Kaisen Azuma

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あずま 海仙かいせん
Kaisen Azuma
a̠zɯᵝma̠ ka̠isẽ̞ɴ
Kaisen Azuma
Character Titles
Three-legged Moon Seeker
Information
Species Sacred Animal (Toad)
Abilities Gathering financial fortune
Occupation Shikigami
Location Dragonfly Castle
Music Themes
  • 酔狂の舞 ~ This drunkard! (BPoHC)

Kaisen Azuma (東 海仙, Azuma Kaisen) is a sacred toad and one of Garaiya Ogata's shikigami. They're the third stage boss of the haze route of Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle.

General Information[edit | edit source]

Personality[edit | edit source]

Kaisen is responsible and straightforward and thus, is often irritated at Kujiru's impulsiveness. They hold their master Garaiya in high regard and often picks fights with Kujiru, since both want to be favored by their master. Both shikigami have a fierce rivalry and are often seen insulting each other. Kaisen also has a complex that they are more underdeveloped compared to Kujiru.

Abilities[edit | edit source]

Kaisen's overall power is considered significant due to their high strength and knowledge in Taoist arts. They also have a certain degree of clairvoyance, although its accuracy is rather low.[1]

Gathering financial fortune

Kaisen is able to bless those who are lucky, with fortune and happiness, upon other things, which may be a manifestation of this ability.[1]

Changing forms

As a shikigami, they also have the ability to change into a human form. Their true form is seen in Garaiya's character art, where they are seen to be a toad riding on their master's head.

Background Information[edit | edit source]

Origin[edit | edit source]

Kaisen is based on several Chinese and Japaneses sources:

Jinchan

Kaisen is mainly inspired by the Chinese mythological creature known as Jinchan (金蟾, Lit. "gold/golden toad"). A toad that has three legs, two front legs and one hind leg, which is positioned like a tadpole's tail at the back of the toad. This is referenced in Kaisen only having three limbs, one of their legs we see in-game being a prosthetic, as well as in their title "Three-legged Moon Seeker".

Jinchan is also related to the Chinese Daoist and legendary immortal Liu Haichan (劉海蟾), whose first name translates to sea toad and is considered an embodiment of the Chinese God of Wealth. In the folktale Liu Hai Tricks Jinchan (劉海戲金蟾), it is said Liu tamed a malevolent and greedy three-legged toad after fishing it out of the east sea. It became Jinchan and was henceforth the immortal's companion, following Liu wherever he went. Kaisen's relationship with Garaiya may be a reference to this myth.

Additionally, it is said that Jinchan spewed treasure from its mouth with each step that it took after Liu, benefiting the poor wherever it went. This is likely referenced in Kaisen's ability to "gather financial fortune".

Gama-sennin

In Japan, Liu Haichan inspired the mythological Daoist immortal Gama-sennin (蝦蟇仙人, Lit. "Toad Daoist Immortal"), who in turn inspired parts of Kaisen's character.

Gama-sennin appears in the legends surrounding Taira no Yoshikado (平 良門), the legendary hidden eldest son of Taira no Masakado who similarly learns toad magic from the immortal and uses his powers in an attempt to avenge his father.

In the 17th century yomihon novel series "The Tale of Utou Yasutaka's Loyalty" (善知安方忠義伝) by Santō Kyōden, this teacher figure is instead a 3000-year old toad spirit named Nikushi-sen (肉芝仙) who lived on Mount Tsukuba (筑波山) and taught toad magic to Yoshikado's sister Nyozou-ni (如蔵尼) as well, later possessing her to transform her into Takiyasha-hime (滝夜叉姫), whom Taira no Chouki is based on. This would explain Kaisen having a part in training Chouki, as well as their spell cards that reference Mt. Tsukuba.

Seia-jin

Gamma-sennin is said to command the youkai Seia-jin or Chinwa-jin (青蛙神, lit. "(green) frog god"), which plays a role similar to that of Jinchan, though it originated from a Chinese novel of the same name rather than from Jinchan. It is said that the house that Seia-jin appears in front of will have its family blessed with financial fortune and happiness, this is again referenced in Kaisen's ability.

The Chinese "Lunar Spirit"

Kaisen may also be inspired by the Chinese concept of the "lunar spirit" (月精), the spiritual essence of the moon. There are three major candidates as to who this spirit is, the Chinese Moon Rabbit (月兔), the moon goddess Chang'e (嫦娥) and an unspecified toad.

This toad is sometimes said to be what Chang'e transformed into after flying to the moon, but modern Feng Shui instead equates the lunar toad with Jinchan. This may explain why Kaisen is called the "Moon Seeker" in their title.

The concept of the lunar essence is believed to have arisen as the counterpart to the "solar essences" (日之精), the "three-legged crows" (三足烏) that lived in the suns.

When spread to Japan, these three-legged crows fused with the divine messenger bird of the Shinto sun goddess Amaterasu, the Yatagarasu (八咫烏), who is sometimes said to be the sun itself. If the lunar spirit is extended to be the counterpart of the Yatagarasu as well, this may explain Kaisen's status as a "sacred animal".

Name[edit | edit source]

Their full name is Kaisen Azuma (東 海仙). "Azuma" is a common family name, used in Western Japan and the Ryukyu Islands, meaning East. While the characters for "Kaisen" mean ocean and a sage or an enlightened person respectively.

