性起(Spirituality Awakening)史詩 — もののけ姫
/阿張蘭石,2009
《もののけ姫》(Princess Mononoke)是一部醒世、傳世之作，較諸商業化的《千と千尋の神隠し》[Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi](lit.: Sen and Chihiro’s Spiriting Away)(英文片名: Spirited Away)—-溫馨奇趣的魔幻浮世絵[うきよえ]，《もののけ姫》主題更宏大、境界更高遠、結構更繁複、畫風更為寫意壯麗。唯一瑕疵，是人物刻畫略顯單薄，據說這是由於原版本為四小時長，為上映而剪去近半。《もののけ姫》本是宮崎駿因手疾而規劃的封山絕筆之作，所以在此全盤托出了他從《風の谷のナウシカ》(lit.: Nausicaä of The Valley Of The Wind)(1984)以來苦苦反思“人和自然的沖突”後的徹底悲觀。因為，這“沖突”所指向的根源，並非只是生態學環保問題，而是人類的唯物專制大國族主義。誠然，一旦被“唯物專制大國族主義”蒙昧了“性起心”，人心便無法到達“大自然性靈的覺醒”，只能執著維護物種小我的數量與版圖，從而與其他物種族群結下難以化解的仇恨。
在少年Ashitaka為解除”魔咒”西行的史詩中，藉由人界、生物界與神靈界的諸種象徵，植物、山豬、狼族等的“主體性”與大自然神的“共主體性”悉皆顯起，讓人們體會其間的衝合關係。
0. 所謂”魔咒”，起因於一頭山豬被人類的火槍擊斃，“恨”使山豬“著魔”，Ashitaka為保護族人而誅魔，於是手臂感染了“恨之魔力”。Ashitaka懷著必死之心，前往森林，去探究“恨”的根源和解法。
1. 在這片森林中的麒麟，乃是代表著“性起”原力的“自然神”，祂可以激揚生命、終結怨心命而成就性靈；狼族、山豬族，都是守護森林、信奉自然神的神獸。從五百年前傳下來的古代部落來的Ashitaka，象徵“大自然和諧の性起心”；而被狼族撫養長大的San(もののけ姫)，則象徵“自贖と反省の性起心”。兩個主角，以“愛”回歸“位格”（Ashitaka對San說“我們都是人類”）而相連而“性起”—-共成Ω4客體(大愛)且共同Ω4主體(和諧的人類,眾生位格)，並存活下來，算是宮崎駿給觀者（人類）的一點“鼓勵と期許”。
2. 在森林邊上，有一座鐵鎮，首領是黑帽夫人(Lady Eboshi )，她代表“雖懷恨大國族主義(男人)卻仍被唯物專制所制約者(女人)”—-她崇尚鋼鐵而視一切生命藐如礦物，她執著某種理念而疏離了當下世界的愛，她不斷開采鐵礦、冶造火器，以為這是女人可以自我實現的道路，為了這“有所扭曲的性起心”，她不惜破壞自然殺戮生物—-即使這些生物具有神力。
3. 在森林之外，還有專制大國族主義者（大帝國的大師們）圖謀在黑帽夫人和森林神族開戰時，一舉消滅兩者。
於是人、生物、自然之間(甚至人與人之間、生物與生物之間)環環相扣的仇恨，日漸激化，最終演變成“人誅殺自然神”的悲劇。圓融宇宙中，本有衝突，衝突實為“性起”的契機，衝突本身不是問題，問題在於能否在衝突中以真愛、大愛契入“共主體性顯起”之機緣，或是徒然讓衝突能量淪於仇恨輪迴？所幸，雖然自然神(麒麟)一時隱沒，猶有“大自然の和諧力”與“人類の自贖と反省力”的性起。
片中，盡管Ashitaka和San一個用愛、一個用恨，極力阻攔人類侵犯自然（森林），但依然沒有挽救”自然神”被最新武器槍殺的厄運。於是森林盡毀、萬物凋零。最後，Ashitaka和San幫助了麒麟神歸零（找回頭部），免去一場難以預測的瘟疫失序，大自然歸零，回到“性起心的原點”。所以，雖然自然神隕沒，猶見眾生“性起”—-作為自然神之雛形的小精靈在終場又出現了。但San說，“這個自然已經不是原來的自然。”或滸，宮崎駿為避免自己的絕對悲觀會影響到大眾，所以在結尾處讓Ashitaka對San說“你在森林，我在鐵鎮，我們一起活下去吧！” – – – 這句話中，有Ashitaka的真，與宮崎駿的無奈。
故事背景：
It is a period drama set specifically in the late Muromachi period(1333-1568; 室町時代[Muromachi jidai], also known as the Ashikaga era) of Japan but with numerous fantastic elements and concentrates on the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources as seen by the outsider Ashitaka. “Mononoke” (物の怪?) is not a name, but a general term in the Japanese language for a spirit or monster.
《もののけ姫》(Princess Mononoke)的背景設定在日本的室町時代，這是中古時代進入近代的一段轉變期，征夷大將軍的權勢大幅的衰弱。《もののけ姫》中的景色據說融合了九州外海的屋久島古老森林及本州北部的白神山地。
片中的Ashitaka出身蝦夷族部落，他們是本州北部的原始民族，並且抵抗日本皇室侵略相當長的一段時間。不過後來他們被大和族所擊敗，受到天皇的統治。有些蝦夷人於是被迫隱居到本州的東北部。在1300年時，蝦夷人已經融入日本社會當中。而阿席達卡則被設定為來自流亡的蝦夷部落。
簡介：
Princess Mononoke (もののけ姫 Mononoke Hime) is the tale of a mystical fight between humans and the Animal Gods of the forest.
