[Demon Slayer Analysis] Are the Roots of "Total Concentration Breathing" in Shinto? Unraveling the World of Divine Rituals through the "Hinokami Kagura"

Hello! This is Osamu, the manga blogger.

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba... no matter how many times I read it, my heart burns with excitement.

The incredibly unique characters, the life-and-death battles with their nemesis, the demons... And at the core of those battles is, of course, "Total Concentration Breathing."

The Demon Slayer Corps members use this special breathing technique to push their physical abilities to the absolute limit and fight on par with demons.

It got me thinking. Is this "breathing technique" just a fictional concept made up for the manga?

Then, it hit me.

I believe the roots of this "Total Concentration Breathing," especially the protagonist Tanjiro's "Hinokami Kagura," are deeply connected to the world of Japan's ancient "Shinto" traditions.

Today, I want to dive deep and explore that connection!

The Key: "Hinokami Kagura" and "Shinto Rituals"

The most important key in the story is the "Hinokami Kagura," passed down through the Kamado family for generations.

It was something Tanjiro inherited from his father, who told him, "Along with these earrings, you must ensure this dance is never broken."

That word, "Kagura," is our first big hint.

"Kagura" refers to the songs and dances performed as an offering to the gods (Kami) in Japanese Shinto. In other words, it's a sacred ceremony (a shinji) to welcome and entertain the gods.

At many shrines across Japan, like Ise Grand Shrine and Izumo Taisha, various forms of Kagura are still dedicated today to pray for abundant harvests and good health.

Remember the scene where Tanjiro's father performs the "Hinokami Kagura"? Despite his frail body, he dances all night long in the bitter cold and snow.

That is what a "Shinto ritual" is.

An offering to the gods is not something to be taken lightly. It demands extreme concentration and stamina.

"Breathing" and "Concentration": The Way to Connect with the Gods

So, why does this connect to "breathing"?

In Shinto, as well as in ancient Japanese martial arts and meditation, "breathing" plays an incredibly important role.

Just as you first purify your hands and mouth at the chōzuya (water ablution pavilion) when visiting a shrine, controlling your breath is considered an act of "purifying one's own mind and body."

By breathing deeply, quietly, and at a steady rhythm, you clear your mind of distracting thoughts and unify your spirit.

Doesn't that sound exactly like the state of "Total Concentration"?

When performing the "Hinokami Kagura," Tanjiro's father said, "There's a way to breathe... If you master it, you can dance forever."

This suggests that a "breathing method" was developed to optimize the mind and body for the extreme conditions of a Shinto ritual, and that this technique was passed down through the Kamado family.

Could it be that "Total Concentration Breathing" is a "ritual concentration method"—one that Shinto priests and dancers used to sharpen their senses to connect with the gods—that was later sublimated for the purpose of combat: to destroy demons?

Breathing to Take in the Power of Nature

Furthermore, all the breathing styles in Demon Slayer—"Flame," "Water," "Wind," "Thunder," "Stone"—are based on "nature."

As you know, Japanese Shinto originated from "nature worship (animism)."

It is believed that gods reside in everything: mountains, rivers, rocks, and trees. (For example, at Ōmiwa Shrine, Mount Miwa itself is the object of worship.)

Perhaps the "breathing" used by the Demon Slayer Corps is a methodology based on the "reverence for nature" that lies at the heart of the Shinto spirit—a way to take the power of that nature (the power of the gods) into their own bodies and manifest it as a technique.

The fact that Tanjiro's "Hinokami Kagura," or "Sun Breathing," is the origin of all other breathing styles also seems to connect to Japanese mythology, where the "Sun Goddess," Amaterasu-ōmikami, is revered as the supreme deity.

In Conclusion

"Total Concentration Breathing" in Demon Slayer isn't just a fictional power-up.

• The Shinto ritual of "Kagura," an offering to the gods.

• The "concentration" and "breathing techniques" used to purify mind and body for that ritual.

• The Shinto spirit of "respecting and harnessing the power of nature."

These elements of spiritual culture, passed down in Japan since ancient times, are what support the very hottest, most passionate parts of the Demon Slayer story!

When you think of it this way, doesn't every single sword strike from Tanjiro and the others look less like a mere battle, and more like a sacred "Shinto ritual to exorcise demons (i.e., impurities)"?

Man, the fusion of Japanese tradition and manga is just so deep!

This was Osamu.