Saiyuki: Saiyubito Comparative Analysis 1/10?
Here's the beginning of the "Comparative Analysis of Saiyuki", in which Minekura Sensei contrasts her characters with their original depictions. First up: the intro and Sanzo
But first, a note from Soto: This is an English translation of a Japanese essay that uses characters from a Chinese legend, which in turn references Buddhist terms more commonly known by the Sanskrit words. So you’ll notice that some of the names sound Japanese, some Chinese, some are Sanskrit, and some are translated into English. I tried to pick one and keep with it though, so every time you see “Saiyuki”, it will always refer to Minekura Kazuya’s version, and “Hsi Yu Ki” will always mean the original Chinese legend. (They’re homophones in the Japanese pronunciation. Clever marketing ploy, but annoying when contrasting the two X3)
Also, my notes are in [square brackets]. (Parenthesis) are part of the actual text.
A Comparative Analysis of Saiyuki
“Saiyuki” [最遊記] is Minekura Kazuya’s original world, born of a mixture of elements based on the world of the Chinese classic, “Hsi Yu Ki” [西遊記]. The following is a comparative analysis written by Minekura Kazuya herself, on the similarities and differences between these two worlds.
First, a comparison between “Hsi Yu Ki” and “Saiyuki”
Introduction
“Hsi Yu Ki” is one of the legendary Chinese novels, so famous that any Japanese person inevitably knows it’s “the story of the Sanzo Ikkou’s journey to India.” It is a novel written in China’s Ming Dynasty (the latter half of the 16th century); it uses as a model the actual high-ranking monk Hsuan Tsang [玄奘 , Japanese: Genjo], who set out on a journey to India to reclaim the sutras; it is an exciting, fantastical adventure book (the author of which has not been precisely established) based on the “Records of Lands to the West of the Great Tang” [大唐西域記] and “Legends of the Monk Tripitika of the Great Tang’s Favored Temple” [大唐恩寺三蔵法師伝], which were records based on Hsuan Tsang’s dictations. In other words, “Hsi Yu Ki” itself is already a parody.
When I thought of drawing a manga parody of “Hsi Yu Ki”, I believed that the pivotal point would be how to dish up that famous Sanzo Ikkou. Immediately I thought of making at least the Sanzo Ikkou’s superficial characterizations the exact opposite of the originals:
The despairing, feminine Priest Sanzo became a gun-toting, sharp-eyed, foul-mouthed lawless man.
The quick-thinking, leader-type Son Goku became an empty-headed junior character.
The always cool-headed, logical, big-headed Sha Gojyo became an irresponsible, modern, easy-going guy.
The sly, ruled-by-his-desires Cho Hakkai became a refreshing, polite young man.
…… That’s the feeling I was going for. However, I wanted their inner characters to stink of the original “Hsi Yu Ki” Sanzo Ikkou:
Sanzo’s stubbornness, and the unexpectedly childish selfishness that his companions look out for.
Goku’s in-born strength, and the way he pulls in everyone around him with his straightforwardness.
Gojyo’s surprising care of others, and how he’s actually the most “normal” of them all.
Hakkai’s actual snobbishness, and how, starved for affection, he suffered serious trauma at the hands of a woman (laughs).
I think these inner portions that you get a glimpse of do somehow match up with the originals.
Among the letters from readers that I’ve received, there were many that expressed the sentiment “I’m not very familiar with Hsi Yu Ki, so I don’t know how much compares to the original, and how much is Minekura-san’s parody.” I’d like to give a brief description here of each character within the original “Hsi Yu Ki”, combined with a comparison with the “Saiyuki” characters.
Genjo Sanzo
☆ As everyone knows, “Hsi Yu Ki”’s Genjo Sanzo was modeled after an actual monk. Due to noble reasons, “Hsi Yu Ki”’s Priest Sanzo was sent down the river by his parents soon after his birth, and was named Kouryuu and raised by Kinzan Temple’s Priest Houmyou [法明, sic]. Thanks to setting out on his journey to India to retrieve the sutras, he meets up with various disasters. However, he is a naïve worrier who can’t do much more than recite sutras, and because he is quickly deceived by youkai and pushed over by female youkai, he’s a baggage-type existence who constantly meddles with Goku and the others (laughs). And even though he’s tolerant of Hakkai beyond all expectations (one could say that Cho Hakkai embodies human snobbishness), he doesn’t really trust what Goku says, and excommunicates Goku because of Sanzo’s own misunderstandings. Even so, Goku, who admirably attempts to protect Sanzo, constantly thinks of his master, or, how else would you put it…… in Nakajima Atsushi’s “Gojyo’s Heresy” (Note 1), it’s disposed of as, in Gojyo’s words, “One can see homosexual tendencies in Elder Brother (Goku) toward our Master (Sanzo).”
☆ “Saiyuki”’s Sanzo follows, for the most part, the original settings: I didn’t change the parts about him being sent down the river, named Kouryuu, and raised at Kinzan Temple, or the part where he’s a distinguished monk traveling West with Goku and the others as attendants, but the rest is completely different, isn’t it (laughs). I’m often asked this, but those “Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth” things don’t exist in the original, and having the “Sanzo Priests” be the guardians of those scriptures is a Saiyuki Original.
