Mononoke Hime (もののけ姫) It is a jidaigeki (period drama) set in late Muromachi period of Japan, and centers on the struggle between the supernatural guardians of a forest and the humans who consume its resources, as seen by the outsider Ashitaka. Mononoke (物の怪) is not a name, but a general term in Japanese for a spirit or monster. Princess Mononoke follows the journey of the last Emishi prince, Ashitaka, and his attempts to make peace between the human settlement, Irontown, and the creatures living in the forest that surrounds it. “We are the last of the Emishi. It's years since the Emperor destroyed our tribe... and drove the remnants of our people to the east. Some managed to survive here for all these years, but the blood of our tribe has grown thinner and weaker with each generation." "Now our last prince must cut his hair and leave us, never to return? Sometimes I think the gods are laughing at us." "Our laws forbid us from watching you go, Ashitaka. Whatever comes to pass now, you are dead to us forever..” —Ashitaka is cast out by Hii-sama and the village elders