Mononobe no Futo(物部 布都)is ashikaisen, formerly a hermit practicing Taoism. She possesses the ability to manipulatefeng shui, and is from an old era of Japan.
:cherry_blossom: General Information
Futo first stands against the player in stage 5 ofTen Desires, as well as being a support parter for the stage 6 boss. She later became a playable character inHopeless Masquerade, was a 9th Day Boss inImpossible Spell Cardand appeared inUrban Legend in Limbo, again as a playable character.
She is generally thought to be ashikaisen, meaning that she was once a hermit who attempted to surpass the physical lifespan of a human by taking on the qualities of the dead. She essentially abandoned her body and transferred her soul into an object (said to be a plate). As a shikaisen, she is able to take on a great number of forms, but she prefers the traditional look she had when she was alive, as opposed toToyosatomimi no Miko's decision to go with a more modern form.
In her official profile,ZUNlists her as a "Taoist self-identifying as a shikaisen", but it can be inferred from her backstory as well as her article inSymposium of Post-mysticismthat she is a bona-fide shikaisen.
:cherry_blossom: Personality
Futo is described as being gentle at heart, but unable to adapt to modern times along with modernGensokyoin general.Hieda no Akyuupoints out inSymposium of Post-mysticismthat because of it, she has an extremely "hermit-like" personality. Even in ancient times, she clung toTaoismrather than Buddhism, indicating a dislike of change and a favoring of old ways. She is friendly towardshumans, even going so far as to save them on occasion, but hostile towardsyoukaifor some reason.Toyosatomimi no Mikodescribes her as being a scaredy-cat, though her "fear" of Buddhist statues led to her burning them (and temples) down to the ground (as the head of the Mononobe clan).
In speech, she speaks with in an archaic Japanese language. In first person, she useswa(我, archaic for "I")and in second person,onushi(おぬし, archaic for "you"). In her speech and conduct, she attacheszo(ぞ)to the end of her sentences for emphasis, which is a little old-fashioned. Based on this, it would be no problem to think that she was probably born a long time ago, and that she has a certain aura of nobility, never saying anything wild or off-beat.
She says things which indicate that she might have a tendency to misunderstand others a little, for example she automatically thought that the heroine ofTen Desireshave come to her for a blessing in order to recover. Thus she is a manifestation of the "idiot child", this may relate to how well she takes her defeat in general, sometimes praising the heroine. After battles, she always makes the excuse that she has not shown her true strength.
:cherry_blossom: Ability
• Manipulatingfeng shui
Futo is apparently able to manipulate feng shui. However, this ability is never mentioned in any official material, aside from a note inSymposium of Post-mysticism. Feng shui is the flow ofqi, particularly the flow of qi according to the environment. To manipulate feng shui is to apply some treatment to the surrounding environment and artificially change the flow of qi, and it is something that manipulates fate and fortune. Although it has a high effect on fixed things like towns and houses, its effect is thin on things that busily move, like people and animals.
:cherry_blossom: Occupation
Futo currently servesToyosatomimi no Mikoand resides in theHall of Dreams' Great Mausoleumwhile practicingTaoism.
:cherry_blossom: Possessions
A plate is mentioned as the object Futo used to transfer her soul into in order to become ashikaisen, and she seems to carry several plates inHopeless Masquerade. In addition, she is seen riding a boat during some of her spell cards inTen Desires,Hopeless MasqueradeandImpossible Spell Card.
:cherry_blossom: Backstory
Futo originated in the Mononobe clan, widely known to be a Shinto-worshipping clan. However, she was actually a worshipper of Taoism. She decided to practice her Taoism in secret, as it lacked political power due to the fact that anyone can undergo the training required to become a hermit.Toyosatomimi no Mikoeventually approached her and proposed a plan: Miko would pacify the nation underBuddhism, but she and Futo would die and be reborn as shikaisen. Futo agreed, and managed to ally herself with the Soga clan to get them to follow Buddhism blindly.
