Due to vocalist Sayuri's poor health, Silver Forest is disbanding.
Tenshi Hinanawi
Tenshi Hinanawi çinanai tenɕi (♫) Tenshi Hinanai | |
|---|---|
 Tenshi Hinanawi in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody Girl of the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-PerceptionMore Character Titles | |
| Species | Celestial |
| Abilities | Manipulation of earth, identification of one's spirit (Sword of Hisou) |
| Occupation | Celestial |
| Location | Heaven |
Music Themes | |
| Show Music Themes | |
Appearances | |
| Official Games | |
| Show Official Game appearances | |
| Print Works | |
| Show Print Work appearances | |
| Music CDs | |
| Show Music CD appearances | |
Tenshi Hinanawi (比那名居 天子 Hinanawi Tenshi) is the "final" boss for most of the characters in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody and the "Eldest Daughter" of the Hinanawi clan, as referred to by Iku Nagae, that resides in Heaven.
Contents |
Concept
Name
Her full name is Tenshi Hinanawi (比那名居 天子). In Tenshi, it has ten (天, "sky, heaven") and shi (子, "child"), which is a common ending for girl's names, so the literal meaning of her first name is "The child of heaven". Tenshi (天子) in Japanese can also mean "angel" (天使), a likely reference to her being a Celestial, and an ironic use of the word (considering Tenshi's actual character) by ZUN, in line with the other lampooning of Heaven and Heavenly beings within the Touhou Project.
The "wi" (ゐ) in Hinanawi (比那名居) is a kana that was removed from official Japanese language use by the post-war government in 1954. In present day Japanese, her last name is pronounced "Hinanai". The kana wi (ゐ) is still used artistically or stylistically as it is here in the case of Hinanawi (or cf. Nikka Brand Whiskey "ニッカウヰスキー"), and is similar to "thy" or "thou" in English: recognizable and still used, but almost never for official documents. Additionally, she would have received her name centuries before "wi" (ゐ) was legislated out of official use by the government.
Appearance
Tenshi has dark red eyes and long blue hair. She wears a white button-up blouse with a red bow at the collar, a blue dress with a light blue bow on the back and brown lace-up boots similar to that of Alice Margatroid's and carries an apron on her dress. The apron has a rainbow-patterned shard link around it. Wears a black hat decorated with peaches.
Story
- Scarlet Weather Rhapsody
Due to the boring life in Heaven of constant drinking and relaxation, Tenshi decides to cause a disaster by gathering the thought energy of everyone in Gensokyo in the form of scarlet clouds, threatening an earthquake. Her true intent is to resolve her boredom by attracting others to resolve the incident. This disruption causes a preliminary tremor, which wrecks Reimu Hakurei's shrine, causing several events to unfold from there. Eventually, Tenshi rebuilds Reimu's shrine.
- Main article: Tenshi Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Reimu's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Marisa's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Sakuya's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Alice's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Patchouli's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Youmu's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Remilia's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Yuyuko's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Yukari's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Suika's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Reisen's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Aya's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Komachi's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
- Main article: Iku's Scenario
<Insert Main Summary>
<Insert Script Summary>
Relationships
- Suika Ibuki (Neighbor)
- Iku Nagae (?)
Additional Information
Nicovideo Encyclopedia article
Note: This is a translation of the Nicovideo article on Reimu Hakurei as of its 19 March 2012 version.
Ability
- Ability to the extent of manipulating the earth
Earthquakes, land subsidence, landslides, etc. - her effective range is narrow, but she is able to manipulate them at will. It is similar to Suwako Moriya's "ability to the extent of creating kun (the earth)," but Suwako's ability is mainly for the sake of constructing various geographical features and creating countries, whereas Tenshi's ability is mainly a power to calm and cause (land-related) natural disasters. Since she is also able to handle the keystone, by this, she is able to calm and cause powerful earthquakes.
- Ability to the extent of identifying one's spirit (Sword of Hisou)
The Sword of Hisou is a tool that nobody other than celestials can use.
Even with just the keystone and the Sword of Hisou, she would still probably still be able to manipulate all three of "sky, earth, and people." The Sword of Hisou has power related to "sky" and "people," and the keystone has power related to "earth." In her moves in the games, by pouring spirit into the earth using the Sword of Hisou, she caused earthquakes and land subsidence, but for the keystone, there were pretty much only moves that used it for throwing, hitting, smashing, and as a seat, ways that not at all related to earthquakes (however, in Touhou Hisoutensoku, a move was added which used the keystone to cause earthquakes).
As the keystone was originally for calming earthquakes, if the keystone, which stores distorted energy of the earth, was ever removed or destroyed, then an earthquake occurs. Since causing earthquakes in this manner takes time and is difficult to use in battle, that is probably the reason it was not used in battle.
