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There's a saying a priest once told my family. Perhaps it can help us find the castle. The castle of the heavenly being lies in Lake of Motosu unreachable by mortals. |
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The Dream Castle of the Pentacle Mirror (夢幻城, むげんじょう, Mugen-jō, "Fantasy Castle") was the residence of a daiyōkai by the name of Princess Kaguya. It consisted of a typical Japanese palace, and rested on the surface of Lake Motosu, supported by stilts. The floors of this castle were strewn with cherry blossoms. Behind the castle lay a large rock, on top of which was Kaguya's main hall: a massive structure supported by large wooden columns. The castle was apparently raised from the bottom of the lake by Kaguya, but it was only an illusion. The real castle lay within the "Realm of the Night" a mirror world connected to Lake Motosu. This was known as the Castle Beyond the Looking Glass. The castle was destroyed after Kaguya's demise which she got sucked by Miroku's Kazaana.
Trivia[]
Kaguya's hall
- The castle's Japanese name Mugen-jō (夢幻城) can be translated as either "Dream Castle" or "Fantasy Castle", though "Fantasy" is the most accurate translation. The kanji 夢 (go-on reading: mu) and 幻 (go-on reading: gen) mean "dream" and "phantom", respectively. Taken together, their meaning indicates something created from dreams, i.e. fantasies, hence Fantasy Castle. However, in the English dub, Dream Castle is used instead, perhaps because it has a more serious connotation.
- Kaguya's Dream Castle is the only fictional location in the InuYasha series for which there is an exact, known location, due to its direct correlation to a real-world landmark, Lake Motosu, near Mt. Fuji.
- Unlike other castles during the Sengoku period, the Dream Castle more closely resembles a palace of Heian-style architecture, comprising an elaborate array of single-story buildings, connected by standalone corridors and causeways. In contrast, situated atop a steep mountain overlooking the rest of the castle, the main hall-like "throne room" of Kaguya's castle, with its large, pillared single-room interior, resembles the great halls of Chinese palaces.
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