Dr. Kunihiko Asou

Dr. Kunihiko Asou
"I am now convinced that a power exists that exceeds my expectations."
Japanese	麻生 邦彦 あそう くにひこ
Family	Asou Family
Marital status	Possibly married to a Guardian maiden
Residence	Mount Kagiroi (childhood)
Occupation	Folklorist / Scientist / Occultist / Inventor
Status	Dead
Games	Fatal Frame II Fatal Frame III Fatal Frame IV Fatal Frame V
Notes	The "Other World" Dr. Asou's Notes Rogetsu Kagura Chronicle Prof. Asou's Mask Inquiries Book Next to the Hair Dr. Asou's Records
Japanese Voice Actor	Tatsuhisa Suzuki (FF5)

Dr. Kunihiko Asou was a brilliant occult philosopher and scientist who lived at the end of the Edo period (1603-1867) and into the Meiji period (1868-1912). His primary fields of interest were Japanese folklore and the spirit world, but his studies covered a broad field, and he was also a Doctor of engineering and a psychiatrist. He seemed especially interested in conducting research on the border between life and death, presented through dreams. The academic world, however, shunned both him and his research.

Dr. Asou took the latest Western technologies that were introduced to Japan and modified them in an attempt to create devices that could capture supernatural phenomena. These technologies included the Camera Obscura, the Projector, and the Spirit Stone Radio. His research and development in these technologies came to be known as "Mystical Science." He intended to use these devices to produce absolute proof of the existence of the spirit world.

Youth (FF5)

Kunihiko Asou grew up near Mount Kagiroi, where he befriended a young shrine maiden named Shiragiku. She was chosen to be sacrificed on nearby Mount Hikami, and chose Kunihiko to be her partner in the Ghost Marriage ceremony. He took a lock of her hair as a token, promising he would return, but later he suppressed the memory and failed to keep his promise. The lock of hair was passed down in a branch of the Asou Family, where it was eventually found by his descendant, Ren Hojo.

Years later, Asou became interested in postmortem photography. Superstition said that photographs could trap the soul, and he began to work on a prototype of a camera that could do just that. He travelled around the Mikomori Region taking burial photographs, and became curious after some residents remarked that the eternal, unfading images were like the Pillars on Mount Hikami. Word of his invention had spread to the mountain as well, and Asou was invited to visit and take a photograph of the shrine maiden, Ose Kurosawa. He explored the mountain, taking photographs and contemplating death and the human soul, and finally arrived at the House of Joining. When he saw Ose dressed as a bride, he instantly fell in love with her, and she with him. They never voiced their feelings, but an unspoken vow passed between them. Kunihiko left the mountain with her photograph, a small piece of her soul. In two possible endings of Fatal Frame V, his spirit communicates with hers through Ren, and they are able to confess their feelings for one another at last.

Career (FF2-FF4)

Asou continued to study folklore and the spirit world, and kept working to create a device that would be able to capture the unseen. Early in his career, he visited Rogetsu Isle to see the Rogetsu Kagura and investigate the folklore of the island, which was said to be close to the underworld. During his time there He modified new crystal radio technology to create Spirit Stone Radios (which he called "Other World Crystal Radio Signal Receivers") that could receive transmissions from the other world; this was his first successful experiment. He also devised a Spirit Stone Flashlight that harnessed the power of moonlight to attempt to cure Moonlight Syndrome patients.

However, the focus of his work remained the Camera Obscura; he created many prototype cameras, including Misaki's Camera Obscura, which remained in the keeping of the Asou Family for many years. His efforts culminated in a working prototype Camera Obscura, which he decorated with Rogetsu Isle's traditional cloudy moon carvings and left in the keeping of the islanders. In his research about Asou's life, Ren Hojo speculates that he may have married a Guardian maiden. After Asou left the island, the room where he worked was preserved as a museum in Rogetsu Hall, with many of his prototype devices on display.

