Tsubaki Tono

Tsubaki Tono
"That instant for all eternity..."
Japanese	遠野 椿 とおの つばき
Alias	Vessel
Age	23
Family	Unnamed uncle & mother
Occupation	Nurse
Room	3F Control Room
Cause of Death	Heart failure
Date of Death	September 17, 1979 (?)
Encounter	Lunar Eclipse Stage (Phase IX) Lighthouse tunnel (Final Phase)
Games	Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse
Notes	Tsubaki Tono's Diary 3F Room Assignments
Japanese Voice Actor	Unknown

Tsubaki Tono was a nurse at Rogetsu Hall and Haibara Infirmary. She appears as a ghost during Fatal Frame IV.

Past

Tsubaki Tono originally came from the mainland, but went to Rogetsu Isle at the suggestion of her uncle, to work at Rogetsu Hall as a nurse. While she was there, she was in charge of the third floor, where patients suffering from more serious symptoms of Moonlight Syndrome resided. Her hard work and dedication soon became widely known on the island, and she made an effort to involve herself in local activities to show her gratitude for the islanders' kindness to her.

1970s

As the time approached for the island's main tourist attraction, the Rogetsu Kagura, Tsubaki was selected to be the Vessel, the main dancer. In her notes, she mentioned how excited and flattered she was to be chosen, considering she was not a native of the island. She felt a strong attraction to the role, and considered it just right for a woman her age.

On the night of the lunar eclipse, Tsubaki performed the dance in front of onlookers, with five Organs who provided her accompaniment. However, the Rite of Descent, which was being performed directly underneath the Rogetsu Dais, began to negatively affect the Kagura. As both ceremonies progressed, Tsubaki's performance became erratic, and she started to scream. At the climax of the ritual, when the Mask of the Lunar Eclipse shattered, Tsubaki and her Organs all collapsed, and Tsubaki died.

An autopsy later on revealed that she had died of heart failure, the immediate cause unknown. Shigeto Haibara speculated that her death had been related to the failure of the Rite of Descent, but this information was kept secret from all but a very few people, and officially Tsubaki's death remained a mystery. In accordance with the customs of Rogetsu Isle, Tsubaki's face was removed after death and replaced with mask to prevent Blossoming.

After Tsubaki's death, her third floor responsibilities were passed on to Shie Sonosaki, the fourth floor nurse.

Fatal Frame IV

Tsubaki's ghost takes two forms; when dressed in her Vessel attire she is a hostile ghost and attacks Ruka on two separate occasions. However, while Choshiro Kirishima is exploring Haibara Infirmary and Rogetsu Hall during Phase VII, her more peaceful form as a nurse helps to guide him along the way.

Misc. Info

• Tsubaki has been confused with Sakuya Haibara, since they both had the role of an Vessel in the game. Tsubaki's kimono, however, is white as opposed to Sakuya's red kimono, and she wears a wreath-like headdress.
• Tsubaki's mother was also a nurse, and this was Tsubaki's inspiration for choosing her career.
• She appears in a battle along with her five Organs on one occasion and, later on, a second battle alone.
• Tsubaki is the nurse who wears her hair in a bun, with long bangs.
• In the original version of the game, Tsubaki's Blossoming shot is one of the glitched entries that cannot be captured on the spirit List.
• In an unused file, Tsubaki writes about Yuko Magaki.

See Also

• For other shrine maidens, see Shrine Maiden.
• For other rituals in Fatal Frame IV, see Fatal Frame IV Rituals.
• For other uses of masks in the Fatal Frame Series, see Mask(disambig).
• For images related to Tsubaki, see Images of Tsubaki Tono.