Ghost of Yotei’s title features a historical inaccuracy so clever that one Japanese scholar believes “it has to be intentional”
Ghost of Yotei was revealed during last night’s PlayStation State of Play event as the sequel to the 2020 action-adventure hit Ghost of Tsushima – and it turns out its title may have more significant historical implications than initially meet the eye.
As reported by Automaton, a Japanese scholar of Ainu culture and language has pointed out as much. Speaking on the title “Ghost of Yotei,” Itsuji Tangiku explains that the inclusion of “Yotei” is likely an intentional inaccuracy. “The fact that Ghost of Yotei is set in Hokkaido, Japan in 1603 is amazing,” he writes in his thread on the matter. “It encompasses the meaning of ‘ghost’ in many ways. It has to be intentional.”
Tangiku describes how Mount Yotei, the inactive stratovolcano behind the Ghost of Tsushima sequel’s title, had a different name in 1603. The Ainu people originally dubbed the mountain “Machineshiri.” During the Meiji period between 1868 and 1912, it was instead called Mount Shiribeshi. It wasn’t until later that people then derived “Yotei” from “Shiribeshi,” meaning that its appearance in Ghost of Yotei’s title is anachronistic.
製作発表が出た『ゴースト・オブ・ヨーテイ』の舞台が1603年の北海道というのはすごい。いろんな意味で「ゴースト」です。絶対にわざとですね。「ヨーテイ」の元の「後方羊蹄山」という山名は明治以降のもので、アイヌ語では「マチネシㇼ」です。「1603年のヨーテイ」は「ゴースト地名」ですね。September 25, 2024
According to Tangiku, this is almost certainly an intentional “mistake” on developer Sucker Punch’s part. “In the year 1603, ‘Mount Yotei’ is very much a ghost toponym,” he says. The scholar then delves into how significant the year itself is historically. It was the year before the Matsumae clan was given the exclusive right to trade with the Ainu people – marking a sad turning point for the Ainu, whose dominance in Hokkaido then began to fall.
From 1604 on, the Matsumae imposed themselves as representatives of the Japanese people and stopped other clans from trading with the Ainu. What was once the home of the Ainu, Hokkaido, faced colonization and was transformed into a fishery within 200 years. With this context in mind, Tangiku details how Ghost of Yotei could also be satirizing colonialism. The sequel’s plot isn’t clear yet, though – but its title may indeed hint toward a tale of Ainu revenge.
Check out our roundup of new games coming this year and beyond for even more to look forward to.