# Shizuku: Japanese myth — Story & World

Long, long ago, in a world where animals lived as they pleased. The story begins when a precious drum is stolen from Fox Village. From Fox Village into Red Oni Forest and the Oni Village, and beyond them the bamboo grove and the torii road.

## Synopsis

Long, long ago…
so very long ago…
all kinds of animals lived in this world
free and as they pleased.
This is Fox Village, where the foxes live.
The foxes could transform.
One day, the precious drum passed down in the village
was carried off by the Red Oni.
— Let's go get the drum back.

## World

Forests, villages, bamboo, torii, and the lives of the Oni and the Kappa.

### Fox Village (きつね村)

Where Rin and the foxes live, and where the journey begins. Past the stone lanterns and the red torii stands the shrine; on festival days, everyone gathers at the Kagura Hall.

### The Shrine (きつね村の社)

A stall lined with charms, and the Kagura Hall for festivals. Since the drum was taken, the village festival has stood still.

### Red Oni Forest (アカオニの森)

Territory of the Oni who took the drum. Rocks and high ledges block the way, and deep in the forest, Oko and Nico lie in wait.

### Oni Village (鬼の村)

The drum was carried off to the Oni Village. Disguised as a Red Oni, Rin slips into their log-fenced village.

### The Brewery (酒蔵)

A storehouse deep in the Oni Village, with barrels stacked to the rafters. Help the Oni who work there as you make your way toward the vault at the back.

## The Road Ahead

The journey goes on past the Oni Village: the bamboo grove of the kappa, the torii road, an island of cherry blossom, and a town of humans.

### Kappa Village (かっぱの村)

The Kappa's village, deep in the bamboo grove. A water wheel turns, and tents line the riverbank. As Hina, a child of Fox Village, tells it: "There are kappa in the bamboo grove. Nobody has ever seen one, but they are there."

### Torii Road (鳥居の道)

A road where red torii and stone torii go on and on beneath the autumn maples. Leaves drift down and pinwheels spin.

### Sanzu Sakura (三途の桜)

A single cherry tree on a small island in the water. Across the red bridge stands a row of stone torii.

### Town Center (中心街)

A human town of tiled roofs and shopfronts. Carts and townsfolk pass beneath the noren curtains.

## Words of the World

- **Fried Tofu**: Foxes can only stay transformed while they have fried tofu in them. Rin, for some reason, does not need it.
- **The Drum**: Fox Village's precious drum. It took two Red Oni to carry it off.
- **Kagura Hall**: Where everyone plays music together on festival days.
- **Fox clan**: A clan that can transform. Rin is one of them.
- **Red Oni clan**: Oni who have built a village deep in the forest. Only those who look like Oni are let in.
- **Kappa**: They live deep in the bamboo grove. "Nobody has ever seen one, but they are there," says Hina of Fox Village.
- **Mon**: The currency of this world. Spent at the travelling merchant's shop.