is a fictional character, the

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

Hiroshi Aramata, ''Birds of the World: as painted by 19th century artists'' (Crown Publishers 1989), p. 11, Reider, Noriko T. ''Japanese Demon Lore: Oni from Ancient Times to the Present'' Utah State University Press, 2010. 113. () of the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese

historical fantasy Historical fantasy is a category of fantasy and genre of historical fiction that incorporates fantastic elements (such as magic) into a more "realistic" narrative. There is much crossover with other subgenres of fantasy; those classed as Arthu ...

series ''

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 ...

'', created 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 first appeared in a 1983 issue of a

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

magazine published by

Kadokawa Shoten , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing based in Tokyo, Japan. It became an internal division of Kadokawa Corporation on October 1, 2013. Kadokawa publishes manga, light novels, manga anthology magazines su ...

but gained more widespread attention with successive publications as well as his cinematic debut, and has since gone on to be referenced frequently in Japanese popular culture. His character is generally associated with onmyodo mysticism since ''

'' was one of the first novels to popularize the art in modern Japanese fiction. In Japanese, he is commonly referenced with the prefix due to his incredible superhuman abilities and near immortality.

Biography

Katō is a supernatural

Melmoth the Wanderer ''Melmoth the Wanderer'' is an 1820 Gothic novel by Irish playwright, novelist and clergyman Charles Maturin. The novel's titular character is a scholar who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for 150 extra years of life, and searches the wo ...

-style figure with a mysterious past. He is described as an

oni An is a kind of ''yōkai'', demon, orc, ogre, or troll in Japanese folklore. Oni are mostly known for their fierce and evil nature manifested in their propensity for murder and cannibalism. Notwithstanding their evil reputation, oni possess ...

born from the grudge of 2000 years of Japan's hidden history. As his opponent

Yasumasa Hirai Yasumasa Hirai (平井保昌) is a fictional character from the historical fantasy novel ''Teito Monogatari'' by Hiroshi Aramata. He also appears in the prequel novel '' Teito Gendan'' Hirai is the direct descendant of Abe no Seimei and a master ...

, the official descendant of the mythical

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 leader of the true onmyoji who serve the Japanese Emperor explains: However Katō is also a powerful sorcerer; a skilled onmyoji who manipulates oni. Later on in the novel, his birthplace is determined to be

Ryūjin, Wakayama was a List of villages in Japan, village located in Hidaka District, Wakayama, Hidaka District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the village had an estimated population of 4,416 and a population density, density of 17.31 persons per km². T ...

and associations are made between his lineage and

's clan. The implication is that Kato's ancestors were heretics who practiced onmyodo magic outside the established government. In the 19th century, he enlists in the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emperor o ...

under the guise of a Japanese soldier and rises to the rank of First Lieutenant. In ''

'', Katō reveals his true intentions to destroy

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

through any means possible in order to cripple the Japanese Empire. He joins forces with underground Chinese and Korean anti-Japanese oppression groups (such as

Donghak Peasant Revolution The Donghak Peasant Revolution (), also known as the Donghak Peasant Movement (), Donghak Rebellion, Peasant Revolt of 1894, Gabo Peasant Revolution, and a variety of Donghak Peasant Revolution#Role played by Donghak, other names, was an armed ...

) and continues to work behind the scenes of various periods of 20th-century history to cause supernatural disasters which will weaken Japan. His first goal is to awaken the sleeping spirit of

Taira no Masakado was a Heian period provincial magnate ('' gōzoku'') and samurai based in eastern Japan, notable for leading the first recorded uprising against the central government in Kyōto. Early life Masakado was one of the sons of Taira no Yoshimas ...

to help him cripple the country. However, his plans branch off into feng shui territories, agonizing the firmament and earth dragons to cause earthquakes and other natural disasters. In 1927, his efforts are temporarily sabotaged by the powerful

miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...

and priestess of Masakado, Keiko Tatsumiya. In 1945, he is instrumental in the death of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. The Japanese government organizes a plan to assassinate the Allied leaders through a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

curse cast by abbot Otani Kozui, with their first target being Roosevelt. The Japanese

Freemasons Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

politically oppose the plan and attempt to sabotage the project. However, Kato assassinates the leader of the Japanese Freemasons, allowing the curse to go to completion. In 1960, Kato returns to Japan amidst the chaos of student protests against the signing of the

Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan The , more commonly known as the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty in English and as the or just in Japanese, is a treaty that permits the presence of U.S. military bases on Japanese soil, and commits the two nations to defend each other if one or th ...