☆ In the first place, in the original “Hsi Yu Ki”, “Sanzo” is the name of the sutras, and Genjo was gifted with the name “Sanzo Priest” by the Emperor because the monk set out for India to retrieve the sutras. Originally, the “Sanzo” [Sanskrit: Tripitaka] of Buddhism referred to the “Sutra (Buddha’s teachings), Vinaya (Buddhist laws), and Abhidharma (religious philosophy)” and it became custom to call the high priests who combined these scriptures, “Sanzo”. Incidentally, Sanzo’s “zo” [ 蔵 ] in Sanskrit is pitaka, and means “receptacle” or “basket”.
☆ The belief spoken of by the youkai in “Saiyuki” that “One can achieve eternal youth and beauty if one devours a Sanzo Priest” was one pulled from the original story. It’s because of this rumor that male youkai continually attempted to eat the original Sanzo Priest, and female youkai repeatedly threatened his chastity with a physical noose.
In the original too, Sanzo has “piled on religious austerities while remaining a virgin, and never spilled his pure essence”. That is to say, the youkai seem to believe that they have that much to gain from the Priest Sanzo’s physical body and sperm, but it’s speculated that that is just a groundless rumor with no actual proof.
☆ Incidentally, in “Saiyuki” when Sanzo lets loose the Makai Tenjyo, the “on ma ni hatsu mei un” (Note 2) spell he intones after the Sanskrit Heart Sutra was quoted from the paper charm spell that was used in the original to seal Goku away (Goku was released when Sanzo tore away those six golden characters).
Note 1: “Gojyo’s Heresy” [悟浄異端]
A literary work by Nakajima Atsushi [中島敦]. It seems that he wrote this short chapter about Gojyo’s comrades as told from Gojyo’s point of view because Hsi Yu Ki’s Gojyo resembled Nakajima Atsushi in personality. However, although he intended to be a large part of his work “My Hsi Yu Ki” [わが西遊記], it was never completed following Nakajima Atsushi’s death.
Note 2: “On ma ni hatsu mei un” Sanskrit
A transliteration of “Om mani padme hum”. It means “Holy nun jewel that rubs the Lotus Sutra” in Lamaism [a form of Tibetan Buddhism]. It is a spell asking the Rengeshu Bodhisattva [Kanzeon Bosatsu] to deliver the speaker to a peaceful death and paradise. Written in Chinese characters, it’s “唵嘛呢叭咪吽”
On to Part 2
But first, a note from Soto: This is an English translation of a Japanese essay that uses characters from a Chinese legend, which in turn references Buddhist terms more commonly known by the Sanskrit words. So you’ll notice that some of the names sound Japanese, some Chinese, some are Sanskrit, and some are translated into English. I tried to pick one and keep with it though, so every time you see “Saiyuki”, it will always refer to Minekura Kazuya’s version, and “Hsi Yu Ki” will always mean the original Chinese legend. (They’re homophones in the Japanese pronunciation. Clever marketing ploy, but annoying when contrasting the two X3)
Also, my notes are in [square brackets]. (Parenthesis) are part of the actual text.
A Comparative Analysis of Saiyuki
“Saiyuki” [最遊記] is Minekura Kazuya’s original world, born of a mixture of elements based on the world of the Chinese classic, “Hsi Yu Ki” [西遊記]. The following is a comparative analysis written by Minekura Kazuya herself, on the similarities and differences between these two worlds.
First, a comparison between “Hsi Yu Ki” and “Saiyuki”
Introduction
“Hsi Yu Ki” is one of the legendary Chinese novels, so famous that any Japanese person inevitably knows it’s “the story of the Sanzo Ikkou’s journey to India.” It is a novel written in China’s Ming Dynasty (the latter half of the 16th century); it uses as a model the actual high-ranking monk Hsuan Tsang [玄奘 , Japanese: Genjo], who set out on a journey to India to reclaim the sutras; it is an exciting, fantastical adventure book (the author of which has not been precisely established) based on the “Records of Lands to the West of the Great Tang” [大唐西域記] and “Legends of the Monk Tripitika of the Great Tang’s Favored Temple” [大唐恩寺三蔵法師伝], which were records based on Hsuan Tsang’s dictations. In other words, “Hsi Yu Ki” itself is already a parody.
When I thought of drawing a manga parody of “Hsi Yu Ki”, I believed that the pivotal point would be how to dish up that famous Sanzo Ikkou. Immediately I thought of making at least the Sanzo Ikkou’s superficial characterizations the exact opposite of the originals:
The despairing, feminine Priest Sanzo became a gun-toting, sharp-eyed, foul-mouthed lawless man.
The quick-thinking, leader-type Son Goku became an empty-headed junior character.
The always cool-headed, logical, big-headed Sha Gojyo became an irresponsible, modern, easy-going guy.
The sly, ruled-by-his-desires Cho Hakkai became a refreshing, polite young man.
