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Strange Creators of Outer World/Introduction of Previous Works/Perfect Cherry Blossom/Fragment of Phantasy

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幻想のもと②

Fragment of Phantasy

Fragment of Phantasy 2
「妖々夢」を彩るトピックとしては、「西行」や「波長」など

魅力的なものがいくつもあるが、それぞれ謎も深い。
というわけで、そこまで深くはないガイド的コラム第2弾。

There are a number of fascinating subjects that Perfect Cherry Blossom covers,

such as "Saigyou" and "wavelengths", but each of these is also incredibly mysterious.

東方Projectに散りばめられた幻想のかけらを、なんとな~く調べたり想像してみたりするヒントとなるようなコラム原稿第2弾「妖々夢」編。またラスボスの話から始まって恐縮だが幽々子について。彼女の名前は「西行寺」幽々子であるが、西行寺という名前の寺は無い(と思う)。ただし、それなりに関連の深い寺が1つある。大阪府南河内郡の弘川寺(ひろかわでら)だ。 This is the second installment of the Perfect Cherry Blossom column, providing hints for those who wish to examine and imagine the fragments of phantasy scattered throughout Touhou Project. I don't mean to discuss about another final boss, but I'd like to speak about Yuyuko. Yuyuko's lady name is Saigyouji, but there's no temple bearing that name (I think). However, there is one temple that is closely related to such. It is the Hirokawa Temple, located in Minamikawachi District, Osaka.
西行って? Who was Saigyou?
弘川寺は665年、役小角(修験道のスーパースターで、超人的なエピソードをいくつも持つ。鬼神をも従える法力を持ち、海の上を歩くなど)によって創建されたと伝えられる寺で、寂れていた佇まいを歌聖・西行が気に入って最晩年を過ごし、そのまま没したとされている。今も西行の墓があり、18世紀中盤には西行の墓を訪ねた僧によって西行堂というお堂が建てられた。この寺の名前なら、幽々子のスペルカードに「幽曲『リポジトリ・オブ・ヒロカワ‐○○‐』」として登場している。Repositoryは埋葬所の意だ。 The Hirokawa Temple was founded in 665 by En no Gyouja (a superstar of Shugendou with several accounts telling of his superhuman nature, having used his Buddhist power to subdue demon gods, walk on the sea, etc.) The great poet Saigyou was fond of the temple's desolate atmosphere, and would spend the last few years of his life there before his passing. Saigyo's tomb is still standing today, and in the mid-18th century, a monk who visited his tomb built a hall called "Saigyoudou".

The name of this temple appears in some of Yuyuko's spellcards, under the name "Subtle Melody "Repository of Hirokawa -XX-" (Here, "repository" means "burial site").

西行は1118年生、1190年没。平安時代末期から鎌倉時代初期にかけて活動していた人で、武士・僧侶・歌人などの面を持つ。「百足退治伝説」で有名な俵藤太こと藤原秀郷を先祖に持つエリート武士で、元の名は佐藤義清(のりきよ)。幼いころから文武に優れ、剣術、槍術、弓術、流鏑馬の達人であるだけでなく、蹴鞠や和歌も得意だった。さらに有職故実――古来からの礼儀やしきたりにも通じていたという。これだけでも十分エリートっぽいが、さらに言うと上皇(皇位を譲って引退した元天皇)を警護する「北面の武士」を務めていたこともあるほどだ。「北面の武士」として採用されるには、見栄えがよいことが条件とされていたことから、西行はイケメンだったという設定にされることも多い。話が逸れた。そんなわけでいろいろと単にエリートなだけでなく優秀だった西行は、鳥羽上皇や崇徳天皇からも評判が上々であったし、宮中の女性からも人気があった。同年代の武士には平清盛や源義朝など名だたる武将がおり、交流もあった。だが、23歳の折に突如として出家、そういった俗世のことからは離れていったのだ。出家後の西行は旅の中に暮らし、いろいろな場所で多くの和歌を詠んだ。その達人ぶりは「新古今和歌集」に、選ばれた者の中でも最多の94首が入るほど。これが「歌聖」と呼ばれるゆえんでもある。そして、さらにさまざまな逸話を残していったのだ。 Saigyou was born in 1118 and died in 1190. He was active from the late Heian era to the early Kamakura era, serving as a samurai, priest, and poet. He was an elite samurai descended from Fujiwara no Hidesatou—a.k.a. Tawara no Touta, famous for his "Centipede Extermination Legend"—hence his original name of Satou Norikiyo. He excelled in both literary and military arts from an early age, and was a master of swordsmanship, spearmanship, archery, and yabusame[1], as well as kemari and waka poetry. In addition, he was also familiar with Yuusoku Kojitsu—studies of the ancient courtesies and traditions of his time.

