Asakura Family

The Asakura Family (麻倉家, Asakura-ke) is one of two great shaman families in the Shaman King series. It was founded by Asakura Hao during the Heian period in Japan.

About[]

The Asakura Family is a thousand-year-old family whose fame started with Asakura Hao, a famous onmyōji and a brilliant shaman mastering many different shamanic arts. As such, Hao made the family's symbol the pentagram, symbolizing his mastery over the five elements. He eventually went mad and decided to destroy humanity and create a shaman-only world, using the Great Spirit won in the Shaman Fights. The Asakura Family rebelled against Hao due to his madness and executed him to prevent him from reaching his goals. However, before his death, Hao had completed the Ritual of Taizan Fukun and negotiated a contract with Enma Daioh, allowing Hao to control his own soul and reincarnation after death. Ever since the Asakura Family learned of this, they have seen it as their duty to kill Hao each time he was reincarnated.^[1] The main family then changed their symbol into a tree, symbolizing their new purpose of shattering the "star" (Hao).^[2]

During the Heian period, some of Hao's descendants returned to Kyoto and established a secret branch family. They plotted to usurp the main family^[3] and awaited Hao's ascension to Shaman King.^[4]

The main family appear quite wealthy due to Yohmei's lucrative soothsaying job as they are able to pay for a 3,3 square meter house in Izumo and still rent out an entire house for Asakura Keiko when she lived in Tokyo,^[5] and later for Yoh and Anna when they moved there. The branch, however, appears to be much poorer as they could not even afford new school uniforms for Yohane and his sister.^[6]

The main family have a long line of traditions including that of finding the perfect partner for their children, a person who must be strong in both body and mind, and have an exceptional shamanic ability such as Kyōyama Anna and Alumi Numbirch.

History[]

Past[]

The history of the Asakura in the story is traced back to AD 970 with the birth of Asaha Doji, who would later become Asakura Hao.

The fame and wealth of the Asakura Family started when Hao began his training as an onmyōji that would help people seal oni and other spirits. He successfully mastered both shaman and itako arts and was named the guardian of Kyoto. He also met Matamune, a cat who had survived his mother and eight other siblings and who had the ability to see spirits. He took in Matamune and saw him as his only friend.

Hao was, however, losing control of his reishi abilities and created many oni from his own dark thoughts. He began seeing humans as a plague to the world and decided that they would eventually be the cause of the world's destruction. Learning of the Shaman King and his abilities, Hao decided to destroy humanity. Matamune who had died and returned as a Goryoushin saw how his master had turned mad and revealed it to the rest of the family. They successfully killed Hao during the Shaman Fight, but because of Hao's knowledge of the Ritual of Taizan Fukun, he could control his own reincarnation.

As predicted, Hao was reincarnated five hundred years after his death. This time he chose to be born into the Patch Tribe, the people who organized the Shaman Fights, because he believed it would give him a better chance of winning. During this time, he also stole one of the Five Grand Elemental Spirits, the Spirit of Fire. Hao began preaching again, about a shaman-only world and tried to gain followers. The Asakura Family eventually found out and one of them, Asakura Yohken, left for the Shaman Fight to kill Hao. When Yohken came to the Shaman Fight, he was given the help of Matamune and together they eventually defeated and killed Hao.

Present[]

The current generation started during the Second World War with Asakura Yohmei. He eventually married the blind Itako Kino, whose power had been recognized by the Asakura Family. They had a daughter, Asakura Keiko.

When Keiko grew up, she was always shunned by everyone for her ability to hear and see spirits and was dumped by her fiancé because of this. It was when she was taking a train home that she met Maki Mihikisa, a poor musician who was playing at the trainyard for money. She requested a song and told him about her powers and even pointed out a spirit, standing right next to Mikihisa. Mikihisa fell in love with her instantly and revealed that he too could see spirits. The pair began a relationship thereafter and eventually married. Mikihisa also received training from his father-in-law, Yohmei, gaining the abilities of an Ascetic Monk and two mountain spirits of a fox and a tanuki.

When Keiko was found to be pregnant, it was predicted by Yohmei that she was to give birth to Hao who was going to be reincarnated into his original bloodline for more strength. Yohmei used his divination abilities many times in hopes of seeing a better vision of the future, but the outcome was the same: Hao would be reborn in the child carried by Keiko. Because of the unchangeable future, it was decided that the baby would be killed immediately when it was born.

Things became complicated when Keiko was revealed to be carrying twins and Yohmei decided to have both killed just in case. Right after the birth of the first baby, Yohmei summoned his small Shikigami to attack the infant. However, he hesitated at the last moment to apologize to his grandson and that was enough for Hao to summon the Spirit of Fire and destroy the small leaf spirits. He then tried to kill Yohmei, but Mikihisa took the attack and was badly burned. He then disappeared with the Spirit of Fire. A little while later Asakura Yoh was born, the twin brother of Hao and it was then decided he was to be raised to defeat Hao.

