Themes
Awards
Japanese Academy Award for Picture of the Year, Mainichi Film Award for Best Film
Synopsis
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony.
Plot
In Muromachi Japan, an Emishi village is attacked by a demon. The last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, kills it before it reaches the village, but not before its corruption curses his arm. The village wise woman tells him that the demon was once a boar god, corrupted by an iron ball found in its body. She tells Ashitaka that he may find a cure in the western lands Nago came from. Heading west, Ashitaka meets Jigo, a wandering monk, who tells Ashitaka he may find help from the Great Forest Spirit, a deer-like animal god by day and a giant 'nightwalker' by night. Nearby, men herd oxen to Irontown, led by Lady Eboshi, and repel an attack by a wolf pack led by the wolf goddess Moro. Riding one of the wolves is San, a human girl. Later, Ashitaka discovers two injured Irontown men and carries them through the forest, where he encounters San and the wolf gods. San threatens to kill the unconscious men, but Ashitaka prevents her as he wants to learn about the curse from both Lady Eboshi and San.