Kitakami
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The land of Kitakami (Japanese: キタカミの里 Kitakami countryside), known simply as Kitakami, is a location featured in The Teal Mask expansion for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. It is functionally similar to that of a region from other games, but it is unknown whether or not Kitakami is its own region, a part of a larger region, or its own entity altogether.
Etymology and design concept
Etymology
Kitakami may be named after areas named "Kitakami" (北上) in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan, which includes Kitakami Mountains (北上山地), Kitakami River Basin (北上盆地), Kitakami River (北上川), and Kitakami City (北上市). The name "Kitakami" is formed from the characters 北 kita (north) and 上 kami (up).
Design concept
- Main article: Pokémon world in relation to the real world → Kitakami
Kitakami may be inspired by the Iwate, Akita, and Aomori in the Tōhoku region, particularly the Towada-Hachimantai National Park and neighboring areas on the borders of the three prefectures. The aforementioned region is particularly well known for its rural atmosphere as well as its mountains and rice paddles.
In the games
A great mountain towers over the land of Kitakami, and the people live at its base. It is a place of tranquil natural expanses, featuring rice paddies and apple orchards.[1] The Pokémon Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti were revered as a trio of heroes (the "Loyal Three") by the people of the village for having allegedly protected the land of Kitakami in the past.[2]
The player is taken to Kitakami on a school trip to join an outdoors study opportunity held jointly between the Naranja AcademyS/Uva AcademyV and Blueberry Academy.[3] The trip coincides with a seasonal festival that is regularly held in the village in Kitakami, during which the village is bustling with various street vendors and stalls.[1] During the trip, the player meets Blueberry students Kieran and his older sister Carmine, who both grew up in Kitakami.[4]
Geography
Kitakami is a landlocked region that is mostly mountainous, as a large mountain comprises most of the region, though some rivers are present at the top of the mountain and around it on the east side, some even leading outside of the region. There is a town at the base of the mountain, being the only town in Kitakami.
Kitakami is described as being far away from Paldea, where the player character lives, to the degree of a plane being required to travel there.
Demographics
Most of the people there are naturally born citizens there, like Ogerpon's mask-maker, though rarely do they see tourists. Apart from farming, a significant amount of income comes from tourism. Most of the residents of Kitakami do not appreciate this (with both Trainers and main characters referring to those not from Kitakami as "outsiders"). Though following the events of The Teal Mask, many warm up to them.
Notable locations
Some notable locations around Kitakami include:
- Kitakami Road, a large road leading to Mossui Town.
- Mossui Town, the only place with a permanent population.
- Community Center, a place where people gather around to chat.
- Peachy's, a shop which sells items and knitted clothing.
- Carmine and Kieran's house, where the two siblings live along with their grandparents.
- Apple Hills, a large apple orchard.
- Reveler's Road, a small road between Mossui Town and the Kitakami Hall.
- Kitakami Hall, where Ogerpon's masks were stored, as well as where the citizen have their Festival of Masks.
- Mossfell Confluence, a place where a large lake is located at.
- Fellhorn Gorge, a large gorge probably formed by the Oni Mountain's lost horn.
- Loyalty Plaza, the small park which houses the Loyal Three Monument.
- Infernal Pass, the area surrounding Oni Mountain.
- Oni Mountain, the large oni head-shaped mountain in the center of the land.
- Dreaded Den, the small cave in which Ogerpon is said to live in.
- Oni's Maw, the cave inside Oni Mountain's maw.
- Chilling Waterhead, a large cave in the west of Oni Mountain.
- Crystal Pool, a faintly glowing lake which contains large crystals that emit energy of the same wavelength as Terastal energy .
- Wistful Fields, a large field.
- Paradise Barrens, a wasteland.
- Kitakami Wilds, a section of wilderness with two lakes connected by rivers.
- Timeless Woods, a mysterious forest, home to rare Pokémon, including one known as the Bloodmoon Beast.
- Three signboards that tell a false version of the tale of Ogerpon and the Loyal Three; the first in Loyalty Plaza, the second in Kitakami Hall and the third, at the base of Oni Mountain.
Settlements
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Population count. |
| Map | Name | Population |
|---|---|---|
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Mossui Town |
Trivia
- Flying to another location in Kitakami shows a different Flying Taxi on the loading screen, featuring Noctowl rather than Paldea's Squawkabilly.
Origin
- The culture of Kitakami resembles Japanese culture with the main characters of the story wearing clothing known as a jinbei (甚平). The architecture of the houses as seen in Kitakami also resemble typical Japanese houses.
- Food stalls (or Yatai (屋台)) can be seen around the shrine, of Shinto style. The path is flanked by stone lanterns similar to Ishidoro (石灯籠) in Japanese culture. Paper lanterns called Chōchin (提灯) can also be seen.
- The main characters of the story also participate in the Festival of Masks in Kitakami Hall, similar to matsuri (祭り) in Japan with its ties to spirtual animals, spirits, and/or deities according to ancient folklore. In the case of Kitakami, the summer festival celebrates "The Loyal Three" (Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti) the Pokémon that protected Kitakami from the "Ogre" (Ogerpon). This story is similar to the Japanese folk tale of Momotarō (桃太郎), where a boy born from a peach who grows up to vanquish some ogres.
