A History Lesson With Otaku Elf (Part 2)

A History Lesson With Otaku Elf

(Part 2 of 4)

    Welcome back to Beyond The Anime! This second entry in my four-part series on Japanese history from the Spring 2023 anime Otaku Elf features some fascinating facts about the Edo period's power struggles, education, small acts of rebellion, even dancing in the streets, and introduces a new elf friend/rival to Elda. Spoilers ahead for episodes 4-6!

Elda, summoned by Ieyasu Tokugawa, and Yolde, summoned by his rival Hideyori Toyotomi

    The story surrounding these two Japanese historical figures who, according to the story of Otaku Elf, summoned Elda and Yolde was an interesting and complicated one. Unlike the two immortal elves, who seemed content to compete against each other with the fantasy equivalent of tic-tac-toe, this real world rivalry was much more fierce. After the death of the previous emperor - Hideyoshi Toyotomi, Hideyori's father, Ieyasu Tokugawa seized control in 1600. 

    In an attempt to prevent plots by the Toyotomi clan to overthrow him, Tokugawa arranged a marriage between his seven-year-old daughter and then eight-year-old Hideyori, but many samurai still considered Hideyori the rightful heir to the throne, so Tokugawa viewed him as a threat. In winter of 1614 and again in the summer of 1615, Tokugawa attacked Hideyori's castle in the Siege of Osaka, resulting in the death of Hideyori and ending the last major uprising against Tokugawa rule. 

Education in the Edo period, first brought up during episode 4 and again in more detail in episode 6

    The class system of the Edo period was divided into four groups, aside from the ruling class - samurai, peasants, artisans and merchants. Interestingly, peasants were ranked higher than artisans for providing food that people needed, while art was considered more of a luxury, and merchants were the lowest ranked on the basis that they didn't actually produce the goods they sold - although wealthy merchants became more common as trade flourished. Elda was correct when she said that professions, for the most part, were considered hereditary along with class and passed down through families to their children. 

    However, one of Elda's claims was something I had to research before I could believe it - the idea that just anyone could work as doctors in the Edo period. While it seems she wasn't necessarily wrong about this, it was a bit misleading in the implication that these people were simply calling themselves doctors without having medical training. Schools of higher education or private academies, attended by samurai and even commoners, did include medicine within their field of study. This was mainly Chinese traditional medicine which was the popular form of treatment at the time, but during the late Edo period, Western medical practices became more widely integrated. Shortly after the end of the Edo period, the government adopted health reforms in 1874 which fully adopted Western medicine and launched a national license system for doctors.

    At the beginning of Tokugawa's rule, few of the common people could read and write, but literacy rates vastly increased by the end of the Edo period. Children from ages 7 to 15 would attend temple schools, taught primarily by Buddhist priests or monks, but samurai, doctors and other professionals also occasionally served as teachers.

Elda's memory of Edo period relay messengers looks straight out of a retro videogame

    This short history lesson of the relay system in the early 1600s was very accurate. The couriers, called hikyaku, had been transporting letters, documents and packages for 400 years before Elda's arrival, though the system grew more sophisticated over time. Just as she explained, there were several types of hikyaku, which included messengers for the emperor, the local lords, and the townspeople. There were even couriers who brought news of rice prices, or specialized runners who carried messenger boxes with hanging bells. 

    Ieyasu Tokugawa was the one who began construction of the Five Routes connecting the capital Edo with the outer provinces. Post stations set up along the routes, which closely resemble the map shown in episode 5, allowed travelers a place to rest and purchase supplies. The most important of these roads, Tokaido, linked Edo to Kyoto and was specifically mentioned by Elda. 

Apparently, people took fashion very seriously back in the Edo period.

    The feudal lords really did compete over fashion just as Elda explains, but when the Edo government decided they were taking this rivalry too far, they banned lavish garments altogether. However, the "extravagance ban" didn't deter them, and instead they created an art form called Edo komon in order to get around this rule.

