LogInBut it could be intentional.
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The sequel of the beloved Ghost of Tsushima, Ghost of Yōtei, is set to take players on a journey into the area of Mount Yōtei, a mountain that resembles Mount Fuji and is located in Japan’s second-largest island, Hokkaido. With the intention of letting players experience “the romance and beauty of feudal Japan,” the event in the game will take place in 1603.
The setting of the game's background has piqued the interest of many, including a Japanese scholar named Itsuji Tangiku, who pointed out that the title could contain an intentional inaccuracy by the developers because the mountain wasn’t named “Yōtei” at that time. As spotted by Automaton, Tangiku had shared his insights on social media (translated from Japanese):
“It's amazing that the setting of "Ghost of Yōtei," which has just been announced, is Hokkaido in 1603. It's "ghost" in many ways. It's definitely on purpose. The original name of the mountain, "Kouyotei-san," which is the origin of "Yōtei," was used after the Meiji period, and in Ainu it is "Machineshir." "Yōtei in 1603" is a "ghost place name.”
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That’s to say, historically, the mountain has only been called Yōtei by Japanese people since the Meiji period started in 1868; hence, “Yōtei in 1603” is a “ghost place name.” As a scholar knowledgeable of the culture and language of Ainu, the natives who lived in the northern part of Japan, he continues to illustrate what the year setting of the game could hint.
“1603 was the year before 1604, when the Matsumae Domain guaranteed the Edo Shogunate the "exclusive right to trade with the Ainu". From this point on, the Ainu's superiority began to crumble little by little.”
In the next two centuries, the Ainu’s homeland, Hokkaido, gradually declined to become a fishery under colonization. Undoubtedly, the year 1603 marks the eve of a group’s decline due to colonization. Therefore, according to Tangiku, the title of the sequel could be satirizing colonialism.
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It’s unclear if the story would evolve around the revenge of the Ainu people. However, what Tangiku has speculated, to some extent, aligns with the developers’ description of the narrative, as they describe it as “underdog vengeance." The developer has promised to unveil more about the protagonist and the characters involved in her journey in the following months. At that time, the mystery will be solved.
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