On this island, there is a kagura performed during a lunar eclipse.
It is believed that as this eclipse approaches the hearts of the living incline towards death and the souls of the dead return to the world of the living.
To a people for whom the moon represents the soul, an eclipse of the moon must have come to represent the erosion of the soul, as well.
In my review of the literature, I found mentions of a mask which appears to no longer to be used in the kagura. It was called the "Mask of the Lunar Eclipse".
What little I could find came from very old and fragmentary sources, but it was said to be a black mask that brought about a calamity known as the Day Without Suffering.
When I asked the head of the island about it, a look of terror befell his face and all he would say on the matter was that no such mask exists.
It would appear that broaching the subject is considered a serious taboo.
Even if the danger posed by this mask was real, I would have loved to examine it with my own eyes, just once.
It could have been the key to unlocking the secrets of the Other World...
Prof. Asou's Mask Inquiries: Difference between revisions
m Text replacement - "Rougetsu Island" to "Rogetsu Isle" |
m Text replacement - "Rougetsu Hall" to "Rogetsu Hall" |
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| author = Dr. Kunihiko Asou | | author = Dr. Kunihiko Asou | ||
| chapter = 2 | | chapter = 2 | ||
| location = [[ | | location = [[Rogetsu Hall]], [[Library (FF4)|Library]] | ||
| obtained = In the mask display. | | obtained = In the mask display. | ||
| description = A portion of Dr. Asou's notes. It's about a historical mask. | | description = A portion of Dr. Asou's notes. It's about a historical mask. | ||
Revision as of 15:59, 22 December 2022
Dr. Asou's Mask Research | |
| |
| Kanji | 麻生博士の仮面考察 あそう はかせ の かめん こうさつ |
| Game | Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse |
| Author | Dr. Kunihiko Asou |
| Chapter | Phase II: Resonance |
| Located at | Rogetsu Hall, Library |
| Obtained | In the mask display. |
| Description | A portion of Dr. Asou's notes. It's about a historical mask. |
| Additional Description | Notes about a black mask. |
| Related Notes | Dr. Asou's Note 1, Dr. Asou's Note 2, Dr. Asou's Note 3, Dr. Asou's Account of the Festival |
この島では、月蝕の日に神楽が行われる。
月蝕の日には、すべての生きた人の心が
死の側へと傾き、死者の魂が
黄泉からやってくるとされる。
島では月が魂を示すものであるため、
月蝕は魂が蝕まれると
考えられていたのだろう。
かつてこの島の神楽にて
「月蝕の面」という面が
使われたことがあったと文献で読んだ。
非常に古く、また断片的な文献であったが、
それは島に#r#「無苦の日」#という災厄を
もたらした黒い面だという。
島の長にも尋ねてみたが、
ひどくおびえた表情で
そのようなものは無かった
と言うのみであった。
島では、その面は触れてはならぬ
禁忌なのだろう。
たとえ危険であるにせよ、
ぜひ一度この目で見て、
調べてみたかった。
もしかしたら、異界へとつながる
強力な手がかりとなったかもしれない。
Translation Notes
The description for this file is, 「展示物についての注意書き。朧月島の面について書かれている。」, which reads, "Instructions (or precautionary notes) concerning the items on display. It describes the masks of Rogetsu Isle." This memo is found in a display case, but has nothing to do with the exhibits and provides no instructions or warnings, so this entry has been adjusted for clarity. One possible explanation for this oddity is that the memo found here was originally supposed to be the deleted draft ✻ Note About Masks.