• Welcome to Touhou Wiki!
  • Registering is temporarily disabled. Check in our Discord server to request an account and for assistance of any kind.

Shou Toramaru

From Touhou Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(とら) (まる)   (しょう)
toɽamaɽɯ ɕoː (♫)
Shou Toramaru
Syou Toramaru

More Alternative Spellings
Shou Toramaru
Disciple of Bishamonten
More Character Titles
Species

Youkai of stories about tigers, Avatar of Bishamonten

Abilities

Gathering treasures

Age

At least 1000 years

Occupation

Disciple of Bishamonten

Location

Myouren Temple

Music Themes
Appearances
Official Games
Print Works

"Just a simple enemy ... ...
Still, even if you are an enemy, there's no denying that you were chosen by the treasure.
However, if you've chosen to follow the wrong path ... Then I'll have you bow down before this pagoda of Bishamonten!"
Shou Toramaru (Undefined Fantastic Object Stage 5)


Shou Toramaru (寅丸 星 Toramaru Shou) is a disciple of the god Bishamonten. Along with Minamitsu Murasa and the other youkai aboard the Palanquin Ship, she seeks to revive Byakuren Hijiri after she had been sealed away in Makai by humans.

General Information

Shou is a tiger youkai lives at the Myouren Temple as the avatar of Bishamonten. Technically, though she is Byakuren's disciple as a high-ranking priest, the fact that she is Bishamonten's avatar essentially means that she is worshiped by Byakuren. As she attracts wealth, she is one of the only things that draws any humans to the predominantly youkai-inhabited temple in the first place. It has been said that she resembles statues of Bishamonten, though she doesn't look like him at all.

Personality

In public, Shou remains gentle, composed, and dignified. However, when around closer friends, she has been known to show more emotion. She has apparently even flown into a rage a few times. She is also a heavy drinker, though the Buddhist faith prohibits that.

Abilities

Gathering treasures

Shou's ability allows her to gather treasures. After she has gathered precious gems, she can use their radiance in combination with the Jeweled Pagoda to fire lasers that can reduce anything to ashes. Moreover, if she fires those lasers at the ground, more gems will be created. Anyway, most of Shou's power comes from this pagoda alone, and she doesn't have much in the way of physical ability.

Occupation

Shou spends her time as a high-ranking priest at the Myouren Temple. Her actual duties are unknown, but as the avatar of Bishamonten, those at the temple worship her.

Possessions

Shou carries Bishamonten's Pagoda, a weapon that can fire high-power lasers powered by the radiance of precious gems. When a laser from it shot at the ground it creates more gems. She also carries a long spear, but it's mostly for decorative purposes. She uses it to appear more dignified, and also as a walking stick.[1]

Backstory

Shou was born as a "tiger youkai", not from an actual tiger (which are not native to Japan), but from the fear created by stories about tigers that had spread there. As such, her existence originally depended on the people of Japan remaining ignorant about what real tigers were like.

While Byakuren was still a famous monk in the outside world, she scouted Shou to become a disciple of the god Bishamonten (whom the monk currently worshipped) because she was a youkai, in order for Byakuren to gain the trust of the youkai living on the mountain. Shou, meanwhile, hid the fact that she was a youkai from humans. Bishamonten also assigned Shou a servant, a mouse youkai named Nazrin, not only to assist her but also to keep an eye on her. As the years passed, Shou proved herself a more-than-worthy disciple, and Nazrin's role solidified as her subject. Having a more solid identity as Bishamonten's avatar also prevented Shou from fading away.

After Byakuren was sealed away, Shou couldn't do much - if she had tried to do something, the fact that she was a youkai would have been revealed - so she continued serving Bishamonten. However, hundreds of years later, she, Murasa, Ichirin, and Nazrin appeared above-ground in Gensokyo, where they vowed to rescue Byakuren at all costs.

Character Design

Origin

Her appearance seems to be based upon that of Bishamonten, the Japanese Buddhist god based on the Indian God Vaisravana. Bishamonten is often depicted holding a spear and a small pagoda. This is derived from the fact that Chougosonshi Temple (朝護孫子寺), which keeps the e-maki of Myouren's tales (Shigisan Engi Emaki), enshrines Bishamonten. Originally the tiger had few symbolic ties to Bishamonten, but became more relevant in the Asuka period when the main Buddhist faction, Prince Shōtoku and the Soga clan, were able to subdue the anti-Buddhist Mononobe clan because Bishamonten appeared to support them on the hour of the tiger on the day of the tiger in the year of the tiger (寅の年、寅の日、寅の刻) of the Chinese zodiac. Now, many tigers can be seen at Chougosonshi Temple. Their website also shows how they raise them.