- The name of the Iwate Prefecture in the Tohoku Region means Rock (Iwa) Hand (Te). This comes a story where a deity names Mitsuishi (Three Rocks) vanquished an ogre called Rasetsu, who left an imprint of its hand on a large boulder on Mt. Nansho.[5] This bears resemblance to the Loyal Three vanquishing Ogerpon.
- The culture of one of the largest festivals in the Tohoku region, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri, is very similar to the themes explored in The Teal Mask (i.e. ogres appearing in many floats, which are typically depicted by humans by wearing a mask, reminiscent of Ogerpon). Alongside these cultural similarities, a real life nebuta float of Pikachu and Ogerpon appeared at the 2023 Aomori Nebuta festival.
- Ogerpon wears a mask, which could be a reference to Onikenbai (鬼剣舞) (lit. Ogre's Sword Dance), a traditional mask-wearing folk performance from the real-world Kitakami, Iwate. This city is also home to a large traditional mask museum called Oni no Yakata (lit. Ogre's Museum).[6]
- Ogerpon could be inspired by Menreiki (面霊気) which is a “mask essence” (or a Yokai (妖怪) born from a collection of masks). In the Tohoku region of Japan, it is considered a form of Tsukumogami (付喪神).
- The Loyal Three are revered through small statues wearing red bibs, similar to that of Ojizo-sama (お地蔵さま) or Kitsune (きつね) found across Japan. The colour red is believed to ward off evil spirits in Japanese culture.[7]
- Okidogi may be inspired by the large Japanese dog, Akita. The Akita dog also originates from Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan, where Kitakami may be inspired from.
- Munkidori may be inspired by the Japanese macaque which originate from Aomori Prefecture of the Tohoku region.
- Fezandipiti may be inspired by the Japanese Green Pheasant, Kiji. The Kiji is also Iwate Prefecture's symbolic bird[8]. Fezandipiti's Japanese name is "Kichikigisu", which contains the word "kigisu". Kigisu is an archaic reading for pheasant.
- Dipplin, the evolution of Applin also features in Kitakami. Sweet apples are often served during summer festivals in Japan. With Aomori Prefecture being the largest producer of apples in Japan, it is well known for its apples around the world. As such, it is possible that Aomori's apples were the inspiration behind Dipplin. The trailer of the Teal Mask also heavily showcases an apple orchard, apple consumption, and a photoshoot with an apple cutout board.
- Poltchageist is inspired from Tsukumogami (付喪神) which is a spirit (or Yokai (妖怪)) that is born from every-day inanimate objects, which is typical concept in Japanese Shinto belief.
- Only found in Kitakami, Bloodmoon Ursaluna’s Pokédex entry states that “It crossed the sea and drifted ashore in a new land.” At the start of the quest, Perrin states that the Bloodmoon Ursaluna is native to her homeland, Sinnoh, when it was still called Hisui. If Sinnoh is an analog to Hokkaido, its nearest landmass is the Tohoku region of Japan. Furthermore, Ursaluna may be based on the Ussuri brown bear, a subspecies of the brown bear native to Hokkaido and its surrounding areas.
- Another Hisuian Pokémon, White-Striped Basculin, is also found in Kitakami.
- Kitakami features a large mountain which can be scaled. This could be inspired by Mt. Iwaki, which means "God's Home" (カムィ イワキ) in the local Ainu language. Mt. Iwaki is also known as the "Northern Fuji" due to its similar apperance. The reference to a deity and the north is similar to Kitakami, which means "northern god".
Name origin
| Language | Name | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キタカミの里 Kitakami no Sato | From 北 kita (north), 神 kami (deity) or 上 kami (upper), and possibly a reference to 北上 Kitakami |
| English, German | Kitakami | From its Japanese name |
| Spanish | Noroteo | From norte (north) and teo- (theo-: prefix for god) |
| French | Septentria | From septentrional (northern) |
| Italian | Nordivia | From nord (north) and divinità (divinity) |
| Korean | 북신의 고장 Buksin-ui Gojang | From 북신 buksin, Sino-Korean reading of Japanese 北神 kitakami (north deity) |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | 北上鄉 / 北上乡 Běishàng Xiāng | From 北 běi / bāk (north) and 上 shàng / séuhng (upper) |
| Chinese (Cantonese) | 北上鄉 Bākséuhng Hēung |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/news/dlc_part_1_2/ Your New Adventures Will Take Place in the Land of Kitakami and Blueberry Academy. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet official website.
- ↑ https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/news/new_pokemon/ Introducing the Legendary Pokémon You’ll Meet in This DLC. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet official website.
- ↑ https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/news/dlc_intro/ DLC Is Coming: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero for Pokémon Scarlet or Pokémon Violet. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet official website.
- ↑ https://scarletviolet.pokemon.com/en-us/news/new_characters/ Characters Featured in This DLC. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet official website.
- ↑ Origin of the name “Iwate”
- ↑ Oni no Yakata
- ↑ Inari Foxes
- ↑ Iwate Prefecture Symbols
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This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world. |
