These tribes resisted Japanese imperialism and assimilation for a long time, but by the 10th century, most of their lands had been conquered by the shogun, Japanese military leaders expressly responsible for subjugating the Emishi.Īshitaka village in particular refers to a resistant village. This ethnic group, which is thought to be related to the Ainu – an indigenous population mainly originating from Hokkaido – lived in the northeast of the island of Honshu until the beginning of the Muromachi era (1336-1573). Princess Mononoke's hero, Ashitaka, is introduced as being from the Emishi tribe. Touched by the boar he killed, he is forced to go in search of the Deer god to lift the curse that plagues his arm.
A boar-god transformed into a devastating demon comes out of it and attacks the village of Ashitaka, the future leader of the Emishi clan. In the 15th century, during the Muromachi era, the Japanese forest, once protected by giant animals, was depopulated by man.
