Highlights
- Two exclusive Jujutsu schools in Japan, Tokyo and Kyoto, highlight the ancient vs modern narrative in JUJUTSU KAISEN.
- The series delves into the Golden Age of Jujutsu over 1000 years ago, rooted in Heian period events and powerful sorcerers.
- JUJUTSU KAISEN showcases the dichotomy between ancient clans and modern sorcery, exploring the evolving world of Jujutsu.
One interesting aspect of JUJUTSU KAISEN is the fact that the titular high school from the original concept, Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High, is one that has just two branches in all of Japan. These two are, as far as we know, the only schools of their kind in the entire world, due to the fact that Jujutsu Sorcery is an element that is mostly apparent in Japanese people.
This aspect explains why the majority of Sorcerers in the series are Japanese, but why is it that the two branches of Jujutsu High are specifically in Tokyo and Kyoto?
The Jujutsu Schools Are Placed in The Former and Current Japanese Capitals
The Strongest Sorcerer in History vs The Strongest Sorcerer Today?
There are many dichotomies that arise within the JUJUTSU KAISEN narrative, particularly the juxtaposition of ancient and modern, light and dark, and the like. The exploration of ancient vs modern can be seen in the major altercation between Sukuna and Satoru Gojō, both in the early stages of the series, and after the farmer’s assimilation of Megumi Fushiguro’s body. This comparison can also be thought to extend to the Kyōto and Tōkyo Jujutsu schools, particularly in how Tokyo’s Sorcerers are far more powerful and experienced than their Kyoto counterparts. This also shows the “fall” of Kyoto as the Imperial base of operations (and therefore the capital of Jujutsu).
Another juxtaposition of ancient and modern in JUJUTSU KAISEN is the presentation of Noble Clans, status and the inheritance of family Cursed Techniques, such as the Gojō Clan’s Limitless and the Six Eyes; and the Zen’in Clan’s Ten Shadows technique. The idea is that once upon a time, at least 400 years prior to the events of the series, the wielder of the Limitless and Six Eyes techniques and the Ten Shadows got into a fight, killing each other in the process. Gojō invokes this story to imply that Megumi has the potential to become just as powerful as he is.
Throughout JUJUTSU KAISEN Season 2, we’ve noticed how deeply embedded this story is in Megumi’s psyche, as he often overcomes difficult combat situations buoyed by the idea that the opponent may be powerful, but they are not Gojō. What this does is set up what will eventually be Megumi’s possession by Sukuna and the eventual murder of Satoru Gojō, which reflects the ability of the Ten Shadows to defeat the user of the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques, which together are thought to be some of the most powerful techniques to possess in tandem.
Gojō’s influence over the narrative is such that the very act of his birth is thought to be something that tipped the balance of the Jujutsu world in an extremely profound way, and it is as if Sorcerers; both Cursed Spirits and humans alike, have begun to evolve to become stronger in response. In some way, Gojō’s birth, inheritance of both the Six Eyes and Limitless techniques, and this tipping of the scales caused by his presence is a representation of the fast-paced movement from the archaic to the modern, and this is further corroborated by the final battle between himself and Sukuna.
The Jujutsu Of a Millennium Past
The Golden Age of Jujutsu
In JUJUTSU KAISEN, a number of elements arise from events that took place over 1000 years ago, during the Heian Period of Japanese history. This is a time where powerful Sorcerers ran amok, and when the series antagonist Ryōmen Sukuna gained immense notoriety as the most powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer in human history. This era is ironically named, as “Heian” can translate to “peace”, and the period was named after the Japanese capital at the time, Heian-Kyō, known to us in the modern-day as Kyōto. Aptly, “Heian-Kyō” translates to something akin to “Tranquil Capital”.
Kyōto is the original capital of Japan, and served as the country’s capital for over a thousand years from 794 CE to 1868 CE, with an interruption in 1180. The corresponding period, the Heian Era, began in 794 with the establishment of Heian-Kyo as the capital, ending in 1185. This period is seen as the golden era in Japan’s cultural history, as it was renaissance in art, poetry and literature specifically, and it saw the development of Japan’s Kana, script which is made up of the phonetic syllables that exist in the Japanese language.
These real-life aspects are the inspiration behind JUJUTSU KAISEN’s rooting in the events of 1000 years prior to the series, and why it is thought to be the Golden Age of Jujutsu. Lord Tengen was one of three major Sorcerers of the time, alongside Noritoshi Kamo; better known as Kenjaku, and none other than the King of Curses, Ryōmen Sukuna himself. Kyoto was the Japanese capital until 1868, a time of immense change as the country ceased to be closed off from the rest of the world (sakoku) and embraced modernity in various ways, including an end to the samurai as a class, and the shift away from feudalism in what is now known as the Meiji Era, which saw an end to the Edō period; a time in which the importance of the Imperial family was restored, but much of the governance was by the shōgunate.
In 1603, shortly after the infamous Battle of Sekigahara of 1600, the de-facto capital of Japan became Edō and continued until 1868, when the emperor moved his residence to the city and the Meiji government took over, renaming Edō to Tōkyo and making it the capital de jure. It is most likely due to the immense significance of Kyōto and Tōkyo and the history of both places that is the reason why the only Jujutsu schools are in these cities specifically.
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