Throughout Nippon in Ōkami, there are three Dōjō (「道場」?; Dōjō) owned by Onigiri-Sensei where he teaches Dōjō techniques. Each of the three major plot arcs has a dōjō located in its first hub, available as soon as the local Guardian Sapling has been restored. As the game progresses, each new dōjō widens the range of available techniques that can be learned. Many techniques can only be learned at certain locations.
In Ōkamiden, it's shown that the dōjō have crumbled. Only the one in Shinshu Field is accessible (as Chibiterasu can't swim and never visits Kamui). If it is examined while Kuni is Chibiterasu's partner, it's revealed that Onigiri-Sensei "moved away" and since then the dōjō have fallen into disrepair. It's unknown where Onigiri-sensei is: it's possible he is either deceased or at one of the inaccessible Dōjō, or in an unseen location.
Design[]
Each dōjō is identical in design: there is an antechamber which can be entered freely where Amaterasu first talks to Onigiri-Sensei. The antechamber is quite small and is decorated with lines of bamboo on either sides and sand, embedded with stepping stones, resembling a zen garden. After a technique is selected and paid for, the door to the back room is opened. The back room is a training room that larger than the first, but it still contains the zen gardens around the main arena. In the center of the room is a raised ground of stones with a flat top, covered in tatami mats. In the center of the ground is a system of mechanism that acts differently with the technique being practiced. If it is an offensive technique, the two central covering of the floor will open up, popping a dummy out for Amaterasu to lash out at. If the technique is aerial-related, then the central floor pieces will rise up with two supporting systems of scissor beams on the side, and Amaterasu jumps onto this raised platform for practice. If she trains digging techniques, then the central floor pieces will be blasted away, revealing a slab of stone that usually covers Divine springs, and Amaterasu digs this stone for practice.
Locations[]
Shinshu Field[]
The Shinshu Field dōjō is available from the beginning of the game, and is the only one accessible during the Orochi arc. It is located at the southwest of Shinshu Field, on top of the hill near the waterway to Agata Forest.
Ryoshima Coast[]
The Ryoshima Coast dōjō becomes available near the start of the Ninetails arc. It is located on an island in the east, near the entrance to Sei'an City.
Kamui[]
The Kamui dōjō becomes available in the last arc of the game. It is located in the southeast, past Yoichi's hut and near Kokari's fishing spot.
Trivia[]
- At the entrance of all Onigiri-Sensei's dōjō, there are the Buddhist inscription (「色即是空」?; shiki soku ze kū; roughly form is emptiness). Emptiness (Japanese: kū; Sanskrit: shunyata) is a fundamental concept in Buddhist philosophy, and in Mahayana Buddhism in particular means the insubstantiality of all things within the context of the relative-absolute metaphysical dichotomy.
- At all of Onigiri-Sensei's dōjō halls there are left to right two Buddhist statues. These are named Niō (「仁王」?) and their threatening appearance is due to their purpose of protect Buddhist temples against negative influences. According to a Japanese legend they were historic bodyguards of the Buddha himself.
- When the two central floor pieces of the mechanism in the training room opens up, it is briefly seen that underneath the pieces is just a plain wooden floor, with no spaces whatsoever to contain either the training dummy or the stone slab.