Mikihisa started hiking, climbing the mountains to forget about the shame of letting Hao go and to become stronger so that he could one day face him. He was rarely home, but one time he returned. he brought with him a girl Tamamura Tamao to be trained under Yohmei.

Six years after the Shaman Fight 2001, Asakura Hana, the son of Asakura Yoh and Asakura Anna, journeys with Umemiya Ryunosuke to gather the Five Elemental Warriors. He lives at the Funbari Onsen under the care of Tamamura Tamao whom he thinks is his mother.

Family Members[]

Ancestors		e v
Asakura Hao (麻倉葉王, Asakura Hao)
The founder of the Asakaura Family, Asakura Hao was a powerful and prominent onmyōji in the Heian period. After becoming disillusioned with the world, Hao sought to become the Shaman King and remake the world, but he was killed by the rest of the family. His mastery of onmyōdō enabled him to reincarnate every 500 years in order to compete in the Shaman Fights. During his second life, he was a member of the Patch Tribe and gained the Spirit of Fire. Yohken and Matamune killed him in this era. During his third life, he was the twin of Asakura Yoh and continued to use the Spirit of Fire, until he became the Shaman King.
	Asakura Yohken (麻倉葉賢, Asakura Yōken)
	Born in time to compete in the Shaman Fight, Asakura Yohken, with the help of Matamune, fought and killed Hao who had been reborn in the Patch Tribe. Yohken's guilt over killing his ancestor trapped his soul in hell, until he was approached and defeated by his own descendant, Asakura Yoh.
Main Family
Asakura Yohmei (麻倉葉明, Asakura Yōmei)
Current head of the family, Asakura Yohmei is a skilled onmyōji who utilizes Shikigami Kooni in his everyday tasks. He is the husband of Kino and the father of Keiko. He divines that Hao will be reborn through his daughter's child. His attempt to kill the child fails, so he trains Hao's twin, Yoh, in anticipation of the next Shaman Fight.
	Asakura Kino (麻倉木乃, Asakura Kino)
	A blind itako, Asakura Kino runs an inn near Osorezan where she trains her apprentices, including Kyōyama Anna.
Asakura Keiko (麻倉茎子, Asakura Keiko)
Asakura Keiko is a miko and the wife of Mikihisa. Together, they have twins one of whom is the reincarnation of her ancestor, Hao.
	Asakura Mikihisa (真木幹久, Asakura Mikihisa)
	Maki Mikihisa marries into the Asakura Family. During the birth of his sons, Hao and Yoh, his face is burned so he begins wearing a bird mask and trains as an ascetic. He utilizes the mountain spirits Imari and Shigaraki and trains an apprentice, Tamamura Tamao. During the Shaman Fight, he forms Team "Kabbalahers" with Redseb and Seyrarm Muntzer, whom he adopts afterward. He is later killed by a road pirate.
Asakura Yoh (麻倉葉, Asakura Yō)
The current heir of the family, Asakura Yoh is the son of Keiko and Mikihisa and the twin of Hao. During the Shaman Fight, he forms Team "Funbari Onsen", alongside Umemiya Ryunosuke and Johann Faust VIII, and utilizes the samurai spirit, Amidamaru, and later the Spirit of Earth. Afterwards, he marries his long-time fiancée, Kyōyama Anna. Together, they establish Funbari Onsen and have a son, Hana.
	Asakura Anna (麻倉アンナ, Asakura Anna)
	An itako trained by Kino, Kyōyama Anna is the fiancée—and later wife—of Yoh. She quickly masters the techniques in the Chō-Senjiryakketsu and dominates Zenki and Goki, Hao's former shikigami. After the Shaman Fight, she establishes Funbari Onsen and has a son, Hana.
Asakura Hana (麻倉花, Asakura Hana)
The son of Yoh and Anna, Asakura Hana lives at the family's inn and inherits Amidamaru. For the Flower of Maize, Hao chooses Hana as the leader of his team.
	Asakura Muntzer Redseb (麻倉・M（ミュンツァー）・ルドセブ, Asakura Myuntsā Rudosebu)
	After the Shaman Fight, Redseb Muntzer and his sister are adopted by Mikihisa. They live at Funbari Onsen while attending school in Funbari Hills. They later set up a family flower shop. For the Flower of Maize, Redseb joins Team YVS.
Asakura Muntzer Seyrarm (麻倉・M（ミュンツァー）・セイラーム, Asakura Myuntsā Seirāmu)
After the Shaman Fight, Seyrarm Muntzer and her brother are adopted by Mikihisa. They live at Funbari Onsen while attending school in Funbari Hills. They later set up a family flower shop. For the Flower of Maize, Seyrarm joins Team YVS.

