More Deep Meanings

Translation and localization is alway a tricky issue in any media, whether it be books, movies or video games.  Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has its troubles as well in this regard.  Nothing truly major went wrong when adapting the text and dialogue, but as is often the case certain little details fall through the cracks.  I've already gone over Sekiro's name, and the kanji used to write it here, so in this post I'd like to expand on that topic and look at a few other things more closely.

First off is Sekiro's sword, a katana rather than a ninjatō, which bears the name "kusabimaru" (楔丸) in both English and Japanese.  The word "kusabi" when translated to English actually means "wedge"...as in a triangular piece of metal used to split logs.  It can also mean "linchpin" in the sense that axes or sledgehammers are usually put together by slipping the metal bit onto one end of a wooden shaft which is then held in place by pounding a wedge into the end of the stick.  This makes the tip flare out so that the head doesn't fall off.  As for "maru"...many people who have a passing familiarity with Japanese naming conventions might recognize it as an affix for cargo ship names.  However, at this particular time in Japanese history (the Sengoku period) the term hadn't really come into use.  Instead, the kanji "maru" here represents one of it's alternate meanings such as "circle" or "complete"...alternatively, it could also mean "all-encompassing" in the sense that a circle has no beginning or end.  Stylistically,  "kusabimaru" also sounds vaguely similar to "kusanagi" or "grass-cutter" which is a famous mythical Japanese sword culturally akin to Excalibur in terms of legends and folklore.

Another weapon added to Sekiro's arsenal about midway through the game is "fushigiri" (不死斬り), a two-handed sword usually referred to as an "odachi" or "nodachi" in Japanese.  As far as I can tell Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice used the former rather than the latter when referring to the kind of blade "fushigiri" is in texts and dialogues.  The kanji for "fu" is similar to the prefixes "un~", "anti~", "non~", "im~" or "in~" while the "shi" kanji is none other than the symbol for "death" that I'm sure everyone playing Sekiro has seen in big, bright red across the screen more times than they can count.  So, "fushi" is essentially "un-death" or "undying" in English.  The word "giri" is a derived form of the verb "kiru" or "to slay" when translated.  All this means that the weapon "fushigiri" is basically "slayer of the undying" although I can sort of see why the translators decided to go with the name "mortal blade" instead.  Just for those who might not know, there's a popular manga, then anime, and finally a live-action film (released in 2017) called "Blade of the Immortal" dealing with parasitic organisms that grant a limited form of immortality to their hosts.  In essence "Blade of the Immortal" influenced Sekiro in much the same way that "Berserk" influenced the Dark Souls series.  On a side note, I also like how the word "fushigi" means "mysterious" in Japanese, although the kanji are completely different...

Anyway...I hope that was at least somewhat enlightening to anyone who happened to read this blogpost.  None of the information I've shown above is terribly important, but interesting details can enhance one's enjoyment of these kinds of games.  At the very least people in it for the lore might be able to draw deeper meanings should they be armed with this knowledge.