    Edo komon literally means "Edo small crests", and it was an art style originally developed for samurai garments. The fabric appears to be a plain, solid color from a distance, but the fine details (created using stencils to apply a color paste-resistant pattern to the cloth) can be seen up close. 

"Ee ja nai ka" dancing scene, 1868

    The first part of episode 6 features a wealth of historical facts when Koito asks Elda to help her study for her history test. Her first question about the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 between Hideyoshi Toyotomi's loyalists mainly based in western Japan and Ieyasu Tokugawa's forces of mostly eastern feudal lords feels like a callback to the east/west rivalry of these two rulers discussed in episode 4 when Yolde was introduced. This was their last major conflict, ending in Tokugawa's victory and leading to his rise to power. The Tozama daimyo, feudal lords who were considered "outsiders" by the current rulers of Japan, were reclassified as hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa following the battle.

    The Dutch ship Koito mentioned in her second question is based on historical fact as well - de Liefde (meaning "the Love") came ashore on the coast of Bungo (present day Usuki) in 1600 as the only survivors of a previously five-ship expedition. Real members of the crew Jan Joosten and William Adams were even name dropped in this episode by Elda as "Jan-kun" and "Will-kun". This event marked the beginning of trade between the Dutch and the Japanese, and William Adams played a major part in establishing these formal trade relations. 

    By far the most fascinating piece of history I've researched this week was the festivals of dance, religious celebration and social protest in 1867-1868 that Koito brought up in her third question to Elda - ee ja nai ka, which loosely translates to an expression meaning "Why not?", "Who cares?" or "What the hell?" And it really does sound like a wild gathering where participants did whatever the hell they want. Gifts were exchanged, amulets were said to fall from the heavens (though it was suspected priests were the ones dropping them), and large group dances occurred which included participants wearing elaborate costumes, cross-dressing, or not wearing clothes at all. I can imagine why Elda was so intimidated by getting caught in one of those mosh pits!

Edo Castle (left), Ryounkaku (center), Tokyo Skytree (background), next to a totally-not-Gundam (right) for size comparison

    The second half of the episode has Elda and Koito going to the tallest spot in Tokyo for a shrine ritual dedicated to Mt. Fuji, and Elda's adorable chart pictured above shows locations where this ritual has been held over the years. The first was Edo Castle, the residence for the emperor and also the military government headquarters in the Edo period, became part of the present day Tokyo Imperial Palace which has made an appearance in plenty of anime, including Sword Art Online. 

    The ritual was later moved to Ryounkaku, which means Cloud-Surpassing Tower, built in the Asakusa district in 1890, was Japan's first Western-style tower. This location also housed Japan's first electric elevators, which likely would have terrified Elda - and the fact that they were shut down after only a year and a half for safety reasons suggests she may have had good reason to be cautious. Behind them, the modern Tokyo Skytree is currently the third tallest structure in the world.

    During the Edo period, there was a devotional rite which involved climbing Mt. Fuji to its peak. However, this was impossible for many people due to age or health condition, so small mounds about ten feet in height called Fujizuka were created to represent the mountain, and they would ascend these surrogates instead, which even replicated the ten stations of Mt. Fuji. 

    I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Japanese history and learned something new. It was certainly enlightening for me. Stay tuned for more posts about the historical facts featured in Otaku Elf every three weeks during the spring anime season!

Sources for further reading: 

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyotomi_Hideyori 
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_society
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_education_in_Japan
• https://factsanddetails.com/japan/cat23/sub150/entry-2794.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Edo%20period%2C%20children%20from%20age%207,no%20set%20tuition.%20Students%20paid%20what%20the%20could.
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kampo
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22343704/
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikyaku
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_Five_Routes
• https://nihonmono.jp/en/article/1281/
• https://galleryjapan.com/locale/en_US/technique/textiles/20128/
• https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Sekigahara
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tozama_daimy%C5%8D
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan%E2%80%93Netherlands_relations
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ee_ja_nai_ka
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Imperial_Palace
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edo_Castle
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Skytree
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujizuka