The Unique Religion In Demon Slayer: Buddhism And Shintoism Collide

(REVIEW) “Demon Slayer,” or “Kimetsu No Yaiba” as it’s known in Japan, is the hit manga series turned TV show. It features Tanjiro Kamado, a boy whose entire family is murdered by a demon, and his younger sister, Nezuko, is the sole survivor. However, Nezuko is turned into a demon. 

This tragic situation of a boy who joins the Demon Slayer Corps — a group trained to kill demons because they feast on human flesh — while having a demon sister who doesn’t eat humans, is a paradox that keeps viewers of the anime like myself hooked. 

Tanjiro goes on missions with different Hashira — the most powerful warriors at the top of the Demon Slayer Corps — to kill some of the strongest Upper Rank/Moon demons who are henchmen to Muzan Kibutsuji, the head demon and main antagonist of the show. With his friends Inosuke Hashibira and Zenitsu Agatsuma at his side and Nezuko on his back, safely tucked away from the sun in a wooden box, they defeat demon after demon. 

On March 3, the show’s fourth arc, “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba—To The Swordsmith Village,” premiered in U.S. theaters. When I heard this, I was very eager to get to the theaters that Friday to watch it. I anticipated it to be as thrilling as the “Mugen Train Arc,” the second arc of the show that featured Kyojuro Rengoku, the Flame Hashira. 

In 2020, the Mugen arc movie was released in theaters and became the first Japanese film to cross the $400 million mark, grossing over $417 million worldwide before even showing in the U.S. It became Japan’s biggest box office hit in December 2020, replacing Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli film “Spirited Away,” which held the spot since its release in 2001. 

So I prepared myself for that same level of action, not fully realizing that the theaters would just be showing a recap from the last arc that featured Tengen Uzui, the Sound Hashira. We were shown episodes 10 and 11 and just the pilot episode from “To The Swordsmith Village,” where the next demon killing adventure is to be with the Love Hashira Mitsuri Kanroji and the Mist Hashira Muichiro Tokito. That being said, I was both a little let down by the feel of it being a filler episode and also intrigued by the array of new characters to whom we were introduced.

At the end of the “Entertainment District Arc,” we see memories of the Upper Moon Six demons defeated by the group — siblings Daki and Gyutaro — back when they were human. Daki, then a beautiful 13-year-old girl named Ume, rejected the advances of a samurai and stabbed him in the eye with a hairpin. As a result, she was tied up and burned alive. When Gyutaro came home to find her half-dead, he cradled her limp body as he cried out, “Turn my sister back to the way she was! Or else… I’ll kill the gods, Buddha, every one of you!” Moments after, they were both turned into demons by Doma, the Upper Moon Two demon who took pity on them. This mention of religion is fascinating considering the time period. 

Although it is a supernatural anime, Demon Slayer is set during the shortest era in Japanese history — the Taisho Period (1912-1926). Japanese religion during this time was made up of several different elements, including Shintoism, “the way of the spirits or deities” that was present in the nation before the sixth century, and Buddhism, which began during the sixth century in India. Buddhism had passed through China and Korea before arriving in Japan. The demons that we see in this show would’ve been referred to as “yōkai,” a word first used in the Meiji Period (1868-1912). With their grotesque features and strange bodies, the yōkai that we meet in the pilot episode of the “Swordsmith Village Arc” are supposed to be the fiercest and vilest. 

After winning the battle against Daki and Gyutaro, Tanjiro fell into a coma, so the pilot begins with him having a strange dream while in his comatose state. It features a man who resembles his deceased father, but we later find out that he is most likely Kokushibo, the Upper Moon 1 demon. After being in his coma for weeks, Tanjiro finally wakes up, only to find that he damaged his sword in the battle and that Haganezuka, the swordsmith who crafted his sword, was very upset with him. This prompts Tanjiro to go on a trip to the secret, hidden swordsmith village in order to apologize and get a new sword for his next battle. 

When we are introduced to the swordsmith village, all of the residents and swordsmiths wear performance masks for anonymity. These masks, with their comical, twisted mouth expressions, are named after Hyottoko, who is known as the god of fire in some parts of Japan. This would make sense, as swordsmiths use fire to forge their swords.

The pilot ends with a reintroduction to Mitsuri and Muichiro at the village, as well as Ginya Shinazugawa, a fellow member of the Demon Slayer Corps who is brazen and not particularly friendly. As someone who does not read manga, I am very excited for this new season to be released and find out the backtories of both the Hashira and Upper Moon demons. What battles will Tanjiro and his friends partake in during this arc?

Brianna Jacobs is a senior at The King’s College in NYC, majoring in Journalism, Culture & Society. She is also a spring 2023 intern with ReligionUnplugged.com. She’s previously reported and managed social accounts for The Empire State Tribune.