On the other hand, as there was a move which fired a laser made of spirit from the keystone and not from the Sword of Hisou, it might be better not to consider its performance in the game too deeply.
- Bodily ability
Although it is not because Tenshi has undergone special training, she is extraordinarily strong and tough. This toughness is to the extent that she cannot be pierced by Sakuya Izayoi's knives[1]. This seems to be an effect of heavenly peaches; when one eats them, it forges one's body to one's convenience. Heaven does not have normal food other than this peach, so all celestials probably eat these peaches and strengthen their bodies.
Terminology
- Keystone
- Something that Tenshi always possesses, it is a rock wrapped in shimenawa. Used in close-range hitting, launched as a drill, or for standing on, it has many uses. It possess the power to calm earthquakes.
- If it is inserted into the earth, then it would hold down the surrounding earthquakes. However, as this is always "holding down," and is not a reduction in the energy that was the original cause of the earthquake, and an earthquake will not occur in the place where it is thrust in, but the energy (that bends the earth) steadily accumulates. In that situation, if the keystone were to be removed, the energy would fully overflow and a great earthquake would occur. In the air, as the current heaven, the stones that float there were also originally super-large keystones that were stuck in the earth. Before heaven floated in the air, there were absolutely no earthquakes on earth, but when the giant keystone was removed, a massive-scale earthquake occurred, and the living things on earth were once all swept away, and afterwards earthquakes have begun to occur.
- Furthermore, only those of the Hinanawi household are able to insert and remove the keystone, and other celestials are not able to use it. As the Hinanawi household handled the keystone before they became celestials, it was not originally something handled by celestials.
- Sword of Hisou
- A tool that cannot be used by anyone other than celestials, it possesses "ability to the extent of identifying one's spirit." It is able to gather and accumulate the surrounding spirit and convert it into energy. Moreover, it is also able to cut up this spirit itself. Upon releasing the opponent's spirit and identifying the type of the opponent's spirit, it is also able to control the accumulated spiritual energy and convert it into the spirit of the opponent's weakness, and attack using their weakness.
- The spirit spoken of here is the "ki" (気) that dwells in all living and nonliving things, and just like the weather, there are several types of spirits. The spirits that dwell in living things extend their influence on the personality or nature of the living thing according to the type of spirit, and the spirit that accumulates in the air changes the weather to its type. In Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, due to the power of this sword, since the spirits of Reimu Hakurei and the others were made into an uncontrollably leaky condition, limited to the character's surroundings, the weather turned into their corresponding type of spirit.
- Furthermore, since it is the "ki" itself, for the soul of the "ki," yuurei, if their spirit is entirely absorbed and cut up, then their existence is annihilated.
- Aurora
- It is Tenshi's spirit. They are the northern and southern lights.
- Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception
- According to the cosmology of Buddhism, in the the worlds known as the "three realms," the highest is the "formless realm," and even higher is the territory called the "sphere of neither perception nor non-perception."
- The three realms, in the order of abandoning desire, are split into the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm.
- The desire realm (kāmadhātu) is the world in which live those who have still not arrested their appetite, lust, and other ordinary desires.
- The form realm (rūpadhātu) is the world in which live those who are at the stage of having abandoned ordinary desires, but are still bound by the general physical notions of time and body.
- The formless realm (ārūpyadhātu) is the world in which live those who have broken out of the bounds of physical things like body etc., and exist only in thought and spirit.
- This "formless realm" is the world of those who operate only by thought and spirit, but since thoughts remain, it does not mean that they have abandoned all worldly desires. It is further split into stages according to differences in the condition of abandoning worldly desires, and have pretty much completed the abandonment of all worldly desire (non-perception), but since just a little remains, it also indicates that it is not perfect (non-non-perception). Although it is not perfect, it is, for once, the highest.
- Furthermore, it can be known as it is seen, but even as Tenshi has abandoned worldly desire, it does not mean she has abandoned her body. That said, in Gensokyo, heaven is positioned in the upper atmosphere of Youkai Mountain, and as there is only power to remove interference from flying youkai and celestials, it is possible to break in with one's own power in living flesh.
- Incidentally, from from Google and Wikipedia, in the cosmology of Buddhism, the phrase "Hisou-hihisou-sho" (非想非非想処) is generally more used than "Hisou-hihisou-ten" (非想非非想天) in its Japanese translation, and when written out in Sanskrit where it came from, it is "नैवसंज्ञानासंज्ञायतन" (naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñāyatana).