After the Mononobe clan caught wind of this, a religious war ensued between them and the Soga clan. The Mononobe clan was eventually defeated after numerous harsh battles that left many Buddhist temples and artifacts destroyed; and thus the nation was united under Buddhism.
Once the battles ended, Futo finally attempted the process of becoming a shikaisen by "dying". Miko soon followed suit, and they both ended up inGensokyo.
:cherry_blossom: Origin
TheMononobe clanwas a family who waged a fierce political battle with theSoga clanover Buddhism. In particular,Soga no UmakoandMononobe no Moriyawere two very influential courtiers toEmperor Bidatsuand his brother,Emperor Youmei, who was the father ofPrince Shoutoku. Both Youmei and Shoutoku were proponents of Buddhism, which led to victory for Umako, whose forces killed Moriya and his allies in theBattle of Shigisanin 587.
Of the Mononobe, there existed Futsuhime(布都姫), who was the little sister of Mononobe no Moriya. In theNihon Shoki, she was Soga no Umako's wife, although her name was never mentioned there. But according to the book, Umako "gratuitously killed Moriya by carrying out his wife's plot". So, according to this account, Futsuhime was a collaborator to Soga clan and a traitor to the Mononobe, despite her lineage. Furthermore, Umako and his wife are thought to have given birth to Tojiko no Iratsume, who as it turns out, is the possible basis ofSoga no Tojiko. Other historical documents tell different accounts. For example, in theSendai Kuji Hongi, she was married toEmperor Sushunand later to Mononobe no Nieko no Muraji, who was Mononobe no Moriya's little brother and Futsuhime's half brother.
:cherry_blossom: Name
Her full name isMononobe no Futo(物部 布都). She takes the nameMononobe(物部)as a member of the Mononobe clan. Her given name,Futo(布都lit. "cloth city/capital/metropolis"), is derived from the nameFutsuhime(布都姫), who she was based off of.
:cherry_blossom: Design
InTen Desires's official art, Mononobe no Futo has grey eyes, grey hair and is dressed in a uniform which resembles Heian Era clothing such as akariginu(狩衣, lit. "hunting dress")or asuikan(水干, lit. "dried with water"), modified with the addition of a purple skirt, with aneboshi(烏帽子)atop her head. Kariginu or suikan were worn for everyday clothes by the maleKuge(公家"people of the Imperial Court")in the Heian Era.
:cherry_blossom: Story
When the heroine reaches theHall of Dreams' Great Mausoleumin stage 5, Futo appears to them, having been reborn as a shikaisen. She challenges the heroine, thinking that she is the final trial to be overcome in her resurrection. After she is defeated, however, she realizes that the spirits of desire are actually flooding into the mausoleum in anticipation ofToyosatomimi no Miko's resurrection rather than her own.
Futo initially approaches theHakurei Shrineafter Miko defeatedReimu Hakureiin combat, and she wants an explanation. However, Reimu has shut herself in, and Futo ends up battlingMarisa Kirisamefirst. After emerging victorious, she approachesKoishi Komeijifor the same reason. She then travels to theMyouren Temple, where she reveals her goal toIchirin Kumoi- that their respective religions unite for the common good of the suffering people. Ichirin insists thatByakuren Hijirihas it under control, and that they need no help from the likes of a taoist. After Futo defeats her, she is impressed and invites her to convert; Ichirin refuses, prompting Futo to mention the fact that she drinks alcohol.
Futo then wanders to theYoukai Mountain, having realized that Miko already resolved the incident. There, she runs intoNitori Kawashiro, who is taking down her stall. Futo inquires as to the details of Nitori's battle with Miko, but Nitori couldn't care less about the religious war. This prompts her to attempt to convert Nitori, but after she defeats thekappa, Nitori decides that if she were to become a religious believer, she'd probably go to Shinto rather than Taoism, much to Futo's dismay. As Futo returns to theHuman Village, she encounters Miko herself, and they engage in battle. However, it was actuallyMamizou Futatsuiwain disguise, and after Futo loses all her popularity in the process of defeating her, she battles Mamizou in her true form. After defeating her again, Mamizou explains that she was only looking out for the humans, and that someone is behind all this.
