- This page is for the natural philosophy found in East Asian culture. Since they don't appear in Koei's games, this page will not cover the Buddhist/Japanese version of the Five Elements, Panca-dhatavah or Gotai. To see Elements in the Warriors franchises, please see Elements.
Five Elements in their well known formation of respective births and destruction.
The Five Elements, also known as the Five Rotations, are five natural elements believed to form life and serve as a memorization tool for astrological planets. Originating in China, the philosophy has spread to East Asia, including medicine, Taoism, and Korean culture.
| Element | Restrains | Nurtures |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | Earth | Fire |
| Fire | Metal | Earth |
| Earth | Water | Metal |
| Metal | Wood | Water |
| Water | Fire | Wood |
Koei games often feature the Five Elements cycle, incorporating these elements into characters' natural traits, affecting their damage dealt and received from attacks. For instance, Wood characters deal more damage from Metal attacks.
Properties[]
The chart below lists various properties associated with the Five Elements. It's not a complete list by any means, but it mentions several beliefs attached to the Fire Elements philosophy.
| Elements | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colors | Blue (or Green) | Red | Gold | White | Black |
| Directions | East | South | Center | West | North |
| Seasons | Spring | Summer | Transition (Every three months) | Autumn | Winter |
| Stars (Planets) | Jupitar | Mars | Saturn | Venus | Mercury |
| Sounds | Mi (角) | Sol (徵) | Do (宮) | Re (商) | La (羽) |
| Voices | Yell | Speak | Sing | Cry | Moan |
| Sentiments | Joy | Happiness | Enmity | Rage | Pity |
| Wills | Passion | Enjoyment, Laughter | Thought, Worry | Grief, Melancholy | Fear, Surprise |
| Fingers | Ring finger | Middle finger | Index finger | Thumb | Little finger |
| Senses | Sight | Taste | Speech | Scent | Hearing |
| Fluids | Tears | Sweat | Saliva | Snot | Spit |
| Tastes | Sour | Bitter | Sweet | Hot | Salty |
| Livestock | Dog | Sheep | Oxen | Chicken | Boar |
| Virtues | Benevolence | Courtesy | Trust | Righteousness | Wisdom |
| Evils | Wind | Heat | Dampness | Arid, Cold | Vulnerability, Quick-tempered |
With Yin-Yang[]
During the Chinese Warring States period, yin-yang practitioners linked the Five Elements to Ba qua, assigning each element heavenly and earthly properties. This version is found in various yin-yang practices and is incorporated into Japanese onmyōdō, incorporating other deities and thoughts. The Harukanaru Toki no Naka de series uses this version for the Four Gods and Eight Guardians.
| Elements | Wood | Fire | Earth | Metal | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celestial Beasts | Azure Dragon | Vermilion Bird | Qilin or Huanglong | White Tiger | Black Tortoise |
| Dragons | Qinglong | Chilong | Huanglong | Bailong | Heilong |
| Celestial stems | Jia, Yi | Bing, Ding | Wu, Ji | Geng, Xin | Ren, Gui |
| Earthly branches | Yin, Mao | Si, Wu | Chen, Wei, Xu, Chou | Shen, You | Hai, Zi |
| Months (Chinese calendar) | January~March | April~June | none | July~September | October~December |
| Festivals | Rinri (eat seven herbs for good health) | Spring Purification Festival (prevent diseases) | Dragon Boat Festival (please dragons for plentiful crops) | Magpie Festival (day for newly weds and to pray for fortune in crafts) | Double Yang Festival (protect against dangers and to pay respects to ancestors) |
| Deities (Shintoism) | Kukunochi | Kagutsuchi | Haniyasu | Kanayamahime | Mizuhanome |
| Twelve Generals (onmyōdō) | Rikugō, Seiryu | Tousha, Suzaku | Kōchin, Tenkū, Taimo, Kijin | Taionjin, Byakko | Tenkō, Genbu |
Gallery[]
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de • Banjoyuugi • Hachiyoushou • Iroetebako • Maihitoyo • Pocket Scenario Series • 100man-nin |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2 |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 • Izayoiki • Unmei no Labyrinth |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 • Kazahanaki |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 • Gentou Rondo |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 7 |
| Characters |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de |
| Akane Motomiya • Yorihisa Minamoto • Tenma Morimura • Inori • Shimon Nagareyama • Takamichi Fujiwara • Tomomasa Tachibana • Eisen • Yasuaki Abe • Fujihime • Akram • Iqtidar • Shirin • Sefr • Ran |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Maihitoyo |
| Suefumi Oono |
| 100man-nin no Harukanaru Toki no Naka de |
| Kotengu • Youko • Mamedamuki |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 2 |
| Karin Takakura • Yoritada Minamoto • Katsuzane Taira • Isato • Akifumi • Yukitaka Fujiwara • Hisui • Motomi Minamoto • Yasutsugu Abe • Yukari Fujiwara • Misono Fujiwara • Chitose Taira • Kazuhito • Tokitomo Minamoto |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 |
| Nozomi Kasuga • Masaomi Arikawa • Yoshitsune Minamoto • Hinoe • Benkei Musashibou • Yuzuru Arikawa • Kagetoki Kajiwara • Atsumori Taira • Ridvan • Saku Kajiwara • Hakuryu • Yoritomo Minamoto • Masako Hojo • Kiyomori Taira • Tomomori Taira • Tsunemasa Taira • Koremori Taira • Tadanori Taira • Nii no Ama • Emperor Antoku |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 Izayoiki |
| Shirogane • Hidehira Fujiwara • Yasuhira Fujiwara |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 Unmei no Labyrinth |
| Phantom |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de Yume no Ukihashi |
| Beidou Xingjun • Nandou Xingjun |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4 |
| Chihiro Ashihara • Kazahaya • Asvin • Sazaki • Nagi • Futsuhiko • Hiiragi • Tooya • Oshihito Katsuragi • Iwanagahime • Michiomi Ootomo • Ayuki • Yuugiri • Raja • Nasatya • Shani • Ribhu • Mudgala • Karigane • Sainokimi |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 |
| Yuki Hasumi • Shun Kiryu • Ryouma Sakamoto • Chinami • Souji Okita • Tatewaki Komatsu • Ouchi Fukuchi • Ernest Satow • Shinsaku Takasugi • Miyako Yakumo • Amami • Four Gods • Sou Kiryu • Isami Kondou • Toshizou Hijikata • Kaishu Katsu • Shintarou Nakaoka • Makoto • Takamori Saigou • Kogorou Katsura |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 5 Kazahanaki |
| Rindou • Tadayoshi Oguri |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 |
| Azusa Takatsuka • Hajime Arima • Darius • Kohaku • Shuhei Katagiri • Rudkhane • Masatora Honjo • Kudan Hagio • Murasame Satoya • Chiyo Komano • Seishiro Katagiri |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 6 Gentou Rondo |
| Man • Naoya Toudou |
| Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 7 |
| Nanao Amano • Yukimura Sanada • Satsuki Amano • Musashi Miyamoto • Yamato Sasaki • Nagamasa Kuroda • Kanetsugu Naoe • Okuni • Munenori Yagyū |
| Other Information |
| Sub Characters • Series Terminology • Walkthroughs |