- Meanwhile, even as the Han characters (非想非非想天) are freely used on the internet, it may just be something that propagated through the countries that use Han characters and then translated back into its original language, but if written out in Sanskrit, it would be "नैवसंज्ञानासंज्ञादेवलोक" (naivasaṃjñānāsaṃjñādēvalōka)
- Bhavaagra
- In Buddhist terminology, it has pretty much the same meaning as "Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-perception." The characters 有頂天 is a translation from Sanskrit of "Bhavaagra," (भवाग्र), and literally means "summit of the existent world." (Furthermore, the transliteration of Sanskrit generally does not use hyphens, so "Bhava-agra" is not quite correct even though it is used often, and "Bhavāgra" is not accurate either.) Furthermore, since it is a summary saying "the highest," this word is frequently colloquially used to mean "to reach the summit and forget the self, riding with the flow" (Japanese-English dictionaries commonly list this as "ecstasy").
- Nawi
- {{nihongo|Nawi|名居||also called "Nai no Kami, Nawi no Kami" (名居守) is an obsolete word indicating the earth, and "nawifuru" (名居振る) meant "earthquake", which can be found in the Nihon Shoki. "Furu" meant, like how it is read, to shake or vibrate. In a shift, "Nawi" acquired the meaning of "earthquakes", and was thus worshiped as a god of earthquakes.
- Hina
- Hina (比那) may be from the Hina Tori-no-Mikoto (比那鳥命) of Hina shrine in Izumo city, Shimane prefecture, from a legend of a goddess, and it may be a name to indicate her characteristics of "female" and "earthquakes". However, as Hina has a father, it cannot be said that the entire family is female. "Hina" could also mean "young chicken, small" (雛).
Trivia
- Her profile mentions "Oomura no Kami" and "Nai clan". In fact, there is the Nai Shrine (名居神社) in Nabari City, and the Oomura Shrine (大村神社) in Iga City, both in Mie Prefecture. The former shrine stands in Shimo-hinachi (下比奈知), and the latter has the Keystone and the Statue of Catfish as goshintai.
- While Tenshi is called a Tennin (天人) many of the mythological references Tenshi makes are those of the Tenbu (天部, Deva in sanskrit) In Buddhism, Deva are humans that have achieved enlightenment and in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, Tenshi mentions the five signs of death of a Deva. Deva's are also known to be mortal in Buddhism, living long lives, but still remaining part of the circle of life and death. This too, ties in with the events in Komachi's Scarlet Weather Rhpasody scenario. Considering earlier references by ZUN to the Tennin (such as several of Youmu's spell cards in PCB) both Tenbu and Tennin are the same in Gensokyo.
- One of her color palettes in Touhou Hisoutensoku resembles Renko Usami.
- Tenshi's weapons include innumerable danmaku keystones of various sizes and her shape-shifting sword Hisou no Tsurugi.
Fanon
- Sometimes, Tenshi's first name can also be read as "Tenko": when the fans were speculating about new characters on Touhou Project Board before the release of Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, an anonymous poster jokingly uploaded an image that supposedly listed all the names of the characters including that of an unknown character, "緋想 天子" (engl. Tenko Hisou) in the middle. This name was too obvious; adding the most common Japanese suffix for girls' names, "-ko", after the title "Hisouten". The name was from then on adopted as a tentative name for the final boss, because such an obvious name sounded very funny. Surprisingly, it turned out that she has those same characters in her first name, "天子", but a different pronunciation, "Tenshi".
- As a result of this, Tenko has been a fan nickname for her, and she sometimes participates in Ran Yakumo's Suppa Tenko running gag.
- Many also refer to her as simply "Peaches", for obvious reasons. The Japanese nickname is "Momoko".
- The peaches on her hat are also depicted in fanworks to be her source of power.
- Due to her apparent eagerness to be beaten up by the other characters in SWR's story mode (with dialogue lines such as "Yes, get angry! Because if you don't punish me, Gensokyo shall be no more!"), she has gained a reputation as a masochist. Probably that is why her masochistic feeling of ecstasy is called, instead of "zecchou", "uchouten"(有頂天), which should originally means one's bad mind, "be in excessive glory".
- As a result, she often appears along with Yuuka Kazami in some fanworks.
- This combined with her toughness has resulted in Tenshi having high defenses in various fan games.
- Tenshi when written as "天子" can also mean "the emperor", being the son of heaven.
- That said, if Perfect Memento's article can be taken as a guide, Tenshi was a human and is now referred to as a Celestial, per the Character profile in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody.
- Possibly, due to the above, some fan works and dojin circles depict her destruction, as in one dojin circle's promo video, it depicted her being vaporized by Okuu's power cannon.
- It seems that Yukari does not like Tenshi very much and, in fanworks, she is depicted at odds with Yukari or Yukari seems to absolutely hate her for some reason.
- Very often, Tenshi is small or flat chested, with perhaps her childish personality being a reason, though considering her toughness, one might joke she's a tough as a wall and just as flat.
Spell Cards
Show spell cardsOfficial Profiles
- Scarlet Weather Rhapsody - おまけ.txt
- ZUN Design