Branch Family[]

Branch Family		e v
Asakura Yohkyo (麻倉葉虚, Asakura Yōkyo)
The head of the branch family, Asakura Yohkyo believed Hao's ascension to Shaman King marked the time for the branch family to usurp the main family. To that end, he isolated his children from society and forced them to endure harsh training.
	Asakura Luca (麻倉路菓, Asakura Ruka)
	The first daughter, Asakura Luca was taught that it was her duty to take care of her younger brother Yohane. Her Guardian Ghosts are the spirits of the branch family's guardian dogs, Shinden and Raiden.
Asakura Yohane (麻倉葉羽, Asakura Yōhane)
The first son, Asakura Yohane is tasked with killing Hana, the successor of the main family. After calling a truce with the main family, Yohane becomes more friendly towards Hana. His guardian ghost is Oboro Daikyoh, the spirit of a samurai from the Meiji Restoration.

Abilities and Powers[]

The Asakura Family was founded in onmyōdō, which specializes in divinations, and have worked ever since as court diviners. Because of their long history, the Asakura Family has trained in various additional shamanic arts, including itako, who can call upon or exorcise spirits; miko, who can contact divine spirits and warn people of danger; and shugenja, who train in harsh environments so they can summon Shinto and Buddhist deities.^[7]

During his first life, Hao recorded his vast array of shamanic techniques within a book, called the Chō-Senjiryakketsu.^[1] It includes methods of manipulating spirits, divining the future, and creating shikigami, as well as battle strategies^[8] and non-furyoku-based techniques.^[9]

Shikigami[]

Another special ability of the Asakura Family seems to be the ability to capture and control shikigami and create Goryoushin, a special type of spirit employed by onmyōji to guard against demons and other spirits that would seek to harm them.^[10]

Kooni are small spirits that onmyōji can summon through leaves or bits of paper.^[7] Asakura Yohmei typically uses them to perform basic tasks for him.^[11]

• Ko-Oni Strike (小鬼ストライク, Ko'oni Sutoraiku):^[12] One of the Asakura Family's onmyôji magic, the shaman summons Kooni from leaves.^[7]

• Asakura-shiki Onmyōjutsu: Hyaku Shikigami (麻倉式陰陽術百式神, Asakura-shiki Onmyōjutsu: Hyaku Shikigami, lit. "Asakura Style Yin and Yang Technique: Hundred Shikigami"): Yohmei's favored technique, it creates countless Shikigami Kooni which are then used to surround an opponent and attack them from all directions at once.^[13]

Zenki and Goki are two red and blue large shikigami controlled by Hao during his first life. After his death, they were sealed as the guardians of the Chō-Senjiryakketsu. A thousand years later, they were accidentally released, but Kyōyama Anna subdued them and took them as her own.^[1]

Dai Tengu is a giant tengu shikigami and used by those who have reached the pinnacle of shugendō. Asakura Yohken used it to kill Hao during Hao's second life,^[14] and passed it on to Tamamura Tamao.^[15]

Family Treasures[]

Because of their long history of the family and various shamanic abilities, the Asakura Family have also gathered numerous treasures.

• Chō-Senjiryakketsu: This is the book written by Asakura Hao in his first life and contains the knowledge of all of his techniques and secret arts including purification spells and techniques to read the flow of Furyoku. It also tells how to bind even the strongest shikigami and how to control them. The book contains every single piece of shamanic knowledge gained by Asakura Hao in his first life.^[8]

• Futunomitama no Turugi: A red knife-shaped rock, it has been owned by the Asakura Family ever since the time of Hao. According to Hao, it was once owned by a sword god. Yoh uses it as a medium in composite Over Souls with Amidamaru since it resonates with the samurai spirit.^[16]

• 1080 (4Kids: "1080 Beads"): As an itako, Anna uses japmala (loops of prayer beads) to bind spirits^[7] and to enter a trance for summoning spirits.^[17] Her most powerful strand is composed of 1080 beads, which were originally the stones that had been the spiritual mediums for the 1080 oni of the Oh-Oni.^[18] Because of the beads' origin and number, they are more powerful than regular beads.^[19]

Anime/Manga Difference[]

Trivia[]

• The family name was given to Hao by the Emperor, inspired by his office of being the guardian of Kyoto, as Asakura (麻倉) can mean "Hemp Warehouse".^[20]

References[]

External Links[]

[v · e · ?] Asakura Family Main Family: Asakura Yoh  •  Asakura Anna  •  Asakura Keiko  •  Asakura Yohmei  •  Asakura Kino  •  Asakura Hao  •  Asakura Hana  •  Asakura Muntzer Redseb  •  Asakura Muntzer Seyrarm Branch Family: Asakura Yohkyo  •  Asakura Yohane  •  Asakura Luca Deceased: Asanoha  •  Onmyōji Asakura Hao  •  Asakura Yohken  •  Asakura Mikihisa Abilities Spirits: Matamune  •  Imari and Shigaraki  •  Ponchi and Conchi  •  Zenki and Goki  •  Dai Tengu  •  Amidamaru  •  Oboro Daikyoh  •  Shinden and Raiden  •  Giong Related Articles Tool: Chō-Senjiryakketsu  •  Futunomitama no Turugi  •  Harusame  •  Mikihisa's Guitar