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| Utsunomiko | |
 Utsunomiko Bunko Volume 1, illustrated by Mutsumi Inomata | |
| 宇宙皇子 | |
|---|---|
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Keisuke Fujikawa |
| Illustrated by | Mutsumi Inomata |
| Published by | Kadokawa Shoten |
| Original run | 1984 –1998 |
| Volumes | 52 |
| Anime film | |
| Directed by | Kenji Yoshida |
| Produced by | Haruki Kadokawa Junzō Nakajima Shōji Satō |
| Written by | Sukehiro Tomita Kenji Terada Junki Takegami |
| Music by | Kunihiro Kawano |
| Studio | Nippon Animation |
| Released | March 11, 1989 |
| Runtime | 80 minutes |
| Anime film | |
| Utsunomiko: Tenjōhen | |
| Directed by | Tetsuo Imazawa |
| Produced by | Akira Takano Haruki Kadokawa Kenji Yokoyama Sachiko Iijima Tetsuo Oka Yōichi Kominato |
| Written by | Sukehiro Tomita Junki Takegami |
| Music by | Masahiro Kawasaki |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Released | September 22, 1990 |
| Runtime | 70 minutes |
| Original video animation | |
| Utsunomiko: Heaven Chapter | |
| Directed by | Tetsuo Imazawa |
| Written by | Junki Takegami |
| Music by | Masahiro Kawasaki |
| Studio | Toei Animation |
| Released | October 24, 1990 – February 19, 1992 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes each |
| Episodes | 13 |
UtsunoMiko (宇宙皇子), alsowrittenUtsu no Miko, is a Japanesehistorical fantasylight novel series written by Keisuke Fujikawa (藤川桂介) and illustrated byMutsumi Inomata, which was later adapted into ananime of the same title. The story is set in the lateAsuka Period to theNara Period, and follows the trials of the title character Utsunomiko (usually shortened to Miko), the offspring of thekami of thenorth star. There are 52Utsunomiko novels, the first published in 1984, and the last published in 1998. TheUtsunomiko anime film premiered in 1989, followed by a second anime film and a 13-episodeOVA starting in 1990.
In the chaos of theJinshin War of 672, a child with a small horn in his forehead was born. The child's mother condemned him as anoni and cast him away. The founder of theShūgendō tradition, the miracle-worker and mountain hermitEn no Gyōja, earthly incarnation of the heavenly Jinben Daibosatsu, raised the child as his disciple and named him Utsunomiko, or 'Divine Child of the Heavens', telling Miko that his horn symbolizesthe union of heaven and earth, and that his father is Hoku-Ten, the god of the North Star, whose name isAma no Minaka Nushi no Kami, the primeval creator deity of theKojiki.
Miko matured in the wilderness and becoming a Yamabushi, learning his master's syncretism ofDaoism,Buddhism andShintoism, and soon started venturing into villages out of curiosity. He found that the common people of the villages live in poverty and suffering, and began using his spiritual powers to help them. But his anger at the self-serving rulers and their petty power-struggles grew until he came into open conflict with theImperial Court (but not the Emperors and the Imperial Family itself, as he befriended some of its members, such as Otsu-no-Miko, a prince ofEmperor Tenmu, who, historically, was set up and killed byEmpress Jitō in order to secure her son's position as Crown Prince), especiallyFujiwara no Fuhito, setting Miko down a long path as a champion of the oppressed, and of his perillious spiritual journey.
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