Ayame

Yuna "Umigozen" Ayame (Japanese: 「海御前」菖蒲 "Umigozen" Ayame, lit. "'Honorable Ocean' Ayame") was a historical figure from Watatsumi Island, Inazuma, who lived around 2,000 years ago. She and her older twin sister Mouun^[1] were descended from the Yuna Clan and were famous across Inazuma as warriors who participated in the Narukami-Watatsumi War.

Ayame was the original wielder of Wavebreaker's Fin. It was separated from her during the war and confiscated by the tengu,^[2] while Ayame's mansion, the Palace in a Pool located within Suigetsu Pool, was left abandoned and its entrance later sealed after it was covered in seawater.

Profile

Mouun and Ayame were twins born to Watatsumi Island's Yuna Clan, whose lineage began in the depths of Enkanomiya. The two of them took on Akuou as their apprentice and taught him the Yuna Clan's arts, including whalesongs and the rites of Watatsumi.^[3] When the Watatsumi people took up arms against Yashiori Island and conquered it for its resources, Akuou, Ayame, and Mouun led the invasion.^[4] At the end of the war, she disappeared into the ocean and never resurfaced.^[1][2]

Story

While Ayame and Mouun were both raised in the Yuna Clan, Mouun became a shrine maiden while Ayame became a diver, making livings by selling the pearls she collected.^[1] After Akuou — then a nameless orphan of unknown origins — was taken in by Orobashi, the twins took him in as their apprentice and taught him the Yuna Clan's arts. While the three were close, Akuou and Mouun became lovers and are much more closely associated in historical texts than Akuou is with Ayame.^[3]

Narukami-Watatsumi War

Watatsumi Island, having been formed from coral broken off Orobashi's body, never had proper conditions for raising crops. This led to outbreaks of famine and disease, and the Watatsumi people began to view invasion of the neighboring Yashiori Island as the only way to sustain their livelihoods. While Orobashi refused to agree to an invasion out of fear of the Narukami's power (in this case, Ei's),^[5][6] he eventually relented to their pleas and suffering. As Watatsumi Island prepared for war, the Divine Priestess at the time put Ayame and Mouun in charge of leading their first navy.

The initial invasion was a success. The Watatsumi forces conquered Yashiori Island and turned it into a vassal state, with Akuou — who at the time became known by the Watatsumi people as Touzannou, or King of the Eastern Mountain — as its king.^[3] This attracted the attention of the Narukami Shogunate. Ei took a force with her to repel the invaders, with her tengu general Sasayuri accompanying her.

After a brutal war, the Narukami forces proved superior, although Sasayuri's life was among their casualties. Ei used Musou no Hitotachi to slay both Orobashi and Akuou, while Mouun was ambushed and killed by Sasayuri's subordinates when she attempted to retreat after hearing about the deaths of her god and her lover. Ayame disappeared at the end of the war, leaving her ultimate fate a mystery.^[1][2][3]

Trivia

Etymology

• In Japanese folklore, umigozen (Japanese: 海御前) are a type of youkai said to be the reincarnations of the Taira clan members who threw themselves into the sea following their defeat during the Battle of Dan-no-ura.^[7] Similarly, one theory regarding Ayame's fate is that she sailed into the Dark Sea after the Watatsumi forces were subjugated.
  • Alternatively, "Umigozen" is a compound of Sea (Japanese: 海) + Gozen (Japanese: 御前), an honorific title for nobility that is often used as a title for onna-musha, or female samurai. This is a nod to how Ayame was a female warrior who had a close relation with the sea (or ocean) through her Yuna Clan lineage.

Other Languages

Language	Official Name
English	Ayame
Chinese (Simplified)	菖蒲 Chāngpú
Chinese (Traditional)	菖蒲 Chāngpú
Japanese	菖蒲 Ayame
Korean	아야메 Ayame
Spanish	Ayame
French	Ayame
Russian	Аямэ Ayame
Thai	Ayame
Vietnamese	Ayame
German	Ayame
Indonesian	Ayame
Portuguese	Ayame
Turkish	Ayame
Italian	Ayame

Change History

References