. There he recruits the eager young writer

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

and manipulates him. Eventually, a series of events escalate, culminating in the author's ritual suicide on November 25, 1970. In 1998, Katō returns to stir up another earthquake under Tokyo by arousing the water dragon. At this point in the story, Katō is defined as another version of

himself. Just as Masakado sought to overthrow the current Japanese government in his time, so does Katō seek to overthrow the contemporary Imperial authority by eliminating the capital

. Amidst the wreckage of the Imperial Capital, Kato and his allies contend with the remaining defenders of Tokyo, which include a resurrected Yukio Mishima and Keiko Tatsumiya's apprentice. After a long struggle, Kato is finally defeated. Katō's past is more deeply explored in the spin-off novel '' Teito Monogatari Iroku''. In this novel, it is also revealed that he is the last descendant in a long line of mystics. His predecessor was Jubei Katō, a character whose story is chronicled in the novels '' Teito Gendan'' and '' Shin Teito Monogatari''. In ''

The Great Yokai War is a 2005 Japanese fantasy film directed by Takashi Miike, produced by Kadokawa Pictures and distributed by Shochiku. The film stars Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Chiaki Kuriyama, and Mai Takahashi. The film focuses largely on creatures ...

'', Katō returns to Japan in 2005 with an army of monsters created from discarded objects infused with Yokai under his command in another attempt to destroy Tokyo. This time he is stopped by the efforts of a band of native yokai and a young boy wielding the power of the Kirin Rider. Despite being defeated, gaining Azuki bean-like pupils in the process, Katō survives the encounter and it is implied that at the end that he is ready to execute another plan.

Works appeared in

Literature

*''

'' (1985–1989) *''Teito Monogatari Gaiden'' (1995) *''Teito Gendan'' (1997) *''Shin Teito Monogatari'' (2001) *''Teito Monogatari Iroku'' (2001) *''The Great Yokai War'' (2005)

Stage

*''Teito Monogatari'' (1985) by the Tokyo Grand Guignol Theater Company

Film

*'' Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis'' (1988) *'' Tokyo: The Last War'' (1989) *'' Teito Monogatari Gaiden'' (1995) *''

'' (2005)

TV

*''Kamen Rider Norida'' (Episode: "Horror! Teito Taisen Man!", 1989)

Manga

*''BABYLON TOKYO'' (1987) *''Teito Monogatari'' (1987) *''Teito Monogatari: TOKIO WARS'' (1989)

Anime

*''

Doomed Megalopolis is a Japanese original video animation (OVA) series. It is an adaptation of the historical fantasy novel ''Teito Monogatari'' by Hiroshi Aramata. The anime is darker in tone, more violent, and more sexually explicit than any previous adaptat ...

'' (1991-1992)

Appearance

The original character was simply described as a youthful military officer with no specific age. The character evolved in popular culture though and his image began to change. In modern depictions, he is generally described as a tall man with an unnaturally long face. His classic outfit is composed of the traditional uniform of a Japanese Imperial officer, complete with a

service dress Service dress uniform is the informal type of uniform used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for everyday office, barracks and non-field duty purposes and sometimes for ceremonial occasions. It frequently consists of ...

, cap, gloves, sword and a

cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment which drapes the wearer's back, arms, and chest, and connects at the neck. History Capes were common in medieval Europe, especially when combined with a hood in the chaperon. Th ...

. On the backs of his white gloves are red inscriptions of the "Seiman" (the pentagram), the magic symbol of

Powers and abilities

Kato is incredibly proficient in a variety of eastern magic, most notably the art of Onmyōdō, possessing abilities that rival the Tsuchimikado Clan, descendants of

. He extensively employs black

shikigami (also read as ) is the term for a being from Japanese folklore. According to the Shinto scholar Inoue Nobutaka, it is thought to be some sort of , represented by a small ghost. The belief of ''shikigami'' originates from ''Onmyōdō''. Accord ...

to do his bidding, and he can also summon goho doji. He is also known to use

kodoku , also called , , and is a type of poisonous magic found in Japanese folklore. It is the Japanese derivative of the Chinese gu (poison), Gu magic. To create kodoku, sorcerers would mix several insects in a jar, and let them kill one another unti ...