In addition to that, the tiger motif have been inspired by one of Vaisravana's frequent companions in artistic depictions and sutras, an unidentified man wearing a tiger skin. She may also have been inspired by his usual mount, a lion, but, as lions are only vaguley related to tigers, this seems unlikely.

Name

Her full name is Shou Toramaru (寅丸 星). Toramaru (寅丸) can be literally translated as "tiger circle". However, the word "maru" is also used to end the names of ships in Japan, which is fitting, considering one of the main aspects of Undefined Fantastic Object is the "treasure ship". tora () can be used to refer the tiger as a sign in the Chinese Zodiac, which carries with it the additional meanings of a period of time from 3AM to 5AM, the direction East by Northeast, or January. Shou () means "star", which is also fitting considering the extraterrestrial implications given by the game's title.

Shou's name was misspelled as "丸 星" in the music comments. This kanji can refer to tigers, felines of the "Panthera tigris" species, or colloquially, a "drunk person".

Design

Shou has orange-yellow hair with black stripes in it and golden yellow eyes. She wears a lotus-shaped ornament on her head, has a giant cloth circle (presumably some sort of hagoromo) attached to her back, and carries a giant spear in her left hand and the jeweled pagoda of Bishamonten in her right. She wears a burgundy/orange/white dress with a tiger pattern around the abdomen along with white, frilly pants under her dress and black shoes on her feet.

Story

Games

Undefined Fantastic Object
Shou's sprite in UFO

In Undefined Fantastic Object, she is a member of the group looking around for the two treasures needed in order to revive Byakuren: the fragments of the Flying Storehouse, and the pagoda of Bishamonten. She sends Nazrin to find the latter. After the palanquin ship enters Makai, she encounters the heroine; with the two needed treasures now together, she could proceed with Byakuren's revival. For one reason or another, however, she is attacked and beaten by the heroine, who then opts to unseal Byakuren either out of curiosity or real concern.

Spin-offs

Double Spoiler
Shou in HM

In Double Spoiler, Shou appears on stage 7 as a target, where Aya Shameimaru and Hatate Himekaidou take photos of her and her spell card.

Hopeless Masquerade

Shou made a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Myouren Temple stage and Youkai Tanuki Forest stage. She is seen standing around.

Relationships

Byakuren Hijiri

Shou is on good terms with Byakuren, and felt extremely bad that her role kept her from going to rescue the monk. After appearing in Gensokyo, she created a plan to unseal her. The two now share a complex relationship - Shou is Byakuren's disciple, but because she is Bishamonten's avatar, she's also worshiped by her.

Nazrin, Minamitsu Murasa, Ichirin Kumoi & Bishamonten

Nazrin is essentially Shou's underling. The fact that they've been together for hundreds of years shows trust in her servant to not tell Murasa or Ichirin that she had lost the pagoda, which most likely would have been embarrassing, being the prodigious disciple of Bishamonten.

Gallery

Illustrations

Screenshots

Spell Cards

Spellcards
Name Translated Comments Games Stage
Total: 11
宝塔「レイディアントトレジャー」 Jeweled Pagoda "Radiant Treasure" UFO St. 5: E/N
宝塔「レイディアントトレジャーガン」 Jeweled Pagoda "Radiant Treasure Gun" UFO
GoU
St. 5: H/L
光符「アブソリュートジャスティス」 Light Sign "Absolute Justice" UFO St. 5: E/N
光符「正義の威光」 Light Sign "Aura of Justice" UFO St. 5: H/L
法力「至宝の独鈷杵」 Buddhist Power "Most Valuable Vajra" UFO St. 5: E/N
法灯「隙間無い法の独鈷杵」 Buddha's Light "Vajra of Perfect Buddhism" UFO St. 5: H/L
光符「浄化の魔」 Light Sign "Demon of Purification" UFO St. 5: E/N/H
「コンプリートクラリフィケイション」 "Complete Clarification" UFO
GoU
St. 5: L
寅符「ハングリータイガー」 Tiger Sign "Hungry Tiger" DS St. 7
天符「焦土曼荼羅」 Heaven Sign "Scorched Earth Mandala" DS
GoU
St. 7
宝符「黄金の震眩」 Treasure Sign "Dazzling Gold" DS St. 7

Additional Information

  • Shou's ability is listed as "gathering treasures", but ironically she herself did not gather any of the needed treasure to unseal Byakuren; instead, Nazrin found the pagoda, and the heroine found the fragments of Flying Storehouse. The only real reference to this ability is in her final spell card in Double Spoiler.
  • Shou also possesses a mandala, a symbolic object of Buddhism, according to Double Spoiler.
  • In her official profile, as well as in her dialogue, Shou is characterized as very honest and straightforward.

