How much of the historical facts and source material in 'Jadugar of the Tent' is true? Understanding the historical background without needing world history
Many people watching 'Jadugar of the Tent' have likely wondered if this is a story that actually happened.
To give you the conclusion, the historical accuracy of 'Jadugar of the Tent' is quite high, and both the setting and the events follow things that almost certainly existed.
The source material is the 13th-century Mongol Empire and its invasion of the countries to its west.
That said, if you don't remember world history, the katakana names just wash over you, and you can't grasp the foundation of the story.
In this article, I will break down the era and countries of the source material, the reason Sitara's hometown was burned, and even the connection to the Mongol invasions of Japan, all without needing to open a textbook.
I will also draw a line between what is fiction and how much research will lead to spoilers for future developments, so please read on with peace of mind.
The historical facts and source material for 'Jadugar of the Tent' are mostly true events
First, let's start with the conclusion.
Most of the events depicted in this work are recorded as things that actually happened.
The countries, the battles, and the names of the people who appear are mostly real things found in history books.
The source material is the 13th-century Mongol Empire and its invasion to the west
The source material is the era when a collection of nomads living with livestock on the grasslands became a massive country in just about 20 years and invaded further and further west.
The town where Sitara lived was one of the lands caught up in that.
The original author, Tomato Soup, drew this after reading through the remaining records, and even readers knowledgeable about history have praised its high level of accuracy.
The fiction lies in Sitara's inner life and the parts that fill in the gaps in the records
So, is everything exactly as it was in reality? Not necessarily.
Records only go as far as 'what happened,' and they don't leave behind what people were thinking.
The protagonist Sitara's sadness, anger, and her choice to survive by using her wisdom as a weapon are parts that the author constructed through imagination.
The setting that Toregene was once the wife of Dair is also a conjecture where the author filled in the gaps in the records.
On X, there were comments (@kashghari_tan) saying, 'The intersection of Fatima and Toregene is Mr. T-Soup's conjecture, but it is summarized within a natural range compared to historical facts.'
It is being accepted even by those knowledgeable about history as a reasonable way to fill in the gaps.
Historical models for each character are summarized in the correlation chart article
Both Sitara and Toregene have real-life historical figures who served as their models.
However, it would be long to write about who is the model for whom one by one, so I have separated that into a different article.
→ Summary of the character correlation chart and relationships in 'Jadugar of the Tent'
The era that served as the source material for 'Jadugar of the Tent' is the 13th-century Mongol Empire
The Mongol Empire is said to be the largest country in history
The Mongol Empire is said to be the largest country in history in terms of contiguous land.
A rough image of people accustomed to horseback riding moving along and swallowing up neighboring countries one after another is sufficient.
Science SARU, the studio that made the anime, went to Mongolia for research, actually staying in homes to confirm the lifestyle habits and climate.
The reason the meal scenes and the way animals are butchered are so vivid is because it was created with that level of depth.
Sitara's hometown, Tus, is a town of learning in eastern Iran
Sitara's hometown is a town called Tus, which was located in the eastern part of present-day Iran.
It was a place where scholars were raised, and there were books and places to learn.
The reason Sitara was able to encounter mathematics books like 'Elements' from a young age is because she lived in such a town.
The wealthy country to the west was originally a trading partner
The region including Toos was located at the eastern edge of a country called Khwarazm, which was to the west of the Mongol Empire.
It was a quite wealthy country for its time, flourishing through trade where merchants came and went.
This is an important point: the Mongols and Khwarazm were not enemies from the start.
Rather, their relationship began as trading partners exchanging goods.
Understanding the period from 1204 to 1229 through four events
Since a long list of years is hard to keep in mind, I will list only the four that are relevant to this work.
1204: The Mongols fight against northern tribes. The year that changed Toregene's life.
Around 1219: The invasion of the country to the west begins. Sitara's hometown gets caught up in it.
1227: Genghis Khan passes away.
Autumn 1229: Ogedei ascends to the throne. The year set as when Sitara and Toregene met.
The phrase "25 years ago" mentioned in Act 6 also corresponds exactly to 1204 when counting back from 1229.
There was also a point made on X (@yamayama6059) that "The year Sitara and Toregene met (as set in the story) was the autumn of Ogedei's ascension (1229), and Temujin fought the Naimans and Merkits in 1204, so it really is 25 years ago."
It is a work where even the numbers in the dialogue are aligned with historical facts.
The historical reason why Sitara's hometown was burned in 'Tenmaku no Jadougal'
The trigger was an incident where a group of merchants was killed
The trigger was the killing of a group of merchants sent out by the Mongols in a town on the Khwarazm side.
Even the envoys sent to inquire about the situation were killed afterward.
The party that was supposed to be a trading partner suddenly became an enemy.
Towns that did not surrender were completely wiped out
This invasion was extremely brutal, and records remain showing that towns that did not surrender were thoroughly destroyed.
Not only buildings, but the people living there and the books written down were all lost together.
Sitara losing her family and the "Elements" at the same time is not a special tragedy unique to this work.
The scene in Act 1 is almost exactly historical fact
I think some people may have felt that watching Act 1 was a bit too much.
However, that scene is quite close to what was depicted based on records.
The reason the first few episodes are so heavy is not because the production exaggerated it, but because the events that served as the source material were heavy themselves.