On the side of the Animal Gods is San (the Mononoke-Hime), a human girl raised by the wolf god Moro. On the side of the humans is Lady Eboshi (Eboshi-Gozen), building a kingdom for oppressed people by cutting down the forest for her iron-making operation.
In the midst of this fight for survival, Ashitaka, the last prince of a dying race, struggles to find a way for both sides to co-exist. But the fighting only becomes more and more bloody and all hope seems to be lost…
故事情節：
The last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, engages in battle with Nago, a giant boar demon attacking his village. During the fight, Ashitaka is wounded on his arm. After the boar is killed, the village wise woman tells the prince that the wound is cursed and will spread to the rest of his body, eventually killing him. Ashitaka resolves to journey to the boar’s origin, the lands to the West, and find a cure for the curse. He cuts his hair, signifying his permanent departure from his village, and leaves on Yakul, his red elk. Ashitaka passes by a village being attacked by samurai. Some of the men attack him, forcing Ashitaka to defend himself. His cursed arm displays supernatural powers, causing his arrows to remove limbs and even the head of one man. In a nearby town he meets Jigo, a wandering monk who aids him in buying rice. That evening, the monk tells Ashitaka that the god of the forest in the mountains of the west may be able to help him.
A nearby town in the mountains of the west, called Iron Town, continually clears the nearby forests to make charcoal to smelt ironsand, leading to battles with beasts attempting to protect their diminishing forest. In one such battle, three giant wolves, led by the wolf god Moro, attack villagers transporting rice. They are accompanied by San, a human girl adopted by the wolves whom the people of Iron Town call “the wolf girl”. In the attack Moro and several villagers are injured. The day following the battle, Ashitaka finds two injured villagers near a river. While rescuing them, he sees San treating Moro’s wounds, and she disappears quickly. He returns the villagers to Irontown passing through a forest full of bestial gods, including diminutive sprites called kodama. Also in the forest is the Forest Spirit (Shishigami in the original Japanese), described as a “god of life and death”, who takes the form of a deer-like kirin during the day and a large shadowy “night-walker” (Daidarabocchi) at night.
Ashitaka is given a warm welcome when he reaches Irontown. He learns from the leader of Irontown, Lady Eboshi, that the giant boar which cursed him was once a forest god called Nago and that Eboshi had shot the boar, driving it to madness. On hearing this Ashitaka is filled with rage and must restrain his right arm from killing Eboshi. He is dissuaded from doing so by lepers whom Eboshi has taken under her care and employed as gunmakers. She also employs former prostitutes in her famous ironworks in order to free them from brothels. Irontown is then infiltrated by San, who attacks Eboshi. Ashitaka intervenes to stop the two sides’ fighting and takes San back to the forest, but is severely wounded when he is shot through the chest. With his curse’s power, he manages to open the gate and leave the town, but collapses soon afterward. San presents Ashitaka to the Forest Spirit who heals his wounds but does not remove the curse.
San soon learns that the boars, under the leadership of the boar god Okkoto, are planning another attack on Irontown. Eboshi prepares for the assault and sets out to destroy the Forest Spirit. The head of the Forest Spirit is believed to grant immortality. Jigo, who is now revealed to be a mercenary-hunter, plans to give the head to the emperor; in return the emperor promises to give Irontown legal protection against the envious daimyos coveting the town’s prosperity. Eboshi, however, suspects (rightly) that the emperor’s agents are also assigned to take control of Irontown at the most opportune moment. Meanwhile, Ashitaka recovers and falls in love with San.
In the ensuing battle, Irontown sets a trap for the boars, devastating their army, while Jigo’s hunters corrupt Okkoto with a poisoned iron ball, the same as Nago. Badly wounded, Moro attacks Okkoto to save San, who was trapped on his snout while trying to stop him from turning into a demon. The Forest Spirit appears and kills both Moro and Okkoto, though San is saved. While Ashitaka cleans the demon tentacles from San, Eboshi shoots off the Forest Spirit’s head while it is transforming into the night-walker. Jigo collects the head as the Forest Spirit’s body turns into a “mindless god of death” that begins covering the land in a lethal black ooze that kills everything it touches. The hunters scatter and the population of Irontown is forced to flee to the surrounding lake as the god destroys the town in search of its head. Ashitaka and San take the head from Jigo and return it to the Forest Spirit. It collapses into the lake and the land becomes green again. Ashitaka and San part, vowing to see each other as much as possible. Ashitaka, finally freed of his curse, will help rebuild Irontown. Eboshi vows to rebuild “a better” Irontown. The film ends with a kodama appearing in the rejuvenated forest.
室町時代時期蝦夷族少年Ashitaka，在保衛他的村莊時被一惡魔詛咒受不治創傷。村裏的巫婆勸他前往西方，尋找惡魔的來源和解除詛咒的方法。在他的旅途中，他來到山獸神森林，認識了被稱為「魔法公主」的、由犬神撫養大的San。
在這個過程中，Ashitaka發現惡魔本來是一個山豬神，但體內中了一顆鐵彈後，對人類憎恨無比，變成了惡魔。鐵彈是工業之城達達拉的統治者黑帽大人領導的窮人在鐵城裏製造的，為了保護自己不被貪心的封建貴族吞併，黑帽大人使用火器和鐵彈作為武器，而為了製造火器和鐵彈，她又必須從大自然中開發木頭和鐵礦石，由此與原始森林中的獸神交惡。
Ashitaka試圖在雙方調停，但卻越來越深地被牽入了這場衝突。