Now this is elite-ish on its own, but to go even further, he once served as a "Northern Samurai (Hokumen no Bushi)" who guarded the Emperor Emeritus (a former emperor who had given up the throne and retired). Since good looks were considered a prerequisite for being hired as a Northern Samurai, Saigyou was often described as a handsome man. But, I digress. For those reasons, not only was Saigyou elite in many ways, but he was also talented, highly respected by former emperor Toba and Emperor Sutoku, and popular among the women of the imperial court. Among the samurai of his generation were Taira no Kiyomori, Minamoto no Yoshitomo, among other famous generals, some of whom Saigyou also interacted with.

However, at the age of 23, he suddenly became a monk and withdrew from such worldly affairs. After entering monkhood, Saigyou lived among travelers and composed many waka poems in various places. His mastery of waka was such that 94 of his poems were included in the "Shin Kokin Wakashuu", the largest number among those selected for inclusion, hence why he's also known as a "Great Poet". He'd also left behind many additional anecdotes.

勝ち組人生街道をまっしぐらに歩んでいたはずの西行が出家した理由は、正直なところよくわかっていない。親しい友人の死がきっかけだとか、高貴な女性に失恋したことが原因だとか、いろいろ言われたりしている。当時の大きな時代背景としては、平安の世が終わり、鎌倉幕府が開かれようとしていた。権力の中心が貴族から台頭してきた武士に移りつつあったこと、また権力基盤の揺らぎに伴って治安が悪化していたこと、そして6世紀に輸入された仏教がかなり定着し、先述の治安悪化や武力が物を言う世界などの現実化が末法の到来――釈迦の教えが廃れたハチャメチャな時代が来ちゃったよ、とする思想を後押しした。文学面においては貴族的な「をかし」や「もののあはれ」、しみじみとした趣に重きをおくのんびりした価値観から、無常、全ての事象は生まれては滅し、常に移り変わっていく、とする価値観が主となっていく。そういったことを根拠に、既存の価値観が変わっていく中で、それにしがみつかず別の道を求めて出家した、という説もまことしやかに語られる。ただ、理由はともかく西行が詠んだ歌は、この無常抜きには語れない内容のものが多く、西行の歌集『山家集』にはそれが特に現れている(上の句に桜が多く用いられたりする)。そしてその歌は、「妖々夢」本編とも深く結び付いているのだ。 To be honest, it's not clear as to why Saigyou became a monk, as he was supposed to have been on a victorious path in life. There are various theories as to what triggered this decision, such as the death of a close friend, or having his heart broken by a noblewoman. As for the major historical background of the time, the Heian era was coming to an end, and the Kamakura Shogunate was about to be established. The center of power was shifting from the aristocrats to the rising samurai, public order was deteriorating as the ruling power destabilized, and Buddhism, having been imported in the 6th century, was taking root; The aforementioned deterioration of public security and the realization of a world where military power was the rule—among other factors—encouraged the idea that an age of chaos had arrived, one in which the teachings of the Buddha had fallen into disuse.

