Star Shaped Birthmarks

    Hey everyone! Something that's been on my mind while reading A Wild Sheep Chase is the sheep's appearance. More specifically, I've been interested in the sheep's star-shaped birthmark. While the animal is clearly magic, and the mark might just be an indicator of its magic, I was curious to see if there was any deeper symbolic meaning in the symbol. In class, the professor mentioned that architecture in Hokkaido often featured the star, and that locals said it represented the North Star. This makes a great deal of thematic sense to have on the sheep, since the North Star is often used for navigation. Given that the North Star is always located to the north, many look for it when lost as a means to reorient themselves. In a similar way, Boku is functionally lost when he sets out looking for the sheep. He has no job to come back to, few families ties (if any), and only a couple friends in his immediate vicinity. In a societal sense, he is lost. By looking for the sheep, he's gained him funds, a chance to get closer with his girlfriend, and the excuse to meet numerous new people.

    While doing a little research on the North Star's significance in Japan, I came across an article on Myōken, a deification of the North Star in Japanese Buddhism. Myōken is an agricultural deity, often depicted as a young man with a sword. He is also a Bodhisattva, meaning that he is capable of reaching nirvana but continues to reincarnate out of compassion for helping others. Ordinarily Bodhisattvas try to help others approach nirvana, but this compassion may be reflected in the story as the sheep's decision to keep the Boss alive for so many years. To what degree the sheep cares for the rest of humanity, however, remains to be seen, as the Sheep Professor was left in a much worse state after the two came into contact.

    While I was searching for information on star-shaped birthmarks, the overwhelming majority of results had to do with a series called Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. From what I've read, it began in 1987, two years before the publication of A Wild Sheep Chase, and is still ongoing. The series is split into eight parts so far, each following a different descendant of the Joestar family. Each of the protagonists have a star shaped birthmark on their shoulder, apparently as a genetic marker of being a member of the family. Whether Murakami read and took inspiration from this is unclear. Considering it's been running for more than thirty years, I can't exactly skim the plot for similarities. I haven't found anything about sheep, though apparently one of the family members heads the Italian mafia, somewhat akin to the Boss' position. From what I've read, I think the star-shaped birthmark is a purely cosmetic similarity between the two, but if anyone knows more about the series I'd love to hear about it!

Bruce