(worm toxins) to control and manipulate his victims. To prolong his life, he performs the shijie technique from time to time. As a trained imperial officer, he is quite proficient in the use of a

katana A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...

. He is also fluent in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

and

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

Analysis

has described his original vision of the character as closely resembling the English

occultist The occult, in the broadest sense, is a category of esoteric supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving otherworldly agency, such as magic and mysticism an ...

Aleister Crowley Aleister Crowley (; born Edward Alexander Crowley; 12 October 1875 – 1 December 1947) was an English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist, and mountaineer. He founded the religion of Thelema, identifying himself as the pro ...

. In other interviews, Aramata has stated that he wanted the character to symbolize both the heretical and official sects of onmyoji. Dr. Noriko T. Reider, assistant professor of Japanese Studies at Miami University, argues that Kato is an exemplary example of evolving, postwar sentiments about

in Japanese culture. Some scholars and enthusiasts have also likened the character to a Japanese version of Dracula, with the plot of ''

'' being a loose recreation of the famous horror story.

Adaptations

In the ''Tokyo Grand Guignol'' stage adaptation of ''Teito Monogatari'', Katō was played by

Kyūsaku Shimada is a Japanese actor. History Shimada was originally part of the Tokyo Grand Guignol Theater group, formed by artist Norimizu Ameya. He stayed with the group until its dissolution in 1986. One of the productions the group undertook was an adaptat ...

. Shimada went on to portray Katō in the films '' Tokyo: The Last Megalopolis'' (1988) directed by

Akio Jissoji (March 29, 1937 – November 29, 2006) was a Japanese television and film director best known outside Japan for the 1960s TV series ''Ultraman'' and ''Ultraseven'', as well as for his auteur erotic ATG-produced Buddhist trilogy , , and . ...

, and '' Tokyo: The Last War'' (1989) directed by Takashige Ichise. He also provided his voice to the Japanese dub of the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

'' (1991–1992) directed by

Rintaro is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of anime. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse (company), Madhouse (which he co-founded), though he is a freelance director not employed directly by any one studio. He began working i ...

. In the 1995 spinoff film '' Teito Monogatari Gaiden'' (1995) directed by

Izo Hashimoto is a Japanese screenwriter and film director. Biography In 1984, Hashimoto made his directorial debut with the independent film ''Pasokon Wars Isami'', after which he began writing for television with the hit drama series '' Sukeban Deka''. He ...

, the nurse who gets possessed by Katō's spirit is portrayed by Kazuhiko Nishimura.

Etsushi Toyokawa is a Japanese actor. Biography Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School is a prestigious Japanese public co-educational senior high school (secondary school), located in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. Overview Shimizudan ...

portrayed Katō in ''

'' (2005), directed by

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over one hundred theatrical, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films run through a variety of different genres, and range from violent a ...

. For this film, Katō is dressed in a modern black outfit instead of his usual military attire. In the cinematic adaptations, Katō is portrayed quite differently from his literary counterpart, generally as a more monstrous and vicious character. He is middle-aged instead of a young man. Whereas the literary character was quite verbose and could carry on long conversations with the other characters, the cinematic version's discourses are more limited, consisting mainly of threats or boasts. Whereas the original character supported his allies and defended them from harm, the cinematic version is more indifferent to suffering and works by himself more often. Probably inspired by the invincible monsters of classic horror films, the cinematic versions of the character are incredibly durable and almost immune to pain. Across the films, he survives being dismembered, run through with a sword, having a hole blown through his body by magic, scorched by lightning, being impaled in the head, shot with a revolver several times in succession, and even having his entire face blown apart. In all these cases, he seems relatively unfazed and recovers extremely quickly. He is also rarely shown wielding a katana, except briefly in both '' Teito Monogatari Gaiden'' and ''

''.