Futo encountersHata no Kokorothat night, who is trying to figure out what to do with her time until Miko creates a new Mask of Hope for her. Unfortunately, the two end up fighting each other. After defeating her, Futo returns to the Mausoleum, where Miko explains that she's making a new mask. Futo is doubtful.
After apparently reading the newspaper by thetenguabout a mischief-makingamanojaku, she becomes one of the many strongyoukaiandhumansto try and stopSeija Kijin. She usesspell cardsthat are considered impossible to dodge.
:cherry_blossom: Relationships
• Toyosatomimi no Miko
Futo has beenToyosatomimi no Miko's faithful servant since before the religious war between Shinto and Buddhism. After they died to become shikaisen together and reappeared inGensokyo, they remain together.Symposium of Post-mysticismsays that they usually act in unison.
• Soga no Tojiko
Their official profiles state that Futo andSoga no Tojikoget along with each other for the most part, despite their origins as enemies in the religious war. They seem to be united under the fact that they both hate Buddhism. However, inSymposium of Post-mysticism, it's revealed that the reason Soga is a ghost is because Futo tricked her when they became shikaisen, having held a grudge against her during the religious wars. Soga, however, does not seem to have a problem with being a ghost, so it's possible they are still on good terms.
• Minor Characters
> Reimu Hakurei,Marisa Kirisame,Sanae Kochiya&Youmu Konpaku
Due to her automatically misunderstanding others, she quickly came to conclusions the first time she met Reimu, Marisa, Sanae and Youmu. For instance: with Reimu, she thought that she has come to be an experimental subject for complete recovery; with Sanae, she thinks Sanae has come to deliver her toheaven; and with Youmu, she thought she was ashikaisen(dead nirvanahermit), and therefore thinks Youmu is a hermit even after the battle.
:cherry_blossom: Skills
• Wind's Ominous HoleBuddhism-aligned
• Royal Dragon's ArrowShinto-aligned
• Water-Embracing PlatesTaoism-aligned
• Ame-no-IwafuneBuddhism-aligned
• Liuren Holy FireShinto-aligned
• Standing MountainTaoism-aligned
• Combination WindShinto-aligned
• Okiku UpperAided by Occult Ball
:cherry_blossom: Spell Cards
• Heaven Sign "Rainy Iwafune"
• Heaven Sign "Iwafune Ascending to Heaven"
• Throwing Dishes "Mononobe's Eighty Sake Cups"
• Blaze Sign "Blazing Winds of Haibutsu"
• Blaze Sign "Sakuraiji in Flames"
• Saint Girl "Oomonoimi's Dinner"
• Saint Girl "Sun Goddess's Sacrifice"
• Wind Sign "Miwa Plate Storm"
• Blaze Sign "Taiyi True Fire"
• Fate "Gate Opening for Catastrophe"
• "Inferno Reformation"
• Throwing Dishes "Kawarake Rotary Throw"
• Bow Sign "Star Dragon Bow"
• Old Boat "Ancient Ship"
• Heat Dragon "Blazing Dragon Veins"
• Plate Sign "Okiku Driven to Desperation"
:cherry_blossom: Additional Information
:part_alternation_mark: Her clothing – a kariginu-like outfit with the upper part in white – resembles typicalHeian Eraclothing, or a stereotypicalonmyoujiuniform in Japanese pop culture.SinGyoku's "male" form wears similar clothing.
:part_alternation_mark: While not canonically stated, if Futois Futsuhime then she would be one of a few characters known to have been married (the others beingSeiga Kaku,Watatsuki no Toyohime,Watatsuki no Yorihime, andJunko).
:part_alternation_mark: Due to localization of the fangames that are part ofPlay, Doujin!, she is internationally known as Futo Mononobe.In some articles in gaming sites about theTouhou Genso Wandererfangame, Futo's name was misspelled asRuto.
:cherry_blossom: Futo's Theme
TD Futo's Theme: Legend of the Great Gods
