Boseiju
| Boseiju | |
|---|---|
|
[[File:{{#setmainimage:Boseiju.jpg}}|250px]] | |
| Information | |
| Plane | Kamigawa |
| Part of | Towashi |
| Formerly part of | Jukai |
Boseiju (boh-SAY-joo;[1] Japanese:
Description
Boseiju is a great cedar that was already two thousand years old when the Kami War began.[5] It was the embodied soul of the Jukai Forest, and its trunk and limbs were strung with "shimenawa" ropes (lengths of laid rice straw or hemp rope used for ritual purification) and "shide" (zigzagged stripes of paper) to mark its sacredness and the presence of the great kami inside it.
Nearby Boseiju stood Okina, the greatest temple of the Jukai.[5]
History
More than 1200 years after the Kami War, Boseiju still perservered.[6] At the start of what is now known as the Modern Age, the city of Towashi was expanding rapidly to accommodate the demands of its increasing population. Moonfolk, nezumi, humans, and akki alike were living together, mingling in a way that would have been unthinkable in previous times. As the city grew, it began to eat into the Jukai Forest. Trees were felled to clear the land for new buildings, and many of the forest's kami found themselves being driven out. Enraged, the kami fought back, emerging from the depths of the forest to wreck the newly constructed buildings and curse the builders.[2]
The emperor at the time finally intervened when an attack by the kami, and the Towashi builders' subsequent retaliation, threatened to upend all the peaceful relations between mortals and kami once more. He brokered an agreement that the city would halt further growth into the forest. Meanwhile, the kami would not attack the city or intrude upon their planning. The city builders could continue to develop any land they had already started building on, with one exception: they were forbidden from cutting down Boseiju, which had fallen into the city's domain during the construction and fighting. Furthermore, Jukai Forest was now closed to all mortals without permission from the kami.
Unable to expand outward, Towashi was forced to grow upwards instead. Skyscrapers filled the city, and Boseiju was soon lost within the skyline.
But then the millennia-old tree, which had lain quiet for so long, began to grow once again. It grew so large and so tall that it came to eclipse even the tallest structures surrounding it. Builders attempted to match its height, but for every new "tallest structure" constructed, Boseiju grew even more. Boseiju's message was clear: the city might be standing on this ground now, but the forest refused to let anyone forget who had been there first. Today, Boseiju is the largest structure in Towashi, its spreading branches casting a near-permanent shadow over much of Towashi.
When dwellings were constructed on the tree itself, the Boseiju District arose as a haven for those who sought to escape from frantic modern life and be in touch with nature.[7]
Corruption
During New Phyrexia's Invasion of the Multiverse, the Boseiju District was the invasion force's prime target, and Boseiju itself was corrupted by the compleated planeswalker Tamiyo.[3] The tree burst apart, and glistening oil ran from between the splinters. The tree's lower branches, usually inhabited by kami, were split apart.
In-game references
- Represented in:
- Associated cards:
- Depicted in:
References
- ↑ Magic Arcana (September 14, 2004). "A Kamigawa Glossary, Part 1". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b Emily Teng (January 21, 2022). "Boseiju Reaches Skyward". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ a b K. Arsenault Rivera (March 17, 2023). "March of the Machine - Episode 3: Mother, Son, and Story". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ No Sparks Allowed – Aftermath Lore ft Rhystic Studies (Video). YouTube.
- ↑ a b (2004). Champions of Kamigawa Player's Guide. Wizards of the Coast.
- ↑ Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty First Look (Video). Weekly MTG. YouTube (December 16, 2021).
- ↑ Grace Fong, Emily Mei, and Ari Zirulnik (February 3, 2022). "Planeswalkers Guide to Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty". magicthegathering.com. Wizards of the Coast.