Tomoe Nanamura

This is a page about a character in Fatal Frame IV. For other characters named Tomoe in the Fatal Frame Series, please see Tomoe (disambig).

Tomoe Nanamura
"Shall we blossom together?"
Japanese	奈々村　十萌 ななむら ともえ
Age	17
Family	Unnamed grandmother
Residence	Rogetsu Isle (former) Unnamed boarding school
Occupation	High-school student
Status	Dead
Date of death	August, year of the eclipse
Games	Fatal Frame IV
Other Appearances	A Folie à Deux in August

Tomoe Nanamura is a character mentioned in Fatal Frame IV. As a child, she was one of five girls kidnapped during a festival. Ten years later, Tomoe died under mysterious circumstances at the same time as another of the girls, Marie Shinomiya.

Past

Tomoe Nanamura was born into one of the old mask-making families on Rogetsu Island. As a child she became an outpatient at Haibara Infirmary, suffering from Moonlight Syndrome. Unlike Ruka, Madoka and Misaki she was not hospitalized at the sanatorium. She and four others were selected by Shigeto Haibara to perform as Organs for a secret revival of the Rite of Descent. Kidnapped by Yo Haibara, she and the others were dressed in ritual attire, including masks created by Soya Yomotsuki, and performed in the ceremony. However, at the height of the ritual the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse broke, which caused all the girls, Tomoe included, to collapse and lose her memories.

All five girls were taken to the Moonglow Cavern, where Director Haibara could observe their progress. They spent their time there in a trance-like state, gazing up at the moon through a well that opened in the ceiling. Shoji Katagiri, Haibara's assistant, contacted police to report that he had heard voices from the well, which he believed to be the missing girls. Two weeks after the failed ritual, they were found by Choshiro Kirishima and taken to Amanoura Police Department. Eventually they were released to their parents, and all moved away from the island.

A Folie à Deux in August

Developers created concept art for Tomoe even though she hardly appears in the game

A short story published in Rogetsu Isle Reminiscences. English translation available here.

After leaving Rogetsu Isle, Tomoe drifts apart from the other four girls, but by coincidence, she and Marie Shinomiya end up attending the same boarding school. The two quickly become close after Marie, the more outgoing of the two, recognises Tomoe's name and approaches her. Together they begin researching Rogetsu Isle, the kagura and Moonlight Syndrome, hoping to learn something about their past. They come to believe the Rogetsu Kagura may hold the answers they seek, but they are still missing one key element: the mask worn by the central dancer, the Vessel.

As her Moonlight Syndrome symptoms begin to worsen, Tomoe suffers oppressive visions of strange masks moving all around her. Her only comfort aside from Marie's company is a faint memory of the Vessel's white mask, and in her hallucinations, Marie's face and the Mask of the Vessel begin to blur together. Finally, in a dream, Tomoe realises she already has the mask they need: a mask from a past Kagura that was never used, and was passed down in her family. She believes the mask resembles Marie so strongly because one of Marie's ancestors was a candidate to be the Vessel, and so a mask was carved to look like her.

Sensing that time is running out, Marie and Tomoe decide to perform a full kagura on the night of the full moon, using Tomoe's mask. By watching the performance, Tomoe too becomes a participant, sinking into a deep trance, but as her memories return, she realises that what she thought she remembered of the Rogetsu Kagura was really the Rite of Descent. The memory of Sakuya Haibara blossoming resurfaces, and at that moment Marie's mask cracks and both girls fall to the ground. Tomoe feels her mind collapsing; in her last moments as herself, she tries to warn Marie to run.

Fatal Frame IV

Tomoe is found dead in the sickroom. Her face is horrifically contorted and her hands are covering her face, just like the islanders found dead on Rogetsu Isle eight years earlier. The sudden deaths of Tomoe and Marie prompt Misaki, Madoka and Ruka to return to the island in search of answers.

Misc. Info

• A photograph of the five kidnapped girls shows Marie and Tomoe as children, but it is not clear which is which.
• The official website for the 2008 version of FF4 says that Tomoe died in a hospital ward or sickroom (病室) and Marie died at home. A Folie à Deux in August clarifies that both died at their boarding school, Marie in her dormitory room and Tomoe in the school sickroom.
• She is the second character in the Fatal Frame Series named Tomoe.
• Tomoe's death is similar to the death of the character Tomoko from the Japanese horror film Ringu. Both are found dead in closets with their faces in a horrific expression.
• Tomoe was the Bell Organ in the Rite of Descent.

See Also

• For more information on Moonlight Syndrome, see Moonlight Syndrome.
• For other shrine maidens, see Shrine Maiden.
• For other rituals in Fatal Frame IV, see Fatal Frame IV Rituals.