Lady Eboshi’s True Goal in “Princess Mononoke”: Why She Didn’t Return to Irontown

“Princess Mononoke(Studio Ghibli Official)” is a feature-length animated film directed by Hayao Miyazaki, released in 1997. The last feature film Miyazaki directed before “Princess Mononoke” was “Porco Rosso,” and perhaps it was around that time that he stopped catering 100% to the masses and started making films for himself.

Well, that’s beside the point, but I think there are quite a few people who love the film “Princess Mononoke.” Of course, I am one of them. This time, I’d like to write about “Lady Eboshi,” who possesses a unique charm within the world of “Princess Mononoke.”

The most crucial scene when discussing Lady Eboshi is the one where “she did not return to Irontown even after being informed of its plight by Ashitaka.” So, why did Eboshi prioritize killing the Forest Spirit over Irontown? I want to delve into this topic. What was Lady Eboshi seeking?

*This article is an English translation of the original Japanese article, “「もののけ姫」のエボシ御前は何を実現しようとしていたのか？【タタラ場に戻らなかった理由を追う】“

Lady Eboshi in “Princess Mononoke”

If asked what kind of person “Lady Eboshi” is, the answer would be “an excellent leader.” However, she also shows an extremely ruthless side. In her first appearance, she immediately abandoned those who were attacked by the mountain dogs and fell off a cliff, and even when Ashitaka informed her that Irontown was being attacked by jizamurai in the latter half of the story, Eboshi did not return.

To understand Eboshi’s actions, one must know the harsh past she carries.

Lady Eboshi employs women who were sold into servitude at Irontown, but she herself shares such a past. Moreover, she was bought by the chieftain of the Wako pirates and lived as his wife. Even in such an unwanted situation, Eboshi lived cunningly, eventually killing the chieftain, stealing his valuables, and regaining her freedom. Her subordinate, Gonza, has been with her since she was the pirate’s wife.

The chieftain’s murder was likely an assassination, and she must have desperately waited for that can’t-fail moment during her unwanted days. It’s unlikely she destroyed the entire Wako organization, so she must have endured a harsh escape. Alternatively, she might have destroyed the organization with subordinates like Gonza, but only Gonza remains. No matter how many possibilities are explored, a peaceful life for her is unimaginable.

It was then that Ashitaka appeared before her. He cursed his own fate, but from Lady Eboshi’s perspective, it must have been “ridiculous.” As a child, I thought, “Eboshi isn’t very kind,” upon hearing her words, “Don’t you show off your little bit of bad luck so proudly!” But when I think about Eboshi’s life, it’s not hard to understand.

For Lady Eboshi, who had lived such a harsh life, what kind of place was Irontown? And why did she not return to Irontown, even when urged by Ashitaka?

The Dream Lady Eboshi Saw in Irontown

A Tale of Revenge Against the World That Made Her Suffer

As mentioned in the story, the firearm-wielding troops under Lady Eboshi’s command were not her private army but were provided by an organization called the Shishoren. Eboshi wanted to obtain the military power of firearms, even if it meant using the “Emperor’s” order to “kill the Forest Spirit.” Furthermore, to protect Irontown even after accomplishing the “killing of the Forest Spirit,” Eboshi was also developing her own firearms.

What Eboshi was trying to build was not just an “ironworks,” but her kingdom.

Why did Eboshi try to build her own kingdom? Regarding this, one can only let their imagination take flight, but perhaps Lady Eboshi wanted to take revenge on the world.

Eboshi’s harrowing past was not caused by her own fault or someone else’s. She was put in a difficult situation “because that’s how this world is.” She must have decided to spend the rest of her life trying to change the state of this world, or to turn it upside down.

And that base of operations was Irontown.

Lady Eboshi’s Secret Pact with the “Emperor”

Considering it as a “base for a tale of revenge against the world,” one can see that Irontown is, or will be, in a very difficult situation. In fact, in the film, they were engaged in a fierce struggle with the jizamurai. Moreover, they were considerably cornered. It’s true that Eboshi, who was supposed to be an excellent commander, was absent, as were the men who were supposed to fight on the front lines, but it didn’t seem like their presence would have solved everything.

As long as Irontown is Eboshi’s kingdom, it’s not enough to just produce iron. It must have that as its core industry, possess enough military power to deal with surrounding powers on an equal footing, and endure armed conflicts until the kingdom is stable.

Eboshi probably thought, “If it falls just because I’m not there, then so be it,” or “I can just gather people and take it back.” Conversely, this means that there was something more important to Eboshi than the immediate fate of Irontown.

What Eboshi directly prioritized was “killing the Forest Spirit,” but Eboshi herself has no reason to kill it. She has already driven off Nago no Kami, and if the mountain dogs were gone, the “Forest of the Forest Spirit” would just be a “forest with a Forest Spirit in it,” posing no real obstacle to the construction of her kingdom. It would be more natural to focus on eliminating the mountain dogs, which are basically just big and strong, rather than the mysteriously powerful Forest Spirit.

If what Eboshi prioritized was not “killing the Forest Spirit,” it is natural to think that there was some kind of secret pact with the Imperial Court. It is likely that this was about “securing the safety of Irontown.”

In the first place, the land where Irontown is located should be the territory of some daimyo, and they are conducting economic activities there without permission. In the film, they are told to hand over half of the iron they produce. Of course, they refused, which led to war, but perhaps Eboshi made a deal with the Imperial Court to prevent such armed conflicts from happening in the first place.

The reason Eboshi did not return to Irontown even after hearing Ashitaka’s words was likely that if she could just accomplish the “killing of the Forest Spirit,” the peace of Irontown would be guaranteed by the Imperial Court, at least for a while.

As mentioned above, I believe the reasons Eboshi did not return to Irontown were her thought that “I can just take it back” and a “secret pact with the Imperial Court to secure Irontown’s safety.” Of course, this is just my own speculation.

Now that the reasons why Eboshi didn’t return have been summarized, let’s think a little about the future of Irontown.

The Sad Fate of Irontown

Due to the battle with the jizamurai and the rampage of the Forest Spirit, Irontown suffered considerable damage, but fortunately, Eboshi’s life was spared. As told at the end, Eboshi and her people will likely rebuild Irontown.

However, its future cannot be said to be bright. The local daimyo will continue to target Irontown, and they cannot expect backing from the Emperor (they killed the Forest Spirit, but did not get its head). Many trees were lost in the Forest Spirit’s rampage, but Irontown as an ironworks, and the place that was once the “Forest of the Forest Spirit,” will continue to be attractive to those in power.

In the end, the people of Irontown will have to continue their struggle against “exploitation.” But they have no backing from the “Emperor.” No matter how you look at it, there is no future for Irontown. Nevertheless, Eboshi smiled gently at the people of Irontown and told them they would start over from the beginning.

While foreseeing a future of despair, Eboshi told them to continue living with all their might. The establishment of her own kingdom, her fleeting yet strong dream, is no longer achievable. In the midst of such despair, the spirit with which Eboshi gave a smile to the people of Irontown was likely the same as the smile Ashitaka gave to Kaya.

Irontown will fall. That fate cannot be changed.

But until that moment of ruin, the people of Irontown surely lived with all their might. Perhaps a heroic tale of Ashitaka might even have been born from the battle with the jizamurai.

But still, it will fall. Because on the eastern edge of Asia, a country of tatara ironworks does not exist.

Eboshi’s fight to establish her own kingdom and destroy the world that gave her a painful past will not bear fruit. But we, who know of her struggle, have no choice but to at least live with all our might. We enjoy lives where we are not sold to anyone and have no struggles with jizamurai.

Let’s live with all our might. Just, with all our might.

The images used in this article are from “Still images from Studio Ghibli works“.