The red flowers in Demon Slayer are called HIGANBANA in Japanese. It’s a red spider lily in English. In Demon Slayer, Kibutsuji Muzan became the first Oni demon by having the blue spider lily.
Do blue flowers really exist?
No. We only see red or white Higanbana flowers. According to agronomists, blue spider lilies can be developed only by gene recombination. It never exists in the natural world.
No wonder Muzan hadn’t been able to find blue flowers for a thousand years!
What Does Higanbana Mean in Japanese?
For us Japanese people, Higanbana flowers remind us of a grave. Originally, the name Higanbana stands for the other world. Here are the Kanji characters for it.
HIGAN = afterlife, the other world
BANA = flower
Tsuyuri Kanao’s technique HIGAN SHUGAN comes from the same HIGAN word. All names of the Flower Breathing techniques come from the names of flowers!
In Japan, we have a Buddhism event called OHIGAN twice a year. During the Ohigan terms, we pay a visit to the graves of our ancestors. The name Higanbana was named after this Ohiban ceremony because they bloom in the same season as the Ohigan weeks.
We often see red spider lilies blooming around temples and shrines!
There’s another name for a spider lily and it’s MANJUSHAGE. It stems from a Sanskrit word that means a red flower. Each Kanji symbol was chosen only to express the sound of Sanskrit.
Red Spider Lily Is Poisonous!
Red spider lilies have up to 20 types of strong toxins both in flowers and stems. That’s why Japanese people in the old days planted them around a grave to drive vermis away from tombs. Some Japanese traditions say that you’ll go to the other world if you eat Higanbana.
In Demon Slayer, the blue Higanbana was used as medicine but ended up turning Muzan into an Oni demon. If a ref lower stands for the other world, there’s a possibility that a blue one represents another different world. It may be the night world since Oni demons can live only in the darkness.
When it comes to flowers, wisteria is another key item for slaying demons. If you’re interested in it, check the link below too!
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