The historical facts of 'Tenmaku no Jadougal' are also connected to the Mongol invasions of Japan
In this chapter, I will touch briefly on the story of the generation of the children of the characters who appear in the work.
If you do not want to know about the future generations, please skip this and proceed to the next chapter.
Kublai, who caused the Mongol invasions, is the son of the couple in the story
The couple in the story, Tolui and Sorghaghtani, had four sons: Mongke, Kublai, Hulagu, and Ariq Boke.
Of these, it is Kublai who later establishes the Yuan dynasty in China.
This Kublai is the same person listed as 'Kublai' in Japanese history textbooks.
Since they are the same person despite the difference in reading, it means the mastermind behind the Mongol invasions is still in the generation of children in this work.
The Mongol invasions occur after the children in the story grow up
The Mongol forces invaded Japan in 1274 and 1281.
Counting from 1229 in the story, this corresponds to 45 and 52 years later.
I think that even those who saw world history and Japanese history as completely separate stories will find them connected here as a single line.
You can get a sense of how the empire expanded by calculating backward from the Mongol invasions
From the Mongol perspective, the western edge reached as far as Iran, where Sitara's hometown is.
And to the east, they crossed the sea and reached just before Japan.
The army that burned Sitara's town and the ships that headed for Japan are part of the story of the same country.
The name 'Jadougal' (Witch) in 'Tenmaku no Jadougal' also remains in historical records
A woman who was feared as a witch in the imperial court actually existed
There was a woman who held great power as a close aide to the Empress and was feared as a witch in the court.
This person is the model for the protagonist.
The important point is that she did not call herself a witch.
It was the people around her who wrote the records who called her that.
She was called a witch because she was a powerful foreign woman
She came from a foreign land, her faith was different from those around her, and on top of that, she made her way into the center of the court.
A woman who met these three criteria was highly likely to be written about as a witch in the records of that time.
It is more accurate to say it was a label applied not because she used curses, but because she possessed an inexplicable influence.
A woman who survived through her wisdom is called a witch because of that very wisdom.
This structure itself is the origin of the work's title.
I have touched upon the meaning of the word itself and the English title in the previous article about the correlation diagram.
The scope of spoilers when following the historical facts of 'Tenmaku no Jadougal'
This is a chapter that requires caution.
I have written it so that those who do not want to know future developments can skip this chapter and proceed to the next.
Because they are real people, searching for them will reveal what happens next
The tricky part of this work is that the characters are real people.
If you search for their names, you will easily find out what happened to them afterward.
There was also a viewer's voice (@aPony) on X saying, 'I'm avoiding looking up historical facts because I'm afraid of spoilers.'
I completely understand that feeling, and I think that judgment is correct.
The anime covered up to the 6th act
What has been broadcast so far is up to the 6th act, 'The People of Mergen'.
This covers up to Toregene's past and the formation of the alliance with Sitara.
Please rest assured that what I have touched upon in this article is only within that scope or about the historical background itself.
These are the three things you are most likely to stumble upon when searching
I will list the points that are dangerous to look into further by their headings.
Which of the main characters dies and when
Who takes the throne after Ogedei
Which house wins in the end, the House of Ogedei or the House of Tolui
These three things will appear in your search results the moment you search for their names.
If you want to enjoy it as a story, it is safest to stick to the anime or the original work without delving into historical facts.
Streaming services where you can rewatch Episode 1 after learning the historical facts of 'The Tent of Jadugar'
When you rewatch the first act with an understanding of the historical background, the meaning of the scenery shown changes completely.
The show airs every Saturday at 11:30 PM on 24 TV Asahi affiliated stations, and can be streamed on ABEMA, d Anime Store, Prime Video, U-NEXT, DMM TV, and WOWOW On Demand.
Rewatching for free on TVer and ABEMA
If you want to watch without spending money, you can use the catch-up streaming on TVer and ABEMA.
ABEMA offers free viewing for 6 days after the broadcast, so even if you miss it on Saturday, you can still catch it by the beginning of the week.
However, you can only watch the latest episodes, and you cannot go back to the first episode.
Binge-watching from Episode 1 on U-NEXT and DMM TV
If you want to rewatch from the first act, it is faster to sign up for a monthly service.
If you want to enjoy binge-watching and the original manga together, U-NEXT offers a 31-day free trial for 2,189 yen per month.
If you want to keep costs as low as possible, DMM TV offers a 14-day free trial for 550 yen per month.
→ Where can I watch 'The Tent of Jadugar'? How to watch for free and how to watch from Episode 1
Summary
I have organized the historical facts and source material for 'The Tent of Jadugar' from the perspective of the era.
I will summarize the main points in three items.
The source material is the 13th-century Mongol Empire and its invasion of the countries to its west. The events are almost entirely based on historical facts
The fictional parts are Sitara's inner thoughts and the parts that fill in the gaps not recorded in history
The generation of children in the story leads directly to the Mongol invasions of Japan
You can fully enjoy 'Jadugar of the Tent' even if you don't remember world history.
In fact, the surprise you feel when rewatching it after learning a little about the historical background is the best part of this work.
If you play the first act again, those same 23 minutes should look like a completely different work.
It's a series that makes Saturday nights something to look forward to, so let's follow it together until the end.