Changes: Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle

Seishin
Title	Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle
Japanese Title:	清心 ~ 忍術年代記
Genre	Historical drama, semi-fiction, ninja, war, family saga, folklore, martial arts
Starting Date	October 2008 - November 2009 (hiatus); 2011 - 2018 (Hiatus)
Stories Completed	006/108

Latest revision as of 16:57, 8 June 2020

Igakoh — The Kanji symbols for Iga (above) and *Koga* (below)

Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle (清心 ~ 忍術年代記, seishin: ninjutsu nendaiki), also called Seishin Series (清心シリーズ) and Seishin Ninpōchō (清心忍法帖), is a Japanese historical fiction (a Jidaigeki) and family saga (家サーガ) series authored by MGW. It began in October 2008, and then was put on hiatus on November 3rd, 2009. Before the hiatus, five chapters were made. In 2010, it was decided that Seishin will be an anthology series.

Creation

Inspired by Japanese history and the author of the Ninpōchō series Futaro Yamada (山田風太郎), MGW wanted to develop a long series depicting ninja contrary to their superhuman image from media. She diligently researched ninja, but some information turned out to be scarce or unclear. Initially, MGW wanted to turn down the use of magic or paranormal influences in the story, but instead decided to feature Shinto spirits and inhuman abilities at a limited level. Furthermore, she wanted to form a large ensemble cast and, for the first time, she also wanted to include strong violence, sexual content such as shudō and prostitution, and other mature themes.

In 2013, MGW made it her goal to shoot for "108 stories", the number having a wide symbolism in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism. The stories are mostly vignettes.

About the title

While planning the series, MGW had various ideas for the title. At first, she wanted to use the Japanese words for "chronicle" or "annal" (年代記; nendaiki) and "whirlwind" (旋風 ; tsumujikaze). However, once deciding the story's purpose of creating a deeper image of ninja, MGW wanted to use the word "heart" by all means. She was also inspired by the word "ishindenshin" (以心伝心), which means "tacit understanding" or "empathy".

The first full title was "Intrepid Heart". The word "seishin" plays an important role to the development of the characters. Seishin (正心 OR 精神) means "the right heart" or "spirit"; but in the title, the two Kanji letters are changed to mean "pure" or "cleansed" (清; sei), and "heart" (心; shin; it also means core/spirit). The entire idea comes from the Bansenshukai (萬川集海), which is said to be the core text of ninja principles.^[1]. It is used to deeply evaluate a person's thoughts. Thus, Seishin series or "Pure heart" (清心シリーズ).

Another name thought of is Gōketsuninden (豪傑忍伝) or Chronicles of the Great Shinobi. Ninpocho, or "Ninja Scrolls" is from Futaro Yamada's own works, which in part inspired MGW to do the series. Also Seishinden (清心伝) or "Seishincho" (清心帖).

Difficulties

MGW's initial plan was to make Seishin a novel with at least ninety or one-hundred chapters. The first design had five chapters set in the year of 1565 (Eiroku 8), but MGW was unsure on how the story would develop. She wanted to cover a few historical events, with the Iga Tenshō no Ran being one of the most important. MGW was not pleased with the results, put the story on hiatus, and undertook to further research.

There was also the trouble with character backgrounds and keeping history, fiction and non-fiction, as tenacious as possible. To make things more comfortable for herself and to avoid confusion, she thought of producing sketch stories and flash fiction to promote her novel-turned series. This way, instead of going in order, various readers can read about the characters during different timelines and events.

Synopsis & Setting

Main article: Setting of Seishin

Main article: Timeline of Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle

Main article: Aptitude Measurements in Seishin

Pure Heart is a collection of stories that include popular figures from both Japanese folklore and Japanese history. The stories are often set in the Warring States Era and expand through many years, as ninja became beneficial tools for infiltration and espionage. Most stories start with a very short introduction, like an epigraph, describing the main character or main setting. This is referred to as a "Scroll", written as if it were told by another character.

The Iga Ninja and the Koga Ninja are the most popular shinobi schools, both residing in the Iga Province (present day Mie Prefecture and Omi Province respectively. Another school is the Fūma ninja of the Ashigara Mountain pass in Sagami Province.

Stories and Characters

Main article: List of Seishin Stories and Chapters

Main article: Characters of Seishin

Main article: List of Seishin Groups

Seishin covers a variety of familiar events within Japanese history, or incidents with a large cast of characters both historical and original. Long-living Genealogies and organizations are also included.

