Usage
Total: 2
「徳の説示」 "Charge of Virtue" PoFV Charge attack
「弾幕裁判」 "Danmaku Judgement" PoFV EX attack

Spell Cards

Spell Cards
Name Translated Comments Games Stage
Total: 9
罪符「彷徨える大罪」 Guilt Sign "Wandering Sin" PoFV Use
審判「ラストジャッジメント」 Judgement "Last Judgement" PoFV Use
虚言「タン・オブ・ウルフ」 Lie "Tongue of Wolf" StB St. 10
審判「十王裁判」 Judgement "Trial of the Ten Kings" StB
GoM
St. 10
審判「ギルティ・オワ・ノットギルティ」 Judgement "Guilty or Not Guilty" StB
GoM
St. 10
審判「浄頗梨審判 -射命丸文-」 Judgement "Cleansed Crystal Judgement -Aya Shameimaru-" StB St. 10
妖花符「バタフライストーム閻魔笏」 Ghostly Flower Sign "Butterfly Storm Yama Scepter" Co-owner with Yuyuko VD Nightmare Monday - 1
風花符「ミシャグジ様の是非」 Wind Flower Sign "Mishaguji-sama's Right and Wrong" Co-owner with Suwako VD Nightmare Monday - 4
風花符「オンバシラ裁判」 Wind Flower Sign "Onbashira Trial" Co-owner with Kanako VD Nightmare Monday - 6

Additional Information

  • The fairies in Eiki's stage in Phantasmagoria of Flower View are dressed in dark blue uniforms and wear similar hats; and Lily White's normally white dress and hat are colored black. ZUN has said that these fairies and "Lily Black" are all cosplaying as Eiki.[5]
  • A silhouette of Eiki occupies the front of Phantasmagoria of Flower View's jewel case.
  • Her rod contains a kanji meaning remorse (罪)
  • In Eiki's spell cards, the background is The Last Judgment by Michelangelo.
  • Based on her conversations with the many playable characters in Phantasmagoria of Flower View, she is seen as a compassionate individual, though her conversations with Komachi Onozuka can seem quite harsh. Despite all this scolding, however, Komachi remains a slacker.
  • She tells Yuuka Kazami to "scare humans" like a regular youkai and tells Reimu Hakurei to "exterminate youkai more." Both of these cases can be simplified to "do your job" and it showed she does not discriminate youkai and human.
  • The phrase "Eastern Judgement", touhou saiban (東方裁判), in the title of Eiki's music theme is very similar to a Japanese term for the Tokyo Tribunal, Tokyo saiban (東京裁判). The end of World War II and the start of the ensuing tribunal took place 60 years before the events of Phantasmagoria of Flower View, and this similarity in pronunciation is likely intentional.

Fandom

Official Profiles

Phantasmagoria of Flower View - キャラ設定.txt
Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu PoFV  ○楽園の最高裁判長

  四季映姫・ヤマザナドゥ(しきえいき)

  種族:閻魔様
  能力:白黒はっきりつける程度の能力


   地獄に住む死者を裁く神。白黒はっきりつける程度の能力を持つ。
   彼女の名前は、四季・映姫であり、ヤマザナドゥは閻魔様の役職の
  一つ様なものである。基本的には担当部門を表した名前が付けられる。


   人間とは異なり、物事の善悪の基準を自分の内に持つ。その判決は
  死者には覆すことが出来ない。その善悪の基準は非常に複雑であり、
  事件の成り立ちから、関係者の生い立ちまで全てが罪の重さに影響す
  る。

   彼女に嘘を吐くことは、ばれない事が自分を善人に見せる絶対条件
  となる。ばれると大きなマイナスとなる。

   彼女は普段、死者の罪を咎め、地獄か天界かそれとも別の所の何処
  へ行くのかを判断する。その仕事の影響か、少し説教くさい。


   彼女が幻想郷の異変に気がついたのは、小町がなかなか死者を運ん
  でこなかった時だった。怪しく思った彼女が幻想郷を見てみると既に
  一面の花で埋め尽くされていた。

   彼岸花、向日葵、鈴蘭、蓮、そして桜と、あらゆる花が同時に咲い
  ていたのである。事態を飲み込めずにいると、そこに生きた人間や妖
  怪達が殺気立てて襲いかかってきた。

   その姿を見てすぐに事態を理解した。
   これは六十年目の「あの年」である、と。

   これらの花は全て死者の魂が宿った物であり、魂が処理されていな
  かったのは小町の怠慢である。
   小町は余りにもマイペースな性格の死神であり、花で埋め尽くされ
  ても、綺麗だねぇ、程度にしか思っていなかったようだ。

   彼女が花で埋め尽くされた幻想郷を元に戻れせる訳ではないが、時
  間と共に元通りになる。実害も殆ど無いだろう。

   それよりも、目の前に罪を負った人間がいる。彼女の性格上、それ
  を見過ごす事は出来なかった。

Supreme Judge of Paradise

Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu

Species: Yama
Ability: Establishing things as clear good and evil


One of the gods that resides in hell and judges the deceased. She possesses ability to establish things as clear good and evil. Her real name is Eiki Shiki, and the "Yamaxanadu" is a title that she carries in her job as a Yama. Basically the title represents the place they're in charge of.


Unlike humans, she has a criteria of right and wrong in her own mind. Her judgement cannot be overturned by the deceased. Her criteria is quite complicated, and the seriousness of the crimes factor in everything from why they occurred to the personal history of those involved.

The minimum requirement of lying to her, in order to appear as a good person, is not letting her discover that lie. If discovered it is a huge deduction.

Her usual routine is to find faults of the deceased and decide where they will be sent to: Hell, Heaven, or somewhere else. Due to her job, she tends to be somewhat moralistic.


It was when Komachi did not ferry the deceased to her that she noticed something was wrong in Gensokyo. Suspicious, she looked at Gensokyo only to find out that it was blanketed by flowers.

All kinds of flowers were blooming at the same time - spider lilies, sunflowers, lilies of the valley, lotus blossoms, and cherry blossoms. As she was digesting this, both living humans and youkai attacked her, seething with anger.

These assaults immediately made her realize what was going on.
Now it is "that year", 60 years since the previous one.

All these flowers were possessed by spirits of the deceased, and the reason they weren't processed properly was because Komachi was being lazy.
Komachi, being too easygoing, only thought "ah, it's beautiful" even when the flowers were filling the whole place.

It's not like she can restore the flower-covered Gensokyo, but time will eventually bring it back to normal. There was little to no harm.

However, a human who's been charged with a crime is before her. With her pride, she couldn't let her pass through her place.

Official Sources

Official sources

References