Sekiro Environments - Abandoned Dungeon [Japanese in Sekiro]

Discussing original Japanese names of Sekiro areas and environmental details.
I am a curious linguist, English and Japanese are my second and third languages respectively.
Orginal blogpost - shetanislair.c...
Other The World of Sekiro videos - • The World of Sekiro
Other The World of Sekiro blogposts - shetanislair.c...
Discord - / discord
Twitter - / shetanislair
Sources:
Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Official Artworks
English wiki - sekiro-shadows...
Read more:
Nozura-Doro lanterns - www.itsjapanes...
Mt. Shichimen (unrelated to Sekiro but definitely an interesting read):
www.japan.trav...
www.yamanashi-...
Manjushri:
en.wikipedia.o...
www.nomadictib...
Japanese helmets and faceguards:
en.wikipedia.o...
en.wikipedia.o...
www.touken-wor...
www.touken-wor...
Date Shigezane - en.wikipedia.o...
Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:24 - Disclaimers
1:07 - Tiny Transcription Legend
1:15 - Sources
1:28 - Abandoned Dungeon Entrance
3:32 - Underground Waterway
3:55 - Bottomless Hole
7:02 - Surgeon's Bloody Letter
7:24 - Surgeon's Stained Letter
8:01 - Dousaku's Note
9:18 - Rotting Prisoner's Note
10:57 - Shichimen Warrior
14:35 - Conclusion

[@Duv1995]

Whoa! two vids in a row, this is a pleasant surprise!
Btw I can confirm the old lady in by bottomless hole is not the same rice lady, I tested it by getting her sick with dragonrot, and she was coughing on the bridge but not in the dungeons!

[@shetanislair]

Oh wow! Never thought about testing it this way, thanks!

[@Duv1995]

@@shetanislair Also, Kotaro has some dialogue about his father being sent to the abandoned dungeon (you can get it if you send him to Dojun), so that confirms the man in the letter was him I think!
He also has cut dialogue about his mother, I guess there was more to his character in early stages of the game...

[@The_Red_Scholar]

Since you didn't seem to mention it I recently looked at the memorial text in the Abandoned Dungeon not far from where you fight the Shichimen Warrior, the one that reads:
"Here lie the vassals of the Ashina Clan executed after the great rebellion. May their spirits rest."
I was confused about this until I looked at the JP, which seems to rather be describing how the Ashina were executed when they had their lands taken from them *before* Isshin rebelled, rather than what the English says which implies they were executed after Isshin's rebellion.
国盗られ刑死した
葦名衆の荒ぶる御霊
ここに鎮める
I'd argue that the warrior's proximity leans heavily into the idea of the Shichimen Warriors being the conglomerated spirits of the deceased.

[@shetanislair]

The first attempt had some audiotracks overlapping so I had to reupload (｡╯︵╰｡) Sorry for that! I think it's fine now (っ˘ω˘ς )
Edit: I should have mentioned in the video that Dougen being a Senpou monk is just a theory, the game doesn't really tell you that. I just feel like so many things point at it that sometimes I forget that it's just a theory and not a known fact, and I absolutely shouldn't forget that (￣ω￣)

[@alfenwylm]

haha, the fact that you immediately changed it within just a few minutes of uploading is p cool

[@patriciapandacoon7162]

love your vids, they give me more appreciation of Sekiro than I gave it in my first playthrough

[@OrigamiPhoenix]

I think the Shichimen Warriors were used as a source of inspiration for the two-faced gargoyles of Elden Ring. The gargoyles are implied to be wholly artificial, constructs or flesh golems, but Shichimen Warriors don't seem to be made for a specific purpose.

[@tallowick6082]

Love these videos, as always!

[@leonhighwind2305]

The Shichimen Warriors do seem like they're less "warriors" and more like sorcerers.
The sword-staff also points in that direction since it isn't really a weapon made for fighting and the Shichimen don't use it nearly as much as their spells. It seems more of a symbolic ritual tool than a proper weapon.
I know the one in the Dungeon drops the ritual dagger when defeated, which is a point in favor of them being evil sorcerer-spirits. I'd have to check what the others drop, but I think they have a theme of "ritual and spiritual artifacts". I do remember the one in the Fountainhead Palace drops a piece of Lazuli, which is also a sort of spiritual artifact.
Edit: Having checked the wiki, it seems like the third Warrior in the game drops the Malcontent's Ring, which doesn't fit the theory. However, its associated prosthetic tool has an effect on spirits, so I guess it could fit if you use a bit of force?

[@lukelavigne5474]

First to comment! So excited to see another video drop and I agree with you, the dungeon, unfortunately is something to suffer through.

[@lukelavigne5474]

I figured that the father in the dungeon didn’t want his son to live as a Taro Troop style person. He may have seen this as a horrific fate to not grow up mentally or that he was a victim of the temple and thought the waters of the Fountainhead palace, could either help him physically, or be traded with the temple to allow him to be freed.

[@janpiorko3809]

How do you know Dogen was a Senpou Monk?

[@shetanislair]

It is just a theory I proposed in Healing and Resurrection items; I should've mentioned that it is not something the game explicitly tells the player. Thanks for pointing this out, I'll add it to the pinned comment (￣ω￣)

[@janpiorko3809]

@@shetanislair Thanks for the reply! I actually watched your video on Healing and Resurrection items, I don't know how i could forget this theory.