- Sep 4
- 3 min read
Awaji Island
Written by Chris
Satellite view of Awaji Island
Claws of Awaji is just under two weeks away from release and I wanted to talk about the island itself and
what we know about it.
To begin, it's worth mentioning that the island appears to already be in the game, presumably from the original games release. I've came to this conclusion based on the fact that the island you can see off the south west Izumi coast appears to be almost the exact shape of the real Awaji island, as seen in the pictures below.
I haven't tried to swim to the island but I'm sure there's an invisible wall somewhere; and even if you could get there, it's probably not solid. I'm now having flashbacks to the ghost island in Grand Theft Auto 3!
Awaji Island as seen on the in-game map
Awaji Island as seen on a real map
The Legend
Recorded in two of Japan's oldest texts, the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Awaji Island is at the heart of the Shinto creation myth! To simplify, the legend says that the first two gods (Izanagi and Izanami) emerge into existence. They enact a cosmic ritual using a Amenonuhoko, (a heavenly spear) to churn the ocean. They pull the spear out of the water for the salt to drip down and the first islands of Japan start to materialise. The very first island being Awaji island, essentially the birth place of Japan.
With the island having the Shinto creation myth behind it, I find it hard to believe that Ubisoft wont work this into the story in some way, or at the very least have some kind of side content that explores this. When you really dive deeper and learn more about the creation myth and the Japanese god pantheon, it's hard not to start thinking about Juno and the gang.
Izanagi and Izanami
Notable Places
Below I'll list a few things that will probably be in the game due to their cultural significance or connection to the myth, whether as a main plot point or piece of side content/story.
Sumoto Castle
What's Assassin's Creed if you're not sneaking through a castle? May I present Sumoto Castle (also known as Mikuma Castle). Found on the southeast coast of Awaji, the castle was built around 1526 by the Atagi clan. This makes it almost certain that it will be in the game, no doubt with some Samurai Daisho to kill and treasure to loot.
Ningyo Joruri
I was hesitant to put this in here as this style of puppetry that is in fact unique to Awaji, only goes back as far as 1643, well after the events of Assassin's Creed Shadows, however, the Ningyo Joruri has a connection to the creation myth. In the story, the puppet theater was created to pacify and entertain the children of the gods while the world was being created. In Japan puppets have been used for storytelling purposes for centuries and it's worth pointing out that you can already find puppeteers dotted around the map in Shadows.
Izanagi Shrine
One of the most significant and oldest shrines in Japan, Izanagi shrine is mentioned in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as being the place that Izanagi retired to after his godly duties were done. It is also said this is the location for both Izanagi and Izanami's tombs.
Onokorojima Shrine
Existing on the island since ancient times this shrine has one of Japan's 3 great Torii gates standing at a near 22 meters in height! A perfect spot for some Kuji-Kiri.
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