In popular culture

After his literary and film debut, Yasunori Kato went on to become a frequently referenced figure in Japanese popular culture, inspiring a slew of imitators and homages. *General Washizaki from the manga/anime ''

Riki-Oh is a Japanese manga created by Masahiko Takajo and Tetsuya Saruwatari and later adapted to two OVAs and a live-action film named '' Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky''. The story is about a young man who has learned the art of Qigong from one ...

'' is believedComparison between Vega's Image and Kyūsaku Shimada's Portrait (at the bottom of the page)
Retrieved on 2009-6-01.
Retrieved on 2012-8-07. to have taken a visual cue from Kyūsaku Shimada's portrayal of Yasunori Katō. General Washizaki appeared in the series only a couple months after the live-action adaptation of ''

'' was released in theaters. *Kato himself makes a humorous cameo appearance at the beginning of the manga ''

Tokyo Babylon , also known as ''Tokyo Babylon: A Save Tokyo City Story'', is a Japanese manga series created by mangaka group Clamp. The series follows Subaru Sumeragi, the head of the Sumeragi clan, and his sister Hokuto, as they work to protect Tokyo ...

''.''Tokyo Babylon'' book 1, vol. 1. (English translation by TOKYOPOP) Beyond that,

Subaru Sumeragi is the fictional protagonist of Clamp's manga series ''Tokyo Babylon''. The head of the , Subaru is a young ''onmyōji'' in charge of exorcising demons and helping spirits reach the afterlife, while living with his twin sister Hokuto and love ...

and Seishirō Sakurazuka, the protagonists of ''

'' and '' X'' are onmyoji with designs that contain subtle nods to Kato. * The cinematic version of Katō is widely considered one of the primary inspirations for

M. Bison M. Bison, also known as the Dictator (for international tournaments), is a fictional character created by Capcom. First introduced in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'', he is a recurring character in the ''Street Fighter'' series of figh ...

, the final boss in the

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...

'' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'' and its iterations, both antagonists are evil militants with supernatural powers, and world domination schemes. *The protagonist of the video game ''Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner'', Raidou Kuzunoha, is an homage to Katō wearing an early 20th-century style military outfit and possessing similar powers. His surname

Kuzunoha , also written Kuzu-no-Ha, is the name of a popular ''kitsune'' character in Japanese folklore. Her name means '' kudzu leaf''. Legend states that she is the mother of Abe no Seimei, the famous onmyōji. Legend A young nobleman, Abe no Y ...

is derived from the folklore mother of

, whom Katō claims to be a descendant of. *The villain of Go Shibata's 2009 film ''

Doman Seman Doman may refer to: *Doman (surname) *Doman (river), Caraș-Severin County, Romania *Doman, a village in Reșița city, Caraș-Severin County, Romania *Doman Helicopters, an American helicopter manufacturing company *Doman (Khoikhoi) (died 1663), ...

'' is called "Katō the Catwalk Doman Seman". This is a reference to Yasunori Katō (the "Seiman" is Katō's trademark symbol). *The fourth volume of the light novel adaptation of the series '' Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan'', which deals heavily with onmyodo, is called ''Teito Koi Monogatari'' (). The cover depicts one of the characters wearing a military uniform. * Episode 7 of the anime ''

Haunted Junction is a comedy anime and manga series created by Nemu Mukudori. The manga was serialized in the monthly manga magazine Dengeki Comic Gao! by MediaWorks from 1996 to 2001. The anime, produced by Bandai Visual and Studio Deen, aired between 2 ...

'' features a villain who is a parody of Yasunori Kato wearing a military outfit and described as the last descendant of

.
The Anime Companion Supplement--Onmyoji」 *Kato is mentioned in the video game

VA-11 Hall-A ''VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action'' (stylized as ''VA-11 HALL-A''; sometimes simply ''Valhalla'') is an indie bartender simulation video game with visual novel elements, developed by Venezuelan studio Sukeban Games and published by Ysbr ...

. He is described as an evil onmyouji. *

Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula (1931 ...

's 2017 novel ''Anno Dracula: 1000 Monsters'' features a major character named "Lieutenant Majin", a "horseshoe faced" military officer who commands yokai. Though the character has multiple names, he is an obvious homage to Yasunori Kato.

References

Sources