Fandom

Official Profiles

Undefined Fantastic Object - Settings and Extra Story.txt
Shou Toramaru UFO  ○5面ボス  毘沙門天の弟子

  寅丸 星(とらまる しょう)
  Toramaru Syou

  種族:妖怪
  能力:財宝が集まる程度の能力

  縁起が良い妖怪。
  古くから、白蓮は毘沙門天を信仰していた。だから、お寺に毘沙門天を
  召喚しようと思った。
  しかし毘沙門天も忙しく、殆ど寺にいる事はなかった。

  白蓮は寺の近くに昔からいた妖怪達が、怯えている事に気付く。
  どうやら、毘沙門天を畏れているようだ。
  やっぱり退治されてしまうのかと思っているのだろう。

  毘沙門天は忙しくて寺に来られないし、妖怪達は怯えて近づかない。
  そこで、白蓮は妙案を思いつく。
  山で最も人格のある「まともな」妖怪を毘沙門天に紹介し、代わりに
  信仰を集めて貰おうと。

  そこで選ばれたのが星だった。
  彼女は虎の姿をした妖怪で、寺のある山では最も信頼された妖怪だった。
  忙しい毘沙門天は、半ば黙認の形で彼女を弟子にした。

  しかし、完全に信頼した訳ではなかった。
  だから毘沙門天の手下である鼠、ナズーリンを監視役として付けた。

  そんな毘沙門天の心配を余所に、彼女は何も問題を起こさなかった。
  とても優秀だったのだ。

  しかし、彼女は優秀すぎた。
  白蓮が封印された時も特に取り乱したりはせず、毘沙門天としての
  業務をこなしていた。
  人間には自分が妖怪である事は内緒だったのだ。
  後悔の念もあれど、正体を明かす事は自殺行為に等しかった。

  白蓮がいなくなってから数百年経って、お寺は荒れに荒れた。
  そんな彼女の元に、地底に封印された白蓮の仲間達が戻ってきた
  のである。

  もう、後悔したくない。逃げやしない。
  ムラサ達に封印を解く方法を教えた。自分は妖怪である。
  白蓮を復活させる為に力を尽そうと。

  「封印を解く為には、白蓮の弟様、命蓮の力が必要です。
   それが残っているのは、空を飛ぶ倉、飛宝だけ……。
   ムラサ、船を出して探しましょう!」

○Stage 5 Boss  Disciple of Bishamonten

Shou Toramaru

Species: youkai
Ability: Gathering treasures

A youkai representing good fortune.
Byakuren, long a devotee Bishamonten, thought to call him to her temple,
but the god was very busy, and was almost never there.

Byakuren realized that the youkai near the temple had been afraid.
It seemed that they feared Bishamonten.
Perhaps they thought they would be exterminated.

With Bishamonten too busy to visit the temple, and the youkai too scared to approach it,
Byakuren hatched a clever plan.
She introduced to Bishamonten the youkai of the most honest and upright character on the mountain
and had that youkai gather faith in his stead.

The one so chosen was Shou. She was a youkai in the form of a tiger and the most trusted youkai on the mountain.
The busy Bishamonten did not deny her his discipleship.

However, she hadn't yet earned the god's full confidence, and Bishamonten sent his hench-mouse
Nazrin to keep watch on her.

But contrary Bishamonten's concerns, Shou caused no problems whatever.
She proved to be an excellent servant.

But she was perhaps too excellent.
When Byakuren was sealed away, Shou dutifully carried out all her duties in Bishamonten's service without causing any disturbance.
She kept it a secret from the humans that she was a youkai.
She had her regrets about this, but revealing her true identity would have been suicidal.

During the few hundreds centuries following Byakuren's disappearance, the temple fell to ruin,
and her companions, who had been sealed away in the depths of the earth, made their return.

Shou was tired of her regrets. She would not run away.
She told Murasa and the others how to lift the seal. She was a youkai, after all.
She wanted to put all her power into bringing Byakuren back.

"To break the seal, we'll need the power of Byakuren's brother Myouren.
All that's left are a flying warehouse and the floating treasures...
Murasa, let's take the ship and go look for it!"

Official Sources

Official sources