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The symbols of Kigetsu


The word KI-GETSU
The counters
The elements
of Feng Shui
The taiji
La map of Japan


Cosmogony and space
Cosmogony and time
The twelve Chinese
astrologic signs
The major gods
Folklore
Religions and
philisophies



The word KI-GETSU
The word Kigestu is made of two Japanese characters : Ki (energie) et Getsu (moon).
« Getsu » is pronounced « Tsuki » if it stands alone.
 Therefeore, the game's name means "energy of the moon", because of its very particular mechanism.
   
 
KI

« Ki » (breath, spirit, energy), sometimes written "qi", is a crucial element is Asian thinking as a whole, especially in medecine and martial arts. It refers to the energy which comes from the stomach. The "ki" is the central vital point of the human body, located three fingers under the navel. The character "ki" represents this vital point, with three fingers and a cross.
   
TSUKI or GETSU

« Tsuki » or « Getsu » (moon, moon cycle) is a time marker, as the moon revolves around the earth for 28 days and allows to measure time. There is another meaning of this character, which refers to anatomy, and more precisely, to the area of the stomach, where the "ki" is situated too. The word "Kigetsu" could
thus be translated by "an inner glowing energy". The ultraviolet light, which creates a very specific atmosphere during the game, rejoins this particular meaning.
   
 

The counters
In Kigetsu, the 50 counters represent the Ki : they are all fragments of universal energy. Actually, when the players realize actions, they use the counters, and not the cards which represent their characters. Cards are only the containers of this energy. The idea of reincarnation is thus one of the main devices of the game, as the counters make an endless to and fro momvement from one character to the other, who are just body envelopes.
   


The five elements of Feng-Shui
In the same way, the energy of the real world circulates and transforms according to Feng-Shui. Kigetsu features the five Eastern elements (water, earth, fire, wood and metal) and puts them in opposition through the clans which represent them. When the players play on the map, they make buildings appear. Each city represents an element and allows the players to unlock their game, and put new cards down. Besides, when a player puts cards down, the cycle of domination must be respected, and not all cards may be put together during the same turn.

Check the section "the 5 families of Kigetsu" to get more information.
   


The taiji
The Taiji symbol (Yin and Yang) represents the opposite forces of the universe, which are completely balanced and always in movement. It is the world of the invisible, the world of gods and spirits, where universal energy is revealed by its cosmic form, with the use of moon-counters. In Kigetsu, the energy that gives life to visible things is more valued than the visible world itself. That is a major aesthetic feature in Japanese art, as is symbolized with the famous wave of Hokusai.

When the players put a certain amount of moon-counters on the Yin or Yang side, they disrupt the balance of the universe which is represented by the Taiji. In great mythologies and early legends, battles were described in the same way, as the clash of higher and invisble powers, transposed to human scale. The manga Saint-Seiya (of Masami Kurumada), which is sometimes qualified as "hypermyth", even deals with the concept of "cosmo-energy" : Kigetsu is based on a similar idea, and pays tribute to it.
   


The map of Japan
In Kigetsu, the real world refers to Sengoku Japan (Middle Ages). Kigetsu isn't a wargame and so, the borders of the provinces are useless. However, they are not here by chance. One the one hand, the colours of the five provinces refer to the colours of the 5 families of the game. On the other hand, their location obeys to a certain logic.
   
The Miyako area, at the center, used to be the Emperor's. The capital city and the Emperor's palace were there.
At the Emperor's court, endless plotting caused the fall of the regime many times. As a consequence, this area could
only be symbolized by the water clan (blue), the clan of the ninja, composed of mercenaries and plotters.
   
Sapporo island, at North East, was conquered late in Japanese history. Even today, it remains little civilized. It used to
be the shelter of many tribes, such as the Ainus. As a consequence, this province is symbolized by the earth clan (green).
   
Kyushu island, at South West, has the greatest volcano of Japan : mount Aso. The Fire clan (red) was thus the best to
represent this area. Furthermore, the isle of Shikoku also means "kingdom of the dead" in Japanese - a famous
pilgrimage takes place there, making this island a high spiritual place, which is greatly influenced by local sects,
reminding us of the fire clan again.
   
Edo - today's Tokyo - became the capital of Japan around 1600. The shogunate of the Tokugawa then reorganized
the state around a very rigid hierarchy, which allowed them to control the whole country, at the expense of the Emperor. It was the time of the samurais and of the daimyos, and so, this area is symbolized by the metal clan (grey).
   
The mountainous areas of Miyako used to shelter the greatest sohei Busshist temples. They played an important
political role and competed with the samurai on the military level. Their monasteries were like fortresses, and
mountains made them difficult to attack. As a consequence, the whole moutainous area North West of Miyako is
symbolized by the wood clan (brown).
   



