For Honor Name Inspirations: Aramusha's Katana

[Jowain]

Despite that Season 4 hasn't been exactly as joyous as we've hoped for, I've still managed to have a good time with Aramusha and as always I love to see what the writers of this game has named the weapons and armors of the characters. Some have simply names, others have more historically significant names and Aramusha is not exception.

Some of his swords has simple names that don't mean much, but the ones I've seen carry higher significance to Japanese mythology and history and that's really fun to look into.
So here I am listing five of his swords and the history behind them, the last to are my favorites.

UbiJurassic, please let me know how close I got these and also give my compliments to the writers! :D

Oni - A japanese demon or ogre, quite famous and doesn't need further explaination.

Jigoku - Simply means "Hell" in Japanese, might be related to Naraka in Buddhist beliefs or Diyu in Chinese mythology. There are also several japanese horror films with this name.

Kashiwade's Prize - This one is tricky, for one it could be a name, perhaps the name of Aramusha as the blades could be his "Prize" it is also the name of several historical figures, some royalty (Prince Kashiwade and Kashiwade no Omi), the name of the Kashiwade Clan or that the word Kashiwade means "Chief". There is also a character in the Knights of Sidionia manga named Kashiwade Aoki.
As Aramusha's weapons seem to carry folk tale and religous themed names, it is also likely referencing the practice of Dogeza, an element of Japanese Etiquette, in which Kashiwade is to fall prostrate and clapping their hands in prayer, something mentioned to be done by the commoners of Yamataikoku upon meeting a nobleman along the road.

Murasaki - Might be named after the heroine of Genji Monogataru (The Tale of Genji) by Murasaki Shikibu, altough this is a pseudonym; the main character is actually unnamed and the authors name has been lost to history ufortunately.
Genji Monogatari is a classic work of japanese litterature, sometimes called the world's first novel, illustrating a unique depiction of the lifestyles of high courtiers during the Heian period and is regarderd a masterpiece.

Fisherman's Wife - At first when I read this I thought of the tale of the Fisherman who saves a magical fish that grants him wishes, to which his wife begins to demand more and more, till eventually they are left just as they started with nothing, a classical fairy tale or fable. But I suspect that someone in the writers team is a naughty one (from one writer to another, you are awesome) and this weapon might be named after "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" woodblock-printed designs by the artist Hokusai, included in a three-volume book of Shunga erotica and is his most famous shunga design.
It's Japanese smut from 1800 to put it bluntly.
Of course that is not the full story, the background is based on the popular tale of Princess Tamatori of the Edo period. Tamatori marries Fujiwara no Fuhito of the Fujiwara Clan (oh hi there name of the unlockable Samurai Color Palette!) who is searching for a pearl stolen from his family by Ryujin, the dragon god of the sea. Tamatori vows to help, diving into Ryujins undersea palace of Ryugu-jo and is pursued by the god and his army of sea creatures. She cuts open her own breast and places the jewel inside; allowing her to swim faster and escape, sadly she dies from the wound soon after reaching the surface.
Both are likely to be true, though the first makes the weapon immensly more funnier.

Kiyohime's Embrace - Probably the weapon that fits Aramusha the most as the historical story behind the name, design and Aramusha's own abilites are connected.
Kiyohime was the daughter (or widow in some versions) of a village landlord on the Hidaka riverbank. The family was wealthy and provided lodging to traveling priests who often passed by on their way to a nearby shrine. One day a handsome priest named Anchin fell in love with Kiyohime, but eventually he overcame his passions and stopped meeting with her. Kiyohime became furious at his change of heart and pursued him. Anchin left in a boat across the Hidaka river, leaving Kiyohime on the riverbank, but this did not stop her. She leapt into the water and swam after him. Swimming in the torrent of the river, Kiyohime transformed into a serpent or dragon due to her rage. When Anchin beheld her new monstrous form he fled in terror to the temple Dojo-ji and asked the priests for help. They hid him under the bell of the temple, but the serpent Kiyohime smelled him hiding inside the bell and coiled around it. She banged loudly on the bell with her tail, then gave a belch of fire that melted the bell and killed the priest hiding in it as well.
The design and name of Kiyohime's Embrace is based heavily on this story, with the handles and guards resembling snakes while the blades are jagged and appears to be melted. The story also works it's way into Aramusha's moveset with his "Ring The Bell" move that he can do after a successfull Blade Blockade.
This is definitely my favorite weapon name out of the ones Aramusha has.

[UbiJurassic]

This is awesome! While I personally don't have the insight on how the names were developed by the team, I can certainly share your thoughts with the team. I'm sure they'd enjoy reading this as much as I did. 😊

[Jowain]

UbiJurassic님이 먼저 게시:

This is awesome! While I personally don't have the insight on how the names were developed by the team, I can certainly share your thoughts with the team. I'm sure they'd enjoy reading this as much as I did. 😊

I sure hope they will!
And I'm not the only one who not the only one who noticed this; the official Wikipedia for Kiyohime mentioned this in it's Trivia section, however given that Wikipedia tends to be so-so about editing pages it might have gotten removed, but I hope not since it is true and the similarities are too many no to be.

Course I'll update this if more weapons or gear is found for Aramusha that has names like these :D

P.S: I would honestly get a kick of joy if one of Aramusha's weapons in the future is named after any of the songs by the finnish heavy metal band Whispered whose genre of music is "Samurai Metal".
Songs such as "Tsukiakari", "Sakura Omen", "Jikininki", "Lady of The Wind", "Enoshima" and "Wrath of Heaven" would make pretty great sword names! :D

[UbiJurassic]

Looks like you got a shoutout from our writer[www.twitch.tv] on stream today! Again, nice work Jowain!

[Jowain]

UbiJurassic님이 먼저 게시:

Looks like you got a shoutout from our writer[www.twitch.tv] on stream today! Again, nice work Jowain!

I know! I'm really giddy about it right now, it may not seem like much to anyone else, but to me it made my day! Best regards to her and the rest of the devs, especially Kim! ;)

[FCavie]

Wow!
Wow!
Wow!