References

↑ Bansenshukai: Contents (English)

Navigation

BODY & MIND: WORLD OF SEISHIN
Setting/Timeline	Stories \| Setting of Seishin \| Timeline \| Conflicts \| Warring States Period \| Pre-Modern Terms
Characters / Groups	Families and Organizations \| Character List \| Jōnin Three Houses \| Sanada Ten Braves \| Oniwabanshū \| Iga Ninja \| Koga Ninja
Items and Interests	Iga vs Koga \| Aptitude \| Three Great Books of Ninjutsu \| Tatsukawa Book Collection \| Ninjatō

[1] Bansenshukai: Contents (English)

[1]

@@ Line 8: / Line 8: @@
 |Row 3 info = Historical drama, semi-fiction, ninja, war, family saga, folklore, martial arts
 |Row 4 title = Starting Date
-|Row 4 info = October 2008 - November 2009 (hiatus)
+|Row 4 info = October 2008 - November 2009 (hiatus); 2011 - 2018 (Hiatus)
-|Row 5 title = Chapters
+|Row 5 title = Stories Completed
-|Row 5 info = ??
+|Row 5 info = 006/108
 }}
-[[File:Igakoh.png|thumb|200px|Iga and Koga Symbols]]
+[[File:Igakoh.png|thumb|200px|The Kanji symbols for'' Iga'' (above) and ''Koga'' (below) ]]
-'''Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle''' (清心 ~ 忍術年代記, ''seishin: ninjutsu nendaiki''), also called '''Seishin''' and '''Seishin Ninpōchō''' (清心 忍法帖), is a Japanese historical fiction (a ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jidaigeki <i>Jidaigeki</i>]'') and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_saga family saga] series authored by [[MGW]]. It is initially set in the 16th century and includes popular people from both Japanese folklore and Japanese history. It started in October 2008, but as of November 3rd, 2009, the story is on hiatus due to the author having too much difficultly with it. She stated that her material and research were too meager to progress and will start over. Before the hiatus, five chapters were made.
+'''Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle''' (清心 ~ 忍術年代記, ''seishin: ninjutsu nendaiki''), also called '''Seishin Series''' (清心シリーズ) and '''Seishin Ninpōchō''' (清心 忍法帖), is a Japanese historical fiction (a ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jidaigeki <i>Jidaigeki</i>]'') and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_saga family saga (家サーガ)] series authored by [[MGW]]. It began in October 2008, and then was put on hiatus on November 3rd, 2009. Before the hiatus, five chapters were made. In 2010, it was decided that Seishin will be an '''anthology series'''.
-==Production==
+==Creation==
-Inspired by Japanese history and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futaro_Yamada Futaro Yamada] the creator of the ''Ninpōchō series'', MGW wanted to develop a long series portraying "realistic ninja" for a broad audience. She aimed for a view outside their popular image from media, in which she began to disdain, and looked for as much knowledge on them as possible. The info turned out to be scarce or unclear and MGW sought for a simple approach in her goal. Furthermore, she wanted to turn down the use of magic or paranormal influences in the story, but instead decided to feature [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto Shinto] spirits and inhuman abilities at a limited level. More to MGW's goal was to form a large ensemble cast and, for the first time,she also wanted to include strong violence, profane language, sexual situations such as [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shudo#Ancient_Japan shudō] and prostitution, and other mature themes.
+Inspired by Japanese history and the author of the ''Ninpōchō series'' [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futaro_Yamada Futaro Yamada] (山田 風太郎), MGW wanted to develop a long series depicting ninja contrary to their superhuman image from media. She diligently researched ninja, but some information turned out to be scarce or unclear. Initially, MGW wanted to turn down the use of magic or paranormal influences in the story, but instead decided to feature [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto Shinto] spirits and inhuman abilities at a limited level. Furthermore, she wanted to form a large ensemble cast and, for the first time, she also wanted to include strong violence, sexual content such as ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shudo#Ancient_Japan shudō]'' and prostitution, and other mature themes.
+In 2013, MGW made it her goal to shoot for "108 stories", the number having a wide symbolism in [[Buddhism]], Hinduism, and Taoism. The stories are mostly vignettes.
-===Pre-Hiatus===
-In the first design of the story, five chapters were made and set around the year of 1565 (''Eiroku'' 8). MGW did not have a detailed idea on how the story would develop and formed the plot structure by how only the characters acted. She also wanted to describe the differences between each character. The boy [[Shoutarou]] had a lack of valor and recently lost [[Ryou Tsukimori|his father]], [[Yoshizo]] was the comedic character, [[Hayato]] (formerly Hayate Sogabe) was like the straight-man big brother, and [[Kyoushirou]], a Koga ace, was the foil character of Shoutarou. MGW was not pleased with the results and put the story on hiatus to consult to more research on Japan.
