Mononobe no Futo
Mononobe no Futo is a character from the Touhou Project series, making her debut as the Stage 5 boss in Ten Desires before becoming a playable character in titles such as Hopeless Masquerade and Antinomy of Common Flowers. She is an ancient Japanese Shikaisen (Taoist immortal) who serves her master, Toyosatomimi no Miko, with total loyalty. Operating out of the Divine Spirit Mausoleum, she combines Feng Shui with unusual plate-based spell cards in combat.
Overview
Mononobe no Futo is a character from the Touhou Project series, making her debut as the Stage 5 boss in Ten Desires before becoming a playable character in titles such as Hopeless Masquerade and Antinomy of Common Flowers. She is an ancient Japanese Shikaisen (Taoist immortal) who serves her master, Toyosatomimi no Miko, with total loyalty. Operating out of the Divine Spirit Mausoleum, she combines Feng Shui with unusual plate-based spell cards in combat.
Appearance
Futo has long silver-grey hair tied into a high ponytail paired with grey or deep blue eyes. She wears a blue tate-eboshi hat and a white upper garment reminiscent of Heian-period hunting attire (kariginu or suikan), featuring pom-poms and ribbon decorations. Her lower attire consists of a dark blue or purple skirt over a translucent white petticoat, completed with black or purple shoes. Distinctive five-colored cords dangle from her headpiece, neck, long sleeves, and footwear. She is notably petite in stature.
Personality
Futo is energetic, cheerful, and rustic, speaking in archaic Japanese. While well-meaning and friendly, she is incredibly naive and prone to hasty assumptions, frequently misinterpreting the intentions of those around her. She struggles to adapt to modern culture or changing environments, remaining firmly set in ancient ways. Her deep-seated fear and dislike of Buddhism can make her react destructively toward temples. Above all, she remains completely dedicated to Toyosatomimi no Miko.
Abilities
Futo possesses the ability to manipulate Feng Shui, allowing her to influence dragon veins and control the flow of natural energy within her environment. In battle, she performs a ritual of smashing ceramic dishes to build up and empower her hermit spiritual strength (senki). She utilizes these plates as media for her attacks, rides a wooden vessel named the Ame no Iwafune, and releases destructive fire-based techniques.
Background
Originating from the ancient Mononobe clan during its historical conflict with the Soga clan, Futo secretly embraced Taoism despite her family's Shinto roots. She partnered with Toyosatomimi no Miko in a plot to govern the nation using Buddhism as a political cover while securing personal immortality through Taoist methods. Futo served as the initial test subject for the corpse-freeing ritual (Shikaisen), transferring her soul into a dish while letting her physical body decay. After sleeping for over a thousand years, she reawakened beneath Myouren Temple.
Relationships
Futo serves Toyosatomimi no Miko with absolute loyalty, following her master's commands without hesitation. She maintains a long-standing cooperative relationship with Soga no Tojiko, who underwent the resurrection process in the same era. She is also acquainted with Seiga Kaku. During the events of Antinomy of Common Flowers, she partnered with Kumoi Ichirin, forming a effective tag-team and close friendship despite their frequent bickering.
Trivia
Her name is derived from historical and mythical figures associated with the Mononobe clan, such as Futohime or Futohime-no-mikoto. Her connection to ceramic plates was reinforced in Urban Legend in Limbo, where she adopted the Okiku urban legend from the Banchou Sarayashiki ghost story, cementing dish-smashing as her signature trait.
