A Japanese scholar has highlighted a significant historical inaccuracy regarding the title of Ghost of Yotei. However, considering the game’s setting, this might be both a clever decision and reflective of its narrative.
Announced during the September 2024 State of Play, Sucker Punch’s upcoming title is a sequel to Ghost of Tsushima. Set over 300 years after the original game, Ghost of Yotei introduces a new protagonist, Atsu, as she navigates through a region of Japan now known as Hokkaido.
Nevertheless, in a thread shared and translated by Automaton, Japanese scholar Itsuji Tangiku points out that the mountain currently referred to as Mount Yotei had a different name in 1603.
It’s amazing that the setting of “Ghost of Yotei,” which has just been announced, is Hokkaido in 1603. It’s “ghost” in many ways. It’s definitely on purpose. The original name of the mountain, “Kouyotei-san,” which is the origin of “Yotei,” was used after the Meiji period, and in Ainu it is “Machineshir.” “Yotei in 1603” is a “ghost place name.”
— 丹菊逸治(@itangiku) September 25, 2024
Tangiku, who specializes in the language and culture of the Ainu, an Indigenous group in northern Japan, elaborates that this anachronism “has to be intentional.” Given the historical context of the region and the year in which the game is set, this detail could have substantial narrative implications.
In 1603, the Ainu referred to the mountain as Machineshiri. It wasn’t until the Meiji Period (1868-1912) that the Japanese named it Mount Shiribeshi, which later evolved into Yotei.
Furthermore, Tangiku highlights the importance of 1603 for both the Japanese and the Ainu. The subsequent year marked the beginning of a trade agreement between the Japanese government and the Matsumae clan, leading to the gradual decline of Ainu authority in the region.
The Matsumae clan prohibited other northern clans from trading with the Ainu, and over the next two centuries, Hokkaido transformed into a fishing plantation. Tangiku describes this period as “the beginning of the colonialization of Hokkaido,” a process further exacerbated by Meiji Restoration-era policies that forced the Ainu to abandon their language, customs, and way of life.
Since the name Yotei originates from a modern era that follows the region’s colonization by Japan, Tangiku speculates that the developers intentionally selected this moniker as a commentary on colonialism.
While Sucker Punch has not disclosed specific story elements yet, Ghost of Tsushima revolved around a revenge narrative, where Jin Sakai had to forfeit his samurai honor to safeguard his homeland from Mongol invaders.
Coupled with Tangiku’s observations, it seems plausible that Ghost of Yotei will depict Atsu confronting the challenges of Japanese colonization, donning her own Ghost mask to defend her heritage.
Ghost of Yotei is scheduled for release on PlayStation 5 in 2025. In addition, a film adaptation of Ghost of Tsushima is currently in development.
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