…… That’s the feeling I was going for. However, I wanted their inner characters to stink of the original “Hsi Yu Ki” Sanzo Ikkou:
Sanzo’s stubbornness, and the unexpectedly childish selfishness that his companions look out for.
Goku’s in-born strength, and the way he pulls in everyone around him with his straightforwardness.
Gojyo’s surprising care of others, and how he’s actually the most “normal” of them all.
Hakkai’s actual snobbishness, and how, starved for affection, he suffered serious trauma at the hands of a woman (laughs).
I think these inner portions that you get a glimpse of do somehow match up with the originals.
Among the letters from readers that I’ve received, there were many that expressed the sentiment “I’m not very familiar with Hsi Yu Ki, so I don’t know how much compares to the original, and how much is Minekura-san’s parody.” I’d like to give a brief description here of each character within the original “Hsi Yu Ki”, combined with a comparison with the “Saiyuki” characters.
Genjo Sanzo
☆ As everyone knows, “Hsi Yu Ki”’s Genjo Sanzo was modeled after an actual monk. Due to noble reasons, “Hsi Yu Ki”’s Priest Sanzo was sent down the river by his parents soon after his birth, and was named Kouryuu and raised by Kinzan Temple’s Priest Houmyou [法明, sic]. Thanks to setting out on his journey to India to retrieve the sutras, he meets up with various disasters. However, he is a naïve worrier who can’t do much more than recite sutras, and because he is quickly deceived by youkai and pushed over by female youkai, he’s a baggage-type existence who constantly meddles with Goku and the others (laughs). And even though he’s tolerant of Hakkai beyond all expectations (one could say that Cho Hakkai embodies human snobbishness), he doesn’t really trust what Goku says, and excommunicates Goku because of Sanzo’s own misunderstandings. Even so, Goku, who admirably attempts to protect Sanzo, constantly thinks of his master, or, how else would you put it…… in Nakajima Atsushi’s “Gojyo’s Heresy” (Note 1), it’s disposed of as, in Gojyo’s words, “One can see homosexual tendencies in Elder Brother (Goku) toward our Master (Sanzo).”
☆ “Saiyuki”’s Sanzo follows, for the most part, the original settings: I didn’t change the parts about him being sent down the river, named Kouryuu, and raised at Kinzan Temple, or the part where he’s a distinguished monk traveling West with Goku and the others as attendants, but the rest is completely different, isn’t it (laughs). I’m often asked this, but those “Founding Scriptures of Heaven and Earth” things don’t exist in the original, and having the “Sanzo Priests” be the guardians of those scriptures is a Saiyuki Original.
☆ In the first place, in the original “Hsi Yu Ki”, “Sanzo” is the name of the sutras, and Genjo was gifted with the name “Sanzo Priest” by the Emperor because the monk set out for India to retrieve the sutras. Originally, the “Sanzo” [Sanskrit: Tripitaka] of Buddhism referred to the “Sutra (Buddha’s teachings), Vinaya (Buddhist laws), and Abhidharma (religious philosophy)” and it became custom to call the high priests who combined these scriptures, “Sanzo”. Incidentally, Sanzo’s “zo” [ 蔵 ] in Sanskrit is pitaka, and means “receptacle” or “basket”.
☆ The belief spoken of by the youkai in “Saiyuki” that “One can achieve eternal youth and beauty if one devours a Sanzo Priest” was one pulled from the original story. It’s because of this rumor that male youkai continually attempted to eat the original Sanzo Priest, and female youkai repeatedly threatened his chastity with a physical noose.
In the original too, Sanzo has “piled on religious austerities while remaining a virgin, and never spilled his pure essence”. That is to say, the youkai seem to believe that they have that much to gain from the Priest Sanzo’s physical body and sperm, but it’s speculated that that is just a groundless rumor with no actual proof.
☆ Incidentally, in “Saiyuki” when Sanzo lets loose the Makai Tenjyo, the “on ma ni hatsu mei un” (Note 2) spell he intones after the Sanskrit Heart Sutra was quoted from the paper charm spell that was used in the original to seal Goku away (Goku was released when Sanzo tore away those six golden characters).
Note 1: “Gojyo’s Heresy” [悟浄異端]
A literary work by Nakajima Atsushi [中島敦]. It seems that he wrote this short chapter about Gojyo’s comrades as told from Gojyo’s point of view because Hsi Yu Ki’s Gojyo resembled Nakajima Atsushi in personality. However, although he intended to be a large part of his work “My Hsi Yu Ki” [わが西遊記], it was never completed following Nakajima Atsushi’s death.
Note 2: “On ma ni hatsu mei un” Sanskrit
A transliteration of “Om mani padme hum”. It means “Holy nun jewel that rubs the Lotus Sutra” in Lamaism [a form of Tibetan Buddhism]. It is a spell asking the Rengeshu Bodhisattva [Kanzeon Bosatsu] to deliver the speaker to a peaceful death and paradise. Written in Chinese characters, it’s “唵嘛呢叭咪吽”
On to Part 2