-===Formatting & Difficulties===
+===About the title===
+While planning the series, MGW had various ideas for the title. At first, she wanted to use the Japanese words for "chronicle" or "annal" (年代記; ''nendaiki'') and "whirlwind" (旋風 ; ''tsumujikaze''). However, once deciding the story's purpose of creating a deeper image of ninja, MGW wanted to use the word "heart" by all means. She was also inspired by the word "ishindenshin" (以心伝心), which means "tacit understanding" or "empathy".
-Aside from lack of material and research, another difficulty that MGW faced was where the story should start. The initial plan was to make it novel-like with at least ninety or one-hundred chapters. Plus, she had a few ideas on where she was going to take the story and which historical events to cover, the ''Iga Tensho Ran'' being one of the most important. There was also the trouble with character backgrounds and keeping history, fiction and non-fiction, mostly tenacious. To make things more comfortable and to avoid confusion, she thought of producing shorter stories and flash fiction to promote her so-called "Seishin Ninja Series". This way, various readers can read about the ninja during different timelines and events, instead of going in order. More time can be given to create stories and multiple points-of-views can be told.
+The first full title was "Intrepid Heart". The word "''seishin''" plays an important role to the development of the characters. ''Seishin'' (正心 OR 精神) means "the right heart" or "spirit"; but in the title, the two Kanji letters are changed to mean "pure" or "cleansed" (清; ''sei''), and "heart" (心; ''shin''; it also means core/spirit). The entire idea comes from the [[Bansenshukai]] (萬川集海), which is said to be the core text of ninja principles.<ref>[http://ninjutsu.robertk.com/Bansenshukai/contents.html Bansenshukai: Contents (English)]</ref>. It is used to deeply evaluate a person's thoughts. Thus, Seishin series or "Pure heart" (清心シリーズ).
-===About the Word ''Seishin''===
-The word "''seishin''" is important and plays an important role to the development of the younger characters; it also inspired the title. Seishin (精神) means "the heart" or "spirit",  but in the title the two Chinese letters are different: 清 (''sei''; pure, cleansed) and 心 (''shin''; heart, core, spirit). The entire idea comes from the Bansenshukai, which is said to be the core text of ninja principles.
+Another name thought of is ''Gōketsuninden'' (豪傑忍伝) or Chronicles of the Great Shinobi. ''Ninpocho'', or "Ninja Scrolls" is from Futaro Yamada's own works, which in part inspired MGW to do the series. Also ''Seishinden'' (清心伝) or "''Seishincho''" (清心帖).
-"Seishin" is important because it pertains to a person’s level of consciousness, senses, pose, willpower or vitality. It can be considered as the ninja’s core or essence, or the will to encounter both the deep and superficial hazards of their lives. To nurture a good Heart can help a person elude a void within and deter confusion, while keeping hold on their humanity and not becoming something like a "robot" -- do as you're programmed to or have a fixed pattern. "When you are threatened, you must kill", "react violently" for example.
+===Difficulties===
-Some sources say that the ninja were like mystics or shamans, or were insightful and sincere people. There is always conflict, something that is there to go against you, not nessesarily a superficial fight like on the battlefield. Commited valor is needed to face your conflicts and if you can't, it will project out onto others lives and may harm your ego. Everyone has a seishin; in this story, deeply evaluating a person's thoughts and valor will be motifs along with me pursing my goal in creating a real-life ninja story.
+MGW's initial plan was to make Seishin a novel with at least ninety or one-hundred chapters. The first design had five chapters set in the year of 1565 (''Eiroku'' 8), but MGW was unsure on how the story would develop. She wanted to cover a few historical events, with the [[Iga Tenshō no Ran]] being one of the most important. MGW was not pleased with the results, put the story on hiatus, and undertook to further research.
+There was also the trouble with character backgrounds and keeping history, fiction and non-fiction, as tenacious as possible. To make things more comfortable for herself and to avoid confusion, she thought of producing sketch stories and flash fiction to promote her novel-turned series. This way, instead of going in order, various readers can read about the characters during different timelines and events.
 ==Synopsis & Setting==
 {{main|Setting of Seishin}}
+{{main|Timeline of Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle}}
+{{main|Aptitude Measurements in Seishin}}
-Pure Heart is a collection of stories following the lives of Japan's ninja, starting out near the closing of the [[Warring States Era]] and expanding through many years. The concept behind Pure Heart is the creation of a "real ninja", by reinventing the ninja to a broad audience from their famous image in media.
