A Thousand Steps into Night

Tujiyazai (or Vengeance), the doro yagra (or Demon Prince), is the antagonist of the novel and Miuko’s foe throughout her quest to eliminate her shaoha’s curse. Originally the spirit of Ogawa Saitaivaona, the last heir of the Ogawa clan to die at the hands of the Omaizi clan 300 years ago, Tujiyazai transformed himself from a vengeful ghost to a malevolence demon. He has possessed the body of Omaizi Ruhai, the sole heir of the Omaizi clan, and his appearance “was handsomely symmetrical in the way of all wealthy and powerful individuals, for whom money and prestige have bought generations of good breeding” (24). Miuko can see the face beneath it: “one with blazing pits where his eyes should have been and ridged horns twisting from his forehead like those of a serow” (24). As a malevolence demon, the doro yagra can manipulate anger by eliminating it completely or amplifying it to such a degree as to have men turn on their comrades and spirits turn into yasa.

Though Tujiyazai is genuinely interested in having Miuko by his side, his interest is entirely self-serving since he sees her transformation into a shaoha as a means of acquiring the most powerful destructive tool—one that would help him achieve his revenge against the Omaizi clan. He is ruthless in his approach and willingly threatens Miuko to manipulate her into acting as he wishes. Though not a round character as he remains steadfast and undergoes no growth, Tujiyazai does have nuance, wherein his past and the murder of his whole family and clan at the hands of the Omaizi lead to his desire for their destruction.

Geiki is a secondary character to the novel and Miuko’s closest friend and ally. He is a magpie spirit who can transform into a human, a magpie, and a giant bird. As a human, he is “disarmingly odd-looking, with delicate features, round eyes, and thin lips” (50). As a magpie, he is “an azure-winged magpie with an ebony head, gray body, and blue-tipped wings and tail” (17).

Geiki has a propensity for thievery and he enjoys the taking of ill-gotten goods more than the goods themselves. As one of the nasu, Geiki is often aghast with all the restrictions and traditions humans impose upon themselves and is forced to take on roles to bypass human conventions. In the social hierarchy of the nasu, he does not figure highly and has been known to seek favors from more powerful spirits. Though a trickster spirit, Geiki is steadfast in his loyalty to Miuko, initially because of his life debt to her and then because of their genuine friendship. A flat character and not innately heroic, Geiki will nevertheless go to great lengths to protect Miuko and assist her in her quest. Geiki often pushes Miuko out of her comfort zone so that she dares to engage with the world in ways she never has before—be it by tricking librarians into thinking she is a man or flying on his back to see the world. Geiki is committed to his friendship with Miuko even beyond the events of the doro yagra and into new adventures.

Throughout the narrative, Miuko encounters several nasu characters. All of them are mostly flat characters who either assist or impede her in her journey. Sidrisine, also known as “The Doctor,” is one such spirit who comes to assist Miuko and Geiki after striking a bargain. A snake demon and owner of a gambling parlor, Sidrisine is described as having nothing unusual about her appearance except the fact that “the top of her head was perfectly smooth, like a tumbled stone, and that she did not sit like any woman Miuko had ever met [with her legs akimbo]” (72). Sidrisine is the first female being Miuko encounters who wears power like a well-fitted cloak. Miuko comes to have reservations about Sidrisine’s use of violence and enthrallment of men to make them her servants, but she is nevertheless awe-inspiring for the former servant class girl. After hiring Miuko and Geiki to discover a cheater in her parlor, she grants them passage on one of her boats and sets them up with supplies for their journey.

Beikai is a high-level cloud spirit Miuko and Geiki encounter at Sidrisine’s parlor. Beikai is a hei, an individual who is considered neither man nor woman. Miuko and Geiki save Beikai, and Beikai promises them a favor—one Miuko employs to ensure the priests of December obtain a bespelled vermillion sash to protect themselves against the doro yagra. Beikai is not generous with their time and refuses to aid unless they must.

Nogadishao is a daigana, a forest spirit, who has grown feral from a lack of tending and belief. He is described as having “the head of an old man, sitting atop a bulbous body and six spindly legs, all clothed in what appeared to be a tattered garment of leaves” (238). Nogadishao proves himself to have a strong sense of justice but is gullible to flattery and the promise of glory. Once he discovers Miuko’s lies, Nogadishao pursues her for retribution. When the truth is revealed, however, Nogadishao is an invaluable ally who helps safeguard Nihaoi villagers while Miuko faces off against the doro yagra.

The Gods, specifically Naisholao, the January God, and Afaina, the God of the Stars, are two entities with whom Miuko must bargain to regain her timeline and defeat the doro yagra. Naisholao is Queen of Kuludrava Palace, said to have “eyes as small and red as winter berries” and to wear “thick white robes that could have been the richest fur or the deepest snow” (291). Though she shows little concern for matters outside of the November God’s disappearance, she gives Miuko the means to reach Afaina in exchange for information on how to locate the missing god. Afaina is said to have “the form of a young man, long-haired and […] upon his head he wore a crown of stars which revolved slowly in dazzling, ever-shifting ellipses” (311). Afaina’s body is made of a thousand eyes, each tracking different timelines and occurrences, which disconnects him from the realities he observes. His indifference is a hard to overcome, and it is only the promise of an eternal friend that moves him to return Miuko to her proper time.

Uhula is a despair spirit of many heads who takes advantage of Miuko after being cast out of her village for the second time upon her return to the past. She capitalizes on Miuko’s despair to try and trap her in the forest, but Miuko eventually breaks free and escapes.

Meli is a young priest at the House of December who befriends Miuko and Geiki during their stay and joins forces with them in their encounter with the doro yagra. Meli explains that though she is a girl, her parents believed her a boy. When she received what she believed was a message from Amyunasa to live her life as herself, she left her home to become a priest of December.

Laido is a lugubrious priest stationed in Nihaoi and Miuko’s second-least favorite priest. Laido is said to be a willowy man with halitosis. He is the initiator of Miuko’s expulsion when he discovers the blue dot on the sole of her foot.

The priests of November are a pious group of priests who serve the November God. Their House boasts most of the protective and offensive knowledge against spirits and trains kyakyozuyasu, demon hunters, and produces portable spells and bespelled protective sashes. The House of November comes to ruin and its god disappears despite Miuko’s best efforts to stop the doro yagra.

The priests of December serve Amyunasa, the December God. Located at the furthest tip of Awara, their house is known to accept any individual within their folds. The priests of December are known to be the only ones who can remove a curse as powerful as the shaoha’s, and when Miuko and Geiki arrive at the temple, they are more than willing to help her. Their House also contains the moon gate, a pool of water that allows a drifter to travel to Ana, the spirit world.