On the literary side, the aristocratic, laid-back values of "Okashi"[2] and "Mono no Aware"[3], which focused on the deep and profound aspects of life, gave way to the notion of "Impermanence". That is, the belief that all things are born and die, and are always undergoing change. Based on this information, it is said that he became a Buddhist in order to seek out a different path, rather than cling to an existing set of shifting values. Regardless of the reason, many of Saigyou's poems cannot be described without mentioning this impermanence, and this is particularly evident in one of his waka anthologies, Sankashuu (山家集 lit. "Collection of a Mountain Home"), where cherry blossoms are often mentioned in the first stanza. Said poems are also deeply connected to the main narrative of Perfect Cherry Blossom.

「妖々夢」では各ステージ開始時に、ステージのサブタイトルが表示されるとともに、ストーリーやキャラの紹介などが英字で表示される。そして5面では、 In PCB, a subtitle is displayed at the beginning of each stage, and the story and characters are introduced in English.

Then, in Stage 5...

願わくは 花の下にて 春しなむ
 その如月の望月のころ
"Let me die in spring

beneath the blossoms
at Kisaragi's full moon"

と、前述の『山家集』に収められている西行の有名な歌が表れる。これは「どうせ死ぬなら春の桜の下で死にたいなあ、あと二月中旬の満月の頃だったらいいなあ」という内容だが、ここでいう二月は旧暦の二月という意味以上に、釈迦が入滅した日にひっかけられている。5面に来てぐっと「死」そのものがテーマとして前面に押し出されていることがわかるだろう。また、6面の開始時には同じく西行が詠んだ ...a famous poem by Saigyou appears, one from the aforementioned Sakashuu. The poem states, "If I were to die, I would like for it to be underneath the cherry blossoms in spring, especially around the full moon in the midst of February". In this context, "February" not only refers to second month of the lunar calendar, but also to the Buddha's death date. It becomes clear that from Stage 5 onward, "death" as a theme is pushed to the forefront.

Also, at the beginning of stage 6...

ほとけには桜の花をたてまつれ
 我が後の世を人とぶらはば
"Please offer cherry blossoms to the Buddha

Should you wish to mourn for me in the other world"

という歌が表れる。こちらもやはり「死」を題材にしたもので、「もし私が死んだら、桜の花をお供えしてほしいな、あ、もし私の来世のことを思って弔ってくださるというなら」という感じの内容だ。6面ではさらにもう1回西行の歌が表れるのだが、そこまで述べてしまうのはちょっと野暮なので、実際にプレイして見ていただきたい。 ...another poem by Saigyou appears. The theme of this poem is "death", and it means something like, "If I were to die, I would like an offering of cherry blossoms. Ah, if you were to mourn for me in the afterlife". Also, during stage 6, Saigyou's poem makes one more appearance, but it'd be a bit far-fetched to mention up to that point, so I will let you play the game and see for yourself.
西行と○○ Saigyou and XX
常人にはできない決断を下したからか、はたまた桜の和歌が人気を呼んだのか、西行は逸話や伝説が語り継がれるような人物として後世へ伝わった。江戸時代あたりには、単に歌人として尊敬を集めるというよりは、その生きざままで含めて尊敬の対象だったようだ。西行と桜、西行と歌、西行と旅、西行と仏僧などなど、いろいろなテーマで語られることがある西行。「妖々夢」も「西行と桜と死」を下敷きにした創作と言えなくはないが、どちらかというと「桜と死」をテーマに創作するに当たって、「西行」というスパイスが隠し味的に散りばめられたというのが、発想の順番的には正しそうな気はする。ここに挙げたネタ以外にもたくさんの西行ネタが盛り込まれているので、気になった方は調べてみると、無駄な知識が増えて人生が豊かになるかもしれない。 Whether it was because he made decisions that ordinary people couldn't, or because of the popularity of his cherry blossom waka poems, Saigyou has been passed down to posterity as a man whose anecdotes and legends were handed down through the ages. It would seem that during the Edo period, Saigyou was not only respected as a poet, but also as a person whose way of life was highly respected.

Saigyou is often talked about in tandem with various themes, such as "Saigyou and cherry blossoms", "Saigyou and poetry", "Saigyou and travel", "Saigyou and Buddhist monks", and so on.