+Pure Heart is a collection of stories that include popular figures from both Japanese folklore and Japanese history. The stories are often set in the [[Warring States Era]] and expand through many years, as [[ninja]] became beneficial tools for infiltration and espionage. Most stories start with a very short introduction, like an epigraph, describing the main character or main setting. This is referred to as a "'''Scroll'''", written as if it were told by another character.
-The Iga and the Koga are the most popular ninja and have a rivalry of unknown roots. The Iga are located in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iga_Province Iga Province], a small ancient region in present day [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mie_prefecture Mie Prefecture] of southern central Japan. A series of tall fogged mountains surround Iga's ninja settlements, and is near impervious to intruders except to the most daring, and naturally those that know its inhabitants well. In the 16th Century, the Iga serve the Tokugawa Family. Iga is also a name of a district within the province.
+The [[Iga Ninja]] and the [[Koga Ninja]] are the most popular shinobi schools, both residing in the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iga_Province Iga Province] (present day [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mie_prefecture Mie Prefecture] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omi_province Omi Province] respectively. Another school is the [[Fūma Family|Fūma]] ninja of the Ashigara Mountain pass in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagami Sagami Province].
+===Stories and Characters===
-The Koga are located in the southern end of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omi_province Omi Province] (in present day Shiga Prefecture), which was also an ancient region in central Japan. The Omi Province is larger than the nigh Iga Province by 3,329 kilometers. Only the barrier of mountains, and rugged passes, stand between them; Iga is south of Omi. The Koga have been serving the Sasaki-Rokkaku family since the 1100s. They are also called the ''Koka'', named after a city in Omi/Shiga.
+{{main|List of Seishin Stories and Chapters}}
-The ruthless Fūma ninja serve the Go-Hōjō Family, who fights the Uesugi family. Their home is around the Ashigara Mountain pass in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagami Sagami Province]. The Fūma, desiring a lot of influence much like their agents, have a notable rivalry with the Koga at first.
-==Characters==
 {{main|Characters of Seishin}}
-{{main|Aptitude Measurements in Seishin}}
+{{main|List of Seishin Groups}}
+Seishin covers a variety of familiar events within Japanese history, or incidents with a large cast of characters both historical and original. Long-living Genealogies and organizations are also included.
+==References==
-===Groups and Families===
+{{Reflist}}
-{{main|List of Seishin Groups}}
-==Volumes and Chapters==
+==See also==
+*[[Sannen Nindō Gakkō]]
-{{main|List of Seishin Volumes and Chapters}}
-MGW had planned to make Pure Heart a long series of ''at least'' one-hundred chapters, but like real sagas she has decided to split the chapters into volumes. The volumes, each with their own chapters covering a familiar piece of Japanese history or incident with the characters, would be uploaded/published separately.
-==External Links/References==
+==External Links==
+*[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/DarthWiki/SeishinTheNinjutsuChronicle DarthWiki: Seishin Tropes]
-{{Reflist}}
+*[http://iganinja.jp/en/index.html Iga Musuem site] (Japanese)
+*[http://mochizuki.org/2009/07/01/koga-ryu-ninjutsu/ Koga Ryu Ninjutsu]
 *[http://www.winjutsu.com/ Winjutsu]
 *[http://www.samurai-archives.com/ Samurai Archives]
 *[http://www.geocities.jp/general_sasaki/igaueno-eng-htlm.htm Ueno City]
 *[http://www.pref.mie.jp/gkenmin/hp/igabito/ninja_map/en/index.html 49 True Stories] (Japanese)
-*[http://iganinja.jp/en/index.html Iga Musuem site] (Japanese)
 *[http://www.armyranger.com/ Army Rangers]
 *[http://www.livingvalues.com/ Living Values]
 *[http://www.goarmy.com/ranger/ Go Army: Rangers]
+*[http://www.robertg.com/ninjutsu_articles.htm Ninjutsu Articles] (English)
+*[http://forums.samurai-archives.com/viewtopic.php?t=3397 Ritsuryo System]
+**[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/300531/Japan/23133/The-ritsuryo-system Ritsuryo in Britannica]
+==Navigation==
+{{SeishinSeries}}
+{{w:TimeToPlayEntertainment}}
 [[Category:Ninja]]
 [[Category:Japanese fiction]]
 [[Category:Historical drama]]
 [[Category:Action]]
-[[Category:Semi-fiction]]
-[[Category:Saga]]
 [[Category:Family]]
 [[Category:Folklore]]
 [[Category:Main Page]]
 [[Category:Fiction Works]]
+[[Category:Iga]]
+[[Category:Koga]]
+[[Category:Fūma]]

Seishin
Title	Pure Heart: Ninjutsu Chronicle
Japanese Title:	清心 ~ 忍術年代記
Genre	Historical drama, semi-fiction, ninja, war, family saga, folklore, martial arts
Starting Date	October 2008 - November 2009 (hiatus); 2011 - 2018 (Hiatus)
Stories Completed	006/108