One of the most wildly successful animations to come from Japan in recent years is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaeba, but what is the significance of a pair of hanafuda earrings, and why would there be controversy around the design on a piece of cartoon jewelry?
Like many popular animated series originating in Japan, Demon Slayer started life in manga form, serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump manga magazine. From there it became a TV series, and after that an animated movie. Not just any animated movie, though. At the end of 2020, Demon Slayer became the highest grossing Japanese film of all time, and had turned into a cultural phenomenon.
And, as Japanese anime now has a devoted following around the world, it naturally became not just a smash hit domestically in Japan, but overseas too, quickly turning into a global success. Arguably, Demon Slayer is now Japan’s most popular anime export, although fans of both Attack on Titan and Studio Ghibli might contest that assertion.
What is Demon Slayer About?
The story is set at the beginning of the 20th century in Taisho Era Japan. It’s somewhere between an action-adventure and a fantasy-horror, containing no shortage of violent fighting scenes. The main characters are Tanjiro Kamado and his sister Nezuko Kamado. Without wanting to give away too much of the story, they become involved in a long-running, secret war against demons, and must battle against evil forces that are present in the real world.
What, then, does all this have to do with hanafuda earrings, and what does hanafuda mean anyway?
What are Hanafuda Earrings?
First, let’s be sure of what hanafuda means. The word hanafuda refers to traditional Japanese playing cards. They’re a similar size and shape to western playing cards, but the designs on the faces of the cards are completely different, as are the rules of the games played. Hanafuda literally translates as ‘flower cards’, and the illustrations on the faces of the cards depict, as you might expect, flowers, along with other symbols of nature and some culturally significant objects.
Tanjiro’s Choice of Earrings
Watching Demon Slayer, you’ll notice that the main protagonist, Tanjiro, wears a distinctive choice of accessory: a set of two identical hanafuda cards, made into earrings. In the story, these hanafuda earrings are an old family heirloom, that have been passed down the generations for several centuries. One of Tanjiro’s enemies is a powerful demon named Muzan, and when they meet, Muzan is terrified of the earrings, as they have a particular past significance to him. Let’s avoid any spoilers and just be aware that the hanafuda earrings are an important plot device.
In addition to this, they’re a key part of the character design, adding a striking and instantly recognizable visual flourish to Tanjiro’s appearance.
Why were the Earrings Controversial?
As mentioned, hanafuda, the traditional playing cards, usually had designs featuring flowers and nature. In Tanjiro’s case, his hanafuda earrings show a flower, but the design is such that it could be reminiscent of the Japanese imperial flag, that predates the current Japanese flag. It’s certainly true that the flower on the earrings looks looks like a rising sun, and that happens to be what the old imperial flag also depicted. Importantly though, the sun is critical in the backstory of Tanjiro’s family history, and in the plot as a whole, and so this symbolism makes sense within the story.
However, due to the Japanese military flying the imperial flag during World War Two, the old flag design has become a controversial image in Asian countries that were at war with and occupied by the Japanese military. South Korea and China in particular take considerable exception to the imperial flag, and tend to object strongly to its use and depiction.
No Ill Intent
It seems very unlikely that any ill intent was intended by Demon Slayer’s creators, and it appears that a simple misinterpretation has occurred among some audiences. The sun design on the earrings ties in directly with the main character’s backstory, and is part of the over-arching plot. Besides which, if you look closely, while the design resembles the sun, it’s actually a flower, as is usual on hanafuda.
Nonetheless, the makers of Demon Slayer were sensitive to the concerns raised and took steps to make sure the issue was resolved. The show’s artists altered the design of the earrings for streaming platforms in South Korea and China, where there was the most likelihood of offence being taken. While the new design is still similar to the original, in the altered version the petals of the flower–or the rays of the sun, depending on how you look at it–have been replaced with a simple set of horizontal lines, running below a red circle.
It’s a minor change, but ensured that Demon Slayer continued to achieve great success not only in Japan, but in other parts of Asia, and around the world.