Perfect Cherry Blossom is based on the theme of "Saigyou, cherry blossoms, and death", but it's more likely that the "Saigyou" spice was added as a subtle flavoring to the theme of "cherry blossoms and death" when creating the story, which seems to be an accurate approach, in terms of sequential order. There's more Saigyou stories than what's listed here, so if you're interested, I encourage you to look into them yourself; you might find your life enriched by the useless knowledge you gain.

ギリギリの可視光線 Barely-visible light
「妖々夢」で避けて通れないもう一つの大きなネタは、やはり八雲紫だ。Windowsの初期2作品には色に関係するネタがあちこちに用意されており、それらの色は虹を思い出していただければ、気づくこともあるだろう。国や地域によって色の数が違うが、今日の日本では以下7色が挙げられている。 Another big subject that cannot be avoided in Perfect Cherry Blossom is, of course, Yukari Yakumo. The first two entries in the Windows series have color-related themes here and there, which you may recognize if you remember what colors are in the rainbow. The number of colors varies across countries and regions, but the following seven colors are listed in accordance with modern Japan.
赤/橙/黄色/緑/青/藍/紫 Red > Orange > Yellow > Green > Blue > Indigo > Purple
さて「『紅』魔郷」では「レミリア・『スカーレット』」が登場し、次回作では橙(オレンジ)の名を冠する敵が2面で登場した。(仮に妖夢の服が緑、青は……一応これも幽々子の服の色ということにしておいて)、エキストラでは藍、ファンタズムでは紫と、徐々に虹の外側の色から内側の色に変化していく。内側と外側。これもなんだか幻想郷という世界を想像する言葉ではないだろうか。そして、赤の外側の光線には「虹として数えられる色」が無い。だが実際は「無い」のではなく「あるけど見えない」、不可視な光線の領域なのだ。同様に、紫の内側も「あるけど見えない」領域である。 Now, "Remilia Scarlet" appeared in "Embodiment of Scarlet Devil" and in the next installment, an enemy bearing the name of "Orange" (Chen) appeared in Stage 2. (Supposing that Youmu's clothes are green, then blue...in this case, blue is the color of Yuyuko's outfit), Indigo (Ran) appears in the Extra stage, while Purple (Yukari) appears in the Phantasm stage, as we gradually shift from the outer colors of the rainbow to the inner colors. [4]

Inside and outside....This is another term that somehow invokes the world of Gensokyo. And in the outer rays of red, there are "no colors that can be counted as part of the rainbow". In reality, however, they are not "absent"; they're "present, but invisible"—the realm of invisible rays. Similarly, the inner region of purple is "present but invisible".