Cosmogony and the treatment of space
The map of Kigetsu represents a self-sufficient and self-centered world, which
symbolizes the concept of "Fudo". Fudo refers to a mystical God, which keeps
the borders of the world, but the thinker Watsuji Tetsuro made a geographical
criteria out of it, which associates nature and collective imagination. Japan is
subjected to volcanoes, typhoons, earthquakes and many other disasters : as a
consequence, Japaese collective thinking rejects stable landmarks and
favours fluxes, processes and asymetry.
   
Kigetsu is the result of intensive study about early myths and their representations. Cosmogony is a specific way of dealing with space and time in a myth. In this way, one could compare the map of Japan to a scroll or parchment which gradually tells a legend, during the time of the game. Thus, myth and History cannot be disconnected : the game board is a projection of time and space as absolutes.
The Great Sun and the Great Moon, next to the map, symbolize the Golden age and the Dark age. The players constantly move from one to the other, and gradually build the game aroud that to and fro movement. In Kigetsu, nothing is really defined in termes of time and space. When a player puts his counters on the map, he does more than travelling from one point to the other. He actually draws a line of power, he opens a track as people gradually open a track through a forest : it is a process which takes a lot of time, but which then allows to travel faster.
   



Cosmogony and the treatment of time
A kata sequence of karate.
In Japanese primitive thinking, time is the real master of the universe : it is pure energy, which
triggers and submits everything. In martial arts and even in the tea ceremony, capturing this pure energy can be performed through jo-ha-kyu, an aesthetic principle that could be translated by "beginning, break, rapid". This arrangement may be found at many levels : microcosmic (a combination of hits, notes, or dancing steps) and macrocosmic (an act, a narrative structure, an epic tale).

In Kigetsu, each part is organized around this principle, globally (in the game) and specifically (in the world of spirits). Jo-ha-kyu is a "breath", which gives life to the game. The playwright Zeami described jo-ha-kyu as a brook, which becomes a river, then a fall which crashes into a quiet pond. It is the introduction, development and conclusion of any action.
   
JO – slow and quiet introduction.
HA – Development, characterized
by ruptures, and by an increase of
speed and pressure.
KYU – quick conclusion, followed
by a brief final stasis.



Chinese astrology
There are 15 "Sepcial Action" cards which can be used at any moment. They are like jokers and may only be used once. Twelve of those represent the twelve signs of the Cinese horoscope : dragon, goat, dog, rat, cock, monkey, buffalo, tiger, rabbit, snake, pig and horse. The associated special effect has always a connection with the featured animal.

Just like kami, which, in Japan, are protective gods often represented by animals, the twelve Chinese signs of Kigetsu symbolize natural forces, which come to help the player.
   


The three major gods
Among the fifteen "Special Action" cards, three represent the three highest kami, which
are the second founding gods of Japanese cosmogony, just after Izanami and Izanagi.

They are Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, Tsukiyomi, the God of the Moon, and Susanoo, the
God of Storms. According to the founding legend, those three kami originated from the body of Izanagi.

The kami are many, as the Shinto religion is dedicated to many aspects of nature. Yet, those three are absolutely decisive. In Kigetsu, they are like "events", which can modify the balance of the game, and accelerate or slow down the lenght of the game. Each kami is associated to a specific element of the game, which it can alter : the Great Sun for Amaterasu, the Great Moon for Tsukiyomi and the Map of Japan for Susanoo.
   


Folklore
Japanese collective imagination is built on a strong sense of place and opposes constantly the inside and the outside worlds, as well as the visible and invisible worlds. Noh theatre is a perfect example of the mise en scène of this "double" vision of the world. It also invites to think about the blurred frontier between myth and History. As is the case in many Japanese legends, such as the legends of Yoshitsune, realism isn't the point. It is the same for Celtic or Indian legends : what matters is the "fable", the story that is told. No matter if the heroes are always the same, or if they cross time and space without logic.

Kigetsu mixes historical figures that couldn't stand together in reality. For example, Bushis, who were professional warriors from the Middle Ages, were heavily armed and had quite a rough temper. They are nevetheless in the same clan as the elegant Samurais, who only existed in the modern times. So, in Kigetsu, ninjas can meet Ainus, and gods can fight against riflemen or warrior monks.

Check the section "the 5 families of Kigetsu" to get more information.
   


Religions et philosophies

- In Japan, the two major spiritual spheres are Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto is a very old polytheist religion, which beleives in the existence of kami. In Kigetsu, it is represented by the earth clan. Buddhism is a philosophy which came from China, and is based on reincarnation and enlightenment. In Kigetsu, it is represented by the wood clan.

- Many sects also developed, derived from the dominant religions, and some became very powerful. In Kigetsu, an esoteric sect is represented by the fire clan.

- Ninja clans developed ninpo, a martial art which was a spiritual art in itself, a method of progressing technically, physically and spiritually. Those precepts are represented by the water clan.

- Finally, the bushido, the code of honour of the warrior caste, was a set of moral principles which required honour and loyalty until death. This code is applied by the metal clan.

   



Other topics

Aesthetics

Game Mechanism

Families

History