Design[edit | edit source]

Kaisen has short brown hair and brown eyes, wielding a kama-juumonji spear (鎌十文字槍) with one of the blades turned around, which looks identical to that of Garaiya's. They dress in grey and brown clothing with tadpole ornaments and a hat composed of numerous tadpoles. Truth be told, Kaisen's left leg is a prosthetic, which they try to conceal with a pair of long grey boots. In their animal form, Kaisen is a white toad as big as Garaiya's head, missing their left hind leg and with five tails.

Appearances[edit | edit source]

Brilliant Pagoda or Haze Castle

While Taira no Chouki was training under the tutelage of Garaiya, the Dragonfly Castle appeared before Chouki, which Garaiya took as an omen acknowledging them as the New Emperor. The idealistic Garaiya wanted for the emperor to be a “hero figure” to Mugenri, but unknown to them, Chouki actually had no interest in ruling. Knowing that Fumikado will eventually come to the castle and fight for the emperor’s title, Chouki waited for them inside the castle, with the intention to kill and have revenge on Fumikado.

Meanwhile, Garaiya sends Kujiru and Kaisen to recruit followers to their cause and monitor the Senri Shrine and its new employees. However, the reckless and overconfident Kujiru went on their own, separating them. After Kujiru and Kaisen are defeated by the heroes, they go back to Garaiya and tell them what happened. Garaiya and their shikigami (back in animal form) fight against the heroes in order to prevent them from reaching Chouki and the Dragonfly Castle, but is defeated easily, since Garaiya was weakened due to using most of their power to enhance Kujiru and Kaisen.

Relationships[edit | edit source]

Kujiru Kesa

Kujiru is Kaisen's subordinate. However, they seem to have little respect for them and disobeys them, because Garaiya favors Kujiru rather than Kaisen. Because of this, Kaisen is jealous of them and both are always seen bickering or insulting each other, much to Garaiya's chagrin.

Garaiya Ogata

Kaisen is one of Garaiya's shikigami. The toad holds them in high respect and often picks fights with Kujiru in order to get their master's approval.

Taira no Chouki

Despite the Dragonfly Castle's revelation to Chouki, Kaisen does not trust them and thinks that Garaiya was wrong for siding with them.[2]

Additional Information[edit | edit source]

  • Kaisen, along with Kujiru, lacks a common phrase in their theme that most people associated with the Youkai Alliance have, this is because they were bound by their shikigami contacts to Garaiya, and did not join on their own accord.[3]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

Spell Cards[edit | edit source]

Spell Cards
Name Translated Comments Games Stage
Total: 7
奇術「蝦蟇雨あられ」 Strange Art "Toad Downpour" BPoHC St. 3: E/N
蛙術「月に有るカエル」 Frog Art "The Frog on the Moon" BPoHC St. 3: H/U
跳薬「筑波の蝦蟇油」 Leaping Medicine "Tsukuba Toad Oil"[a] BPoHC St. 3: E/N
酔踊「ぴょんぴょん酔狂道化」 Drunken Dance "Eccentric Boing Boing Antics" BPoHC St. 3: H/U
「シロクのガマ」 "Shiroku Toad"[b] BPoHC St. 3: E/N
霊獣「青蛙神の欲」 Spirit Beast "Desire of Qīng Wā Shén"[c] BPoHC St. 3: H/U
筑波のガマ油 Tsukuba Toad Oil[a] BPoHC Upgrade

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 A local cure-all from Mount Tsukuba.
  2. A rare toad said to live around Mount Tsukuba, named for its four (, shi) and six (, roku) toes.
  3. Qīng Wā Shén (lit. "The Frog God") is in reference to a Chinese short story by Pu Songling.

Official Profiles[edit | edit source]

月を仰ぐ三つの足

東 海仙
Azuma Kaisen
●種族
霊獣(ヒキガエル)
●能力
財をかき集める
      的な能力

クジルと同じ主の下に仕える式神。
戦乱に備えて予てから式を活性化させられ、
人型になっている。

クジルより活性化させられたのが遅かったため、
本調子をまだ出せずに出遅れている。
自らが使役する蝦蟇の式も、
まだオタマジャクシ状態で役に立たず、
頭に乗っけてるだけ。

個体としての力はクジルより格上なのだが、
クジルの方が色々と便利な能力を持っていて、
まわりからチヤホヤされてることに嫉妬している。

実は足の片方は義足で、
それを隠すために変な靴を履いてる。

Three-legged Moon Seeker

Kaisen Azuma
●Species:
Sacred animal (toad)
●Abilities:
Something like gathering financial fortune

A shikigami serving the same master as Kujiru.
They've had their shiki activated in preparation for battle,
and have thus taken on a humanoid form.

Since it took longer for them to activate than Kujiru,
they're still not in top form and are lagging behind a little.
Their own toad shikigami are still in tadpole form
and are basically of no use at all,
just sitting on top of Kaisen's head.

Judging by individual power, they're stronger than Kujiru,
but because Kujiru has a wider variety of more convenient
abilities, they're jealous of how everyone fawns over Kujiru.

One of their legs is actually a prosthetic,
which they try to conceal by wearing weird boots.

Official Sources[edit | edit source]

Official sources

References[edit | edit source]