The Dao In Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke

Daoist thought is holistic and universal, based on the observation of relationships among all phenomena (Jung, 1997). The Dao is a concept that is difficult to explain. It is described as that which is within everything, as a certain philosophy of living, and as a “Way” or path to enlightenment. Watts (1993) describes it as “a vast Oneness that precedes and in some mysterious manner generates the endlessly diverse forms of the world” (p.xxvii). The Dao is often explained in metaphorical terms, and through the use of other poetic literary devices such as rhyming and repetition. The Dao is expressed eloquently through the visual images and stories portrayed in Miyazaki’s films. The characters in Princess Mononoke also express attributes of the

In a modern story, there are plenty of reasons to have a pro-environmental message, because environmental destruction is something that has only began in the comparatively recent past. The idea of human settlement being overdeveloped enough that it is negatively affecting the environment is based on humans having enough influence to do that. The classic "anti-industrialist" story relies on deforestation and pollution being conducted by an entity that is doing it unnecessarily - the profit-hungry capitalist, or the uncaring consumerist first-world public. In a story set in medieval times, humans are in most places still struggling to survive, and this is certainly true in Princess Mononoke 's setting. The people of Iron town are not wealthy; rather, they are an independent collective barely able to maintain their lifestyle due to their economic reliance on the outside for supplies and their constant conflicts with the creatures of the forest. If they don 't mine that mountain, which requires deforestation, they are either going to starve to death or they are going to be taken over by a lord who is undoubtedly going to be less kind and permissive than Eboshi