Not many people can find reason to not like this Suzaku seishi and indeed, what's there not to like? Chichiri is gentle-hearted, kind, wise, powerful, and extremely cute as a SD. The masked-face he usually presents shows a constantly smiling expression, easily endearing others to him. However, like most masks people wear metaphorically, Chichiri's physical mask hides a scar on his soul as tragic as the one on his face.
When we first meet Chichiri, he was pretty much a mystery, to those around him and to us, the readers and viewers. (Actually, he was only a pair of hands.) A wandering monk by profession, all we knew was that he'd received training from Taiitsukun on Mount Taikyoku for two years, presumably in the area of magic, prior to joining Miaka. Obviously, this training paid off as Chichiri is the most powerful of the Suzaku shichiseishi, able to use his magic for many different tasks, such as teleportation, creating a protective barrier, becoming invisible, disappearing into a straw hat, bringing down the Seiryuu temple, and not to mention, generating endless numbers of magical masks.
As the oldest of the Suzaku shichiseishi, Chichiri often takes the role of an older brother, offering words of wisdom for Miaka, advising the brash Tamahome, tolerating the antics of Tasuki, and always looking out for the interests of his fellow seishi. Knowing that Miaka had traveled to Kutou alone, he followed after her and helped the reckless Tamahome to get her out. When his powers would have been the most useful in finding the rest of the shichiseishi, he selflessly took Hotohori's place in the palace so that the emperor could protect Miaka personally during Tamahome's absence.
In fact, this was not even restricted to just his friends. When confronting Nakago, Chichiri demanded to know why Nakago chose to serve Kutou, knowing that the Hin were enemies of the empire. Chichiri is one who understands the heart of others, or strives to do so. But this was not always the case. For that one moment of folly in his youth, Chichiri, then known as Houjun, paid the ultimate price; the loss of his eye, the disfigurement permanently etched onto his face, and most tragic of all, the death of Hikou.
Houjun, Hikou and Kouran... three friends who grew up together in the same village, they were the closest of companions since early childhood. But, when Houjun and Kouran became engaged, Hikou grew jealous of the love between the other two, harboring feelings for Kouran yet he couldn't break up his friends. One day, he stole a kiss from Kouran but what he did not expect was her reaction. Feeling as if she'd betrayed Houjun, Kouran called off the engagement and when Houjun found out the reason, he became furious. Not stopping to think of the consequences, he confronted Hikou immediately.
Their struggles led them to the side of a river raging with flood waters and when Hikou lost his footing on the bank, he was saved from falling into the river by Houjun. Begging his friend not to let go, Hikou hung on for dear life but neither saw the approaching danger. A piece of splintered branch, carried on the swift waters of the river, rushed towards them and too late... before Houjun was aware of it, the branch had gouged out his left eye and in that moment of pain, he let go of Hikou's arm. Hikou drowned and in the same flood, Houjun lost everyone else dear to him; his family and Kouran.
Since that day, Houjun had blamed himself for Hikou's death because he felt that he should never have let go. This grief ate at him from inside for some years before he took up training at Mount Taikyoku. Knowing that the disfigurement on his face was disturbing to others, he wore a mask to hide it but it also served to hide the terrible pain in his heart; a feeling of unworthiness, guilt and constant atonement.
When Hikou was brought back to 'life' by Tenkou to defeat Suzaku no Miko, his second confrontation with Houjun, now Suzaku shichiseishi Chichiri, led to Hikou's second death. Returning to the water from which he was given form, his final words to Chichiri finally eased the guilt and provided a closure for the seishi's seven years of pain.
Comments go here: liang-er@geocities.com
Kai Ling's homepage:
Liang-er's Fushigi Yuugi
Article copyright 1999 Ng, Kai Ling
