[Spirited Away and Japanese Mythology] The Myth Behind Haku's Food: The Rule of "Yomotsuhegui"

The Terrifying Taboo of "Food" Hidden in a Global Masterpiece

Spirited Away, the beloved Studio Ghibli masterpiece that broke all-time box office records in Japanese cinema.

The protagonist, Chihiro, wanders into a bathhouse where gods gather and undergoes a series of mysterious and terrifying experiences.

Among them, the scenes that leave a particularly strong impression are when "her parents are turned into pigs after eating the food of the gods without permission," and when "Haku feeds Chihiro food from the otherworldly realm as her body becomes translucent and begins to fade away."

If you think of these depictions related to "eating" as mere mysterious magic in a fantasy world, you are missing out on something profound.

Embedded within these scenes with chilling accuracy is the "absolute rule of the otherworld (the land of the dead)" recorded in Japanese mythology.

The "Crisis of Vanishing" and "Assimilation into the Otherworld" Depicted in the Anime

Wandering into the mysterious town, Chihiro realizes as night falls that her body is becoming transparent, and her existence in the human world is on the verge of vanishing. 

Trembling with fear, she is approached by the mysterious boy Haku, who forces a small piece of food into her mouth with these words:
"Unless you eat something from this world, you will vanish."

On the other hand, as punishment for devouring "offerings to the gods" without permission, Chihiro's parents are stripped of their human forms and turned into pigs.

Why does the act of "eating" separate such cruel and decisive fates?

The answer lies within the Kojiki, compiled over 1,300 years ago.

The Truth Revealed by the Kojiki. "Yomotsuhegui" That Bound Izanami

In Japanese mythology, there is an absolute rule in "Yomi," the land of the dead.
That rule is "Yomotsuhegui."

This is a terrifying taboo dictating that "if you eat food cooked with the fire of Yomi, you become a full resident of the world of the dead and can never return to the world of the living (the present world)."

When her husband, Izanagi, travels to Yomi to bring back his wife, Izanami, she replies:
"I wish you had come sooner. I have already eaten food cooked on the hearth of Yomi (Yomotsuhegui), so I can no longer return to the former world."

In Japanese mythology, rather than physical movement, the act of "eating food cooked over the same fire together" is what signifies fully belonging to that community (or otherworldly realm).

"Intentional Submission to Taboo" to Escape Vanishing

When we overlay this mythological rule onto the anime, the terrifying depth of the story becomes clear.

Chihiro's goal is to "return to her original world," but the moment she is given food by Haku, she actually completes "Yomotsuhegui" in the context of Japanese mythology.

To avoid "vanishing from the human world," she intentionally broke this taboo and had no choice but to take the path of temporarily becoming a "resident of the otherworld."

That is exactly why she had to sign a contract with Yubaba and was forced to work in that realm.

In contrast, her parents, who greedily devoured the food of the gods, were reduced to livestock as "Kegare" (defilement/impurity) for violating the rules.

Even with the exact same act of "eating," whether or not one holds reverence for nature and the gods separates the outcome by heaven and earth.

Reliving the "Boundary Line" Slumbering in the Depths of the Soul, Right Here, Right Now

That beautiful yet mysterious sense of unease we feel when watching Spirited Away.

It is an instinctual sense of awe toward the boundary line between the otherworld and the present world, and the taboo hidden in the primal act of life known as "eating."

This profound "rule of the otherworld" and spirit of reverence that the Japanese have inherited since ancient times.

The complete version of that beautiful yet cruel world is unraveled in the story of "KAMIYO."

Why not step into a world of stories that touch upon fundamental memories, rather than superficial fantasy?

Read the Main Story of → KAMIYO