Yasumasa Hirai (平井保昌) is a fictional character from the historical fantasy novel ''

Teito Monogatari is an epic historical dark fantasy/science fiction work; the debut novel of natural history researcher and polymath Hiroshi Aramata. It began circulation in the literary magazine ''Monthly King Novel'' owned by Kadokawa Shoten in 1983, and w ...

'' by

Hiroshi Aramata is a Japanese author, polymath, critic, translator and specialist in natural history, iconography and cartography. His most popular novel was ''Teito Monogatari'' (''Tale of the Capitol''), which has sold over 5 million copies in Japan alone. ...

. He also appears in the prequel novel '' Teito Gendan'' Hirai is the direct descendant of

Abe no Seimei was an ''onmyōji'', a leading specialist of ''Onmyōdō'' during the middle of the Heian period in Japan.Miller, Laura. "Extreme Makeover for a Heian-era Wizard". ''Mechademia 3: Limits of the Human''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Pres ...

and a master Onmyoji. He leads the Tsuchimikado Clan, one of the last royal families of Japan that practiced

Onmyōdō is a system of natural science, astronomy, almanac, divination and Magic (supernatural), magic that developed independently in Japan based on the Chinese philosophies of yin and yang and Wuxing (Chinese philosophy), wuxing (five elements). The p ...

. He also serves as a spiritual adviser to the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

Significance

In classic depictions of

in art and literature, Seimei is usually portrayed as a wise, crafty elderly gentleman with powerful supernatural abilities. Hirai, being Seimei's descendants, is modeled off this image. Furthermore, his actions in the story are modeled off the actions of Seimei in classic stories from the ''

Uji Shui Monogatari is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa ...

''. This is one of the last notable instances in Japanese pop culture of the "wise old sorcerer" image being used for Seimei or his descendants as the overwhelming success of

Baku Yumemakura is a Japanese science fiction and adventure writer. His works have sold more than 20 million copies in Japan spread across more than 280 titles. He is published in a variety of formats including feature films, television shows, movies and comic b ...

's '' Onmyoji'' series would result in them usually being illustrated as bishonen in future depictions.Reider, Noriko T. ''Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present'' Utah State University Press, 2010. 113. ()

Adaptations

In the first cinematic adaptation of ''Teito Monogatari'', Hirai was played by veteran actor Mikijiro Hira. In the animated ''Teito Monogatari'', he was voiced by

Goro Naya Goro may refer to: Places Benin * Goro, Benin, an arrondissement in the Commune of Tchaourou, Borgou Ethiopia * Ejersa Goro, a town in Misraq Hararghe Zone, Oromia * Goro, Bale, a town in Bale Zone, Oromia * Goro, Mirab Shewa, a town in ...

. The character also appears in

Kamui Fujiwara is a Japanese character designer and manga artist. Fujiwara's father was a soldier in the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. He excelled in mathematics and computer science when in grade school. He graduated from the Kuwasawa Design Sch ...

's manga adaptation of ''Teito Monogatari'' (''Babylon Tokyo'').

References

Characters in Japanese novels Literary characters introduced in 1985 {{japan-lit-stub