After completing his first satisfactory Camera Obscura, Asou travelled Japan studying folklore and searching for ways to perfect his creation. He developed a special projector using the same principles behind the camera. The projector would project special images captured on film that originally could not be seen. He also refined the Spirit Stone Radio to make it more lightweight and portable. When his friend Seijiro Makabe told Dr. Asou that he was hoping to investigate the rumored Forbidden Ritual that occurred in Minakami Village, Asou lent him a Spirit Stone Radio and prototype Camera Obscura to capture evidence of the other world. Makabe never returned, and the equipment was lost. Undeterred, Dr. Asou continued his research.

While conducting research into a mysterious sickness affecting psychiatric patients, Dr. Asou came across a subject who clearly described experiencing contact with the "Other World" in his dreams. This test subject was Kaname Ototsuki. He paid a visit to Dr. Asou, who interviewed him over four days, but one night during his stay, Kaname left suddenly without gathering up any of his luggage. Amongst the things he left behind was an earring made of Echo Stone, which was believed to communicate thought. Dr. Asou used this earring to modify the crystal receiver in another radio. He continued to create prototype cameras, including the one that would later belong to Hisoka Kurosawa, and another that ended up in the hands of Ren Hojo.

The picture of Dr. Asou in the Asou Museum

In time, Dr. Asou came to hope that he could one day create a Camera Obscura with the power to seal away spirits completely. He heard legends of a Holy Mirror that protected Himuro Mansion, and wrote in his diary that he had decided to visit the area, but failed to return. Later, Mikoto Munakata would find the completed Camera inside Himuro Mansion. Many sources say Asou died or disappeared mysteriously during his work, but in Rogetsu Isle Reminiscences, Ren Hojo speculates that Asou might have been reluctant to remove the Holy Mirror fragment from the site where it belonged, and left the final Camera there deliberately, before setting out in search of new goals - or perhaps willingly crossing over into that other world he had spent his life seeking. Either way, after this point his fate is not documented.

Asou's death meant that the principles behind his devices would remain a mystery forever. The documentation of the sounds that the Spirit Stone Radio projected were also lost over time. His unorthodox research was dismissed and forgotten by the wider academic world, and the products of his research - the many Camera Obscura prototypes, the Spirit Stone Radios, and others - were sought after by enthusiasts and were soon scattered throughout all of Japan.

Known Inventions

• Spirit Stone Radio
• Camera Obscura
• Projector
• Spirit Stone Flashlight

Tapes

Old Tape "Ototsuki"

Films

Film "Ototsuki"

Note on Spelling

In English, the name 麻生 (あそう) may be written Asou, Asо̄ or Aso, according to the translator's preference. "Aso" is the most commonly used in official translations of the Fatal Frame Series; however, "Asou" is used in Fatal Frame III and in the fan translation of Fatal Frame IV, both of which also introduce other important members of the Asou family. "Asou" is also the spelling used in native Fatal Frame IV environment textures. For the sake of consistency, Zero Wiki has chosen to use the spelling "Asou" whenever the name appears, even where it may differ from official translations.

Misc. Info

• Dr. Asou was originally supposed to have had a side-story in the first Fatal Frame game, but it was taken out because of a concern that the game would have too many story-lines to follow.
• Dr. Asou built several Camera Obscuras, most of which were reported to have been broken by the time the Fatal Frame III story took place.
• Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir was originally titled "Dr. Asou's Spirit Camera" (麻生博士の心霊カメラ, Asou Hakase no Shinrei Camera) by Keisuke Kikuchi, since he has been mentioned in every other game in the series, but the idea was dropped because so few people knew who he was. In the end, Dr. Asou was not mentioned at all in Spirit Camera, although the camera is still called the "Camera Obscura".

See Also

• For other members of the Asou Family, see Asou Family.
• For other folklorists in the Fatal Frame Series, see Folklorist.
• For information on other spirited aways, see Spirited Aways.