InuYasha
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Robe of fire rat

The Robe of the Fire-Rat. (only the upper part)

The Robe of the Fire-Rat (火鼠ひねずみかわごろも, "Hi nezumi no kawagoromo"), was a garment woven, as its name suggests, from the fur of the fire-rat. It is an incredibly tough armor clothing and has regenerative properties.[1] It once belonged to Tōga; however, he gave it to his human wife[2] Izayoi after she gave birth to his half-demon son Inuyasha.[3] It remained in Izayoi's possession, she made it as a kimono and gave it to her son Inuyasha and inherited it when he was younger,[4] until her death. Along with a container of rouge that his mother used (which was later shattered by Naraku)[5] the robe was the only thing that he had left of his mother.[6] It signifies the element fire and is represented on Kaguya's seal by the color red.[7]

Powers & Abilities[]

The robe is completely fireproof. The wearer is protected from both heat and flame.[1] The robe is stronger than any human-made armor,[8] allowing it to shatter un-empowered human weapons, deflect lesser yōkai swords, and absorb concussive pressure from high-powered explosives; the robes has allowed Kagome to survive being immersed in Naraku's highly-corrosive miasma without injury. The robe is regenerative and mends itself, regardless of the severity of the damage (the proof of its regenerative capabilities is how it once completely disintegrated in a cloud of miasma Naraku released, but was back a few days later).[1]

However, as they are derived from a demon, the robe's powers can be nullified by purification barriers, such as the one that once surrounded Mount Hakurei. It becomes a normal robe, and loses its defensive qualities when in such situations (although unlike a living yōkai, it would not be destroyed).[1]

It has some connection with Lake Motosu in that, with four other objects, unseals Princess Kaguya's powers.[7]

Verse[]

In The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, when a piece of the robe was tore and stolen by Kagura, Kaguya cited the first part of the verse:

The white-hot flame of my love for you cannot burn this cloth of fur. My raiment, sleeves dried of tears, now on this day I don it.

限りなき、思ひに焼けぬ皮衣、袂かはきて、けふこそは着め

Kagiri naki, omoi ni yakenu kawagoromo, tamoto kawakite kyō koso wa kime

When it was thrown into Lake Motosu, this second part was spoken:

Could you have but known that it would burn so swiftly, this raiment of fur, you would not then have sat with such little show of concern.

なごりなく、燃ゆと知りせば皮衣、思ひの外に、置きて見ましを

Nagori naku, moyu to shiri seba kawagoromo, omoi no hoka ni, okite mimashi o

Trivia[]

  • The Robe of the Fire-rat is based on the one in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (竹取物語, "Taketori Monogatari"), which is also fireproof.
  • The Robe of the Fire-rat is a legendary clothing originated in Ancient China.
  • Chinese legends of the fire rat are based on ancient Greek misconceptions of asbestos, a fireproof mineral with hairy fibers that can be spun into a cloth. Some ancient Greek writers believed the moist skin of the salamander, a type of amphibian, could douse flames. This concept was eventually confused with the aforementioned cloth derived from asbestos fibers to form stories of furry, fireproof creatures commonly described as rats.
  • Moroha, Inuyasha and Kagome's daughter, wears the robe as main cloth, unlike her father, who wore it as armor.
    • In "The Blackout" the cape for the Robe of the Fire-Rat has covers the Moroha's Longbow and the arrows since she and the others have returned to the modern era.

References[]


InuYasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
Locations: Mount Fuji  •  Dream Castle  •  Forest of Illusion (Shrine of the Mirror of Life)
Five Lakes of Mount Fuji: Lake Kawaguchi  •  Lake Motosu  •  Lake Sai  •  Lake Shōji  •  Lake Yamanaka
Princess Kaguya
Allies: Kagura (formerly)  •  Kanna (formerly)  •  Orochi
Enemies: Miyatsu  •  Naraku  •  Inuyasha  •  Kagome Higurashi  •  Miroku  •  Sango  •  Shippō  •  Kirara  •  Akitoki Hōjō  •  Kohaku
Equipment: Celestial Robe  •  Mirror of Life
Five Items: Jeweled Branch of Hōrai  •  Swallow's Cowrie Shell  •  Jewel of the Dragon's Neck  •  Stone Begging Bowl of Buddha  •  Robe of the Fire-Rat
Dog Yōkai
Daiyōkai TōgaSesshōmaruSesshōmaru's mother
Hanyō InuyashaTowa HigurashiSetsunaMoroha (quarter)
Allies BokusenōHōsenki IHigurashi familyJakenKaedeKohakuKujakuMyōgaRōyakanSayaSea GodSeitenTōtōsaiMō-MōMirokuKirinmaru (formerly)Zero (formerly)RikuRionSpirit of the Tree of AgesAkuruNanasukeRokutaHisui
Enemies Hyōga clan (HyōgaMenōmaru) • NarakuPanther tribe (Panther King) • RyūkotsuseiShishinkiShitōshinTakemaruShikyōKirinmaru (currently)Zero (currently)
Locations Kagome and Inuyasha's houseSesshōmaru's mother's manorStone tombTōga's tomb
Unique Items BakusaigaBlack PearlMeidō StoneRobe of the Fire-RatSō'ungaTenseigaTessaigaHoshikiri no FueRainbow PearlKyūyōkon RootKikujūmonjiKurikaramaruKanemitsu no TomoeWindmill of TimePinwheelYukari no TachikiriZanseiken
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