Song(s) from Princess Mononoke. Theme song and insert song(s).
We’ll introduce the main theme and insert songs from Studio Ghibli’s 1997 film Princess Mononoke.
When you think of Princess Mononoke, it’s a moving masterpiece set against a grand natural backdrop, depicting the conflicts among gods, animals, and humans—while the pure feelings of a boy and a girl from different worlds, caring for one another, truly touch the heart.
The film’s tagline is: “Live.”
Many who went to the theater at the time were likely deeply moved to reflect on “the feelings of all who live.”
In this article, we’ll present the memorable music from Princess Mononoke.
Like the film itself, each piece is wonderful and evocative of its iconic scenes!
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Song(s) from Princess Mononoke. Main theme / insert song(s) (21–30)
Vengeful SpiritJoe Hisaishi
This is the third piece in the Tatari-gami series, notable for its fast tempo and exhilarating sense of speed.
The animation alone for Tatari-gami took over a year to produce, and this track perfectly matches its overwhelming presence and terror—a truly traumatizing piece.
It’s a memorable character that helped define the world of Princess Mononoke, and this is a wonderful track that elevates those iconic scenes even further.
Battle in front of the Tatara FurnaceJoe Hisaishi
This is the piece used in the scene where the lively, cheerful atmosphere suddenly turns into a battlefield at the Tatara mill.
From brisk, busy phrases to heavy, low tones that seem to echo a pounding heartbeat, it’s an intense, bustling composition with dramatic buildup.
It eerily conveys both the tension as Eboshi and San cross swords and the Tatara mill’s atmosphere, transformed from daytime liveliness into something ominous.
Requiem IIJoe Hisaishi
Among the pieces from Princess Mononoke, there are several versions of “Requiem,” and this is the second version.
The composition is almost the same, but the differences between versions lie in whether wind instruments are used and in subtle arrangement details.
This is the quietest arrangement in the Requiem series, and in the original it is performed without any wind instruments.
Requiem IIIJoe Hisaishi
It’s the third piece in the Requiem series, and within the film it’s the requiem used at the very end.
Bearing the tagline “Live,” and given how frequently themes of life and death are portrayed throughout this movie, reflecting on the significance of creating a “Requiem,” meaning “song of repose,” across three installments seems to reveal the themes and messages Princess Mononoke seeks to express.
EncounterJoe Hisaishi
It begins gently yet majestically, and a beautiful melody that colors the story flows in.
Simply titled “Encounter,” it accelerates the drama of the narrative.
This melody is the one used frequently throughout Princess Mononoke’s score—the theme of “The Mononoke Alone”—and it is an indispensable, key, and beautiful motif when discussing the music of Princess Mononoke.
Cursed Power IIJoe Hisaishi
This is a theme song centered on the cursed power that rained down upon Ashitaka, and it, too, unfolds across several variations.
Every piece is terrifying, capturing the unstoppable might of the curse and Ashitaka’s uncertain future as that power runs rampant.
It’s a track imbued with the tenacity and bitter regret of the forest god who became a Tatarigami.
routJoe Hisaishi
This song, too, especially conveys the darker parts of the story.
Its heavy, low-end arrangement and flowing, intricate melody are striking, and the way it unfolds as if collapsing perfectly captures a sense of “rout.” It vividly revives the atmosphere of that sad, frustrating retreat by Okko and the lord, who were no match for human strength.