ただ、先程から内側とか外側とか書いてはいるが、虹の「見えている部分」としての内側、という考えもあるので、どこが内でどこが外かは解釈の分かれるところだろうし、そもそも虹の色自体は「連続した無限の色」とでも言うべきものであって、実際にはハッキリした区分けは無い。また、日本で虹が7色と言われるようになったのも近代以降のこと。 However, while I have already mentioned "inside" and "outside", there is the idea that "inside" refers to the "visible part" of the rainbow, so it's a matter of interpretation as to what colors are inside and what are outside. In Japan, the rainbow is stated to be made of "seven colors" since the modern era.
さらに色についての話だが、自然光には紫色は存在せず、赤と青の光を混ぜる必要があるという。その場合、一番内側の色として挙げられるのは「菫色」と言われることもある。はて、どこかで最近見た名前ではないだろうか。 Further on the subject of color, it's said that purple does not exist in natural light, and that it requires a mixture of red and blue light. In that case, the color mentioned as being the "innermost color" is sometimes referred to as "violet". Huh, where have I seen that name recently?
こうして「もと」の話をダラダラ続けても良いのだが、紫については「東方香霖堂」第二十六話でたっぷり語られているので、そちらを読んでいただいた方が楽しめると思われる(宣伝)。 I could go on and on about "fragments" in this way, but since there is a great deal of talk about Yukari in Chapter 26 of "Curiosities of Lotus Asia", I think you'll find more enjoyment out of reading that (advertisement).
アリスという幻想 The illusion that is "Alice"
ZUN氏のサークル名にも入っている「アリス」という名前。英語圏では一般的な女性の名前の一つだが、なんの思い入れも無い名前のキャラを何度も登場させたりサークル名に付けたりするだろうか。ということで、ちょっとだけ東方関連におけるアリスについての情報を整理しておく。 The name "Alice" is also a part of the name of Mr. ZUN's circle. It's a common female name in English-speaking countries, but why would someone have a character with a name they have no special feelings for make multiple appearances in their series, let alone in the name of their circle? Therefore, I'll try to summarize a bit of information concerning "Alice" in the context of Touhou.
東方Projectに初めてこの名前が登場したのは、5作目、つまり「紅魔郷」の前作である「東方怪綺談」にさかのぼる。この時3面のボス「死の少女 アリス」というキャラクターが登場している。そう、この時も「アリス」は3面のボスだったわけだ。ただ「怪綺談」のアリスはエキストラステージのボスとして再び登場し、そちらでは「魔法の国のアリス」と名前が変化している。名前以外ではグラフィックにも変化があり、エキストラでは大きな本を抱えた姿で登場。赤、青、紫、緑、黄の魔法を使って攻撃してくる。うーん、7色じゃないな。この時は「最近アリスという言葉をよく耳にする」ことからキャラ作りに至ったことが書かれている。 The first time the name appeared in a Touhou work was in the fifth game, Mystic Square, which was a game that preceded Embodiment of Scarlet Devil. At that time, a character known as "Alice, the Girl of Death" appeared as the stage 3 boss. Indeed, Alice was a third stage boss back then too. However, Alice also appeared as the Extra stage boss of Mystic Square, where her name was changed to "Alice in Magicland". Besides her name, her graphic had also changed, with the Extra stage showing her holding a book. She attacked with red, blue, purple, green, and yellow magicks. Hmm, that's not seven colors. Back then, it was said that the character was created since ZUN had "heard the word 'Alice' a lot lately".
また、「紅魔郷」制作以前に作曲していた音楽で、曲のジャンルに「Alice」「アリスミュージック」と命名しているものがある。 In addition, there were some songs that were composed before the production of Embodiment of Scarlet Devil that either contained "Alice" in its title or were in a genre of song known as "Alice Music".
・「夢消失 ~ Lost Doream」<!— sic —>(東方夢時空) "Vanishing Dream ~ Lost Dream" (Phantasmagoria of Dim. Dream)
・「アリスマエステラ」(東方幻想郷) "Alice Maestra" (Lotus Land Story)
・「不思議の国のアリス」(東方怪綺談) "Alice in Wonderland" (Mystic Square)
・「Magic of Life」(オリジナル) "Magic of Life" (Original Composition)
あたりが「アリスミュージック」とされており、こういった旧作の曲は音楽CD「幺樂団の歴史」シリーズに収録されているので、ご興味のある方は聴いてみるといいかもしれない。 This particular collection is said to be "Alice Music", and all of these old songs can be heard in the music CD, "Akyu's Untouched Score", so do give them a listen if you're interested.

Notes

  1. Yabusame (流鏑馬) is a form of traditional Japanese horseback archery, where archers would shoot turnip-shaped arrows at three wooden targets while on a running horse.
  2. Okashi (をかし) is an ancient Japanese term to describe something that is beautiful, charming, etc.
  3. Mono no Aware (もののあはれ lit. "the pathos of things") refers to the awareness of impermanence, and appreciation towards the fleeting nature of beauty. While Okashi focuses on the physical aspects of beauty (though it's not exclusive to refer to physical appearances), Mono no Aware focuses on the emotional aspects.
  4. This arrangement of the 7 colors is a bit in the minority; a majority of people at the time of the article associate them with Yukari, her shikigami, and their spellcards.