After a long, hard year of waiting with lots of ups and downs and will they won’t they, for better or worse the Tokyo Olympics are finally here! And no Olympic games would be complete without some cute mascots! Mascots at the Olympics actually date back to the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles with Smokey the Scottish Terrier. The first official Olympic mascot was the multi-color Dashund, Waldi, representing the 1972 summer games in Munich. Since then there have been a number of memorable characters, including Misha the bear from the 1980 games in Moscow and even Wenlock, a drop of steel with a camera for an eye for the London games in 2012.
Anyways, enough about the past, let’s get to know the mascots of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. As a country known for its mascot game, Japan definitely didn’t disappoint with Miraitowa as the official mascot of the Olympics and Someity, the official mascot representing the Paralympics. Both mascots were designed by Ryo Taniguchi and were selected from a total of 2,042 candidate designs. Way to go Taniguchi-san!
Both mascots feature the traditional checkered ichimatsu pattern that matches with the Tokyo 2020 emblem. The ichimatsu pattern dates back to the Edo period and was popularized by kabuki actor Sanogawa Ichimatsu (1722–1762). Fans of the popular anime and manga may recognize ichimatsu as the pattern from Demon Slayer. Tanjiro1, the show’s main character, wears a kimono featuring a black-and-green ichimatsu pattern.
Miratowa‘s pattern is indigo blue, a traditional color in Japan. The name Miraitowa comes from the Japanese words Mirai, meaning future and towa, meaning eternity. Together the two words represent the wish for the Olympic games to lead to everlasting hope across the world. Miratowa is described as cheerful, remarkably athletic, and with a strong sense of integrity. It even has various special powers including the ability to instantly teleport anywhere it wants (maybe learned that one from Doraemon). Wow!! Seems like a very useful power during Covid!
Someity features a similar ichimatsu pattern as Miraitowa, but in pink and with imagery inspired by cherry blossoms. Even the name Someity is derived from the popular type of cherry tree called ‘Someiyoshino’ and the English phrase “so mighty.” Someity is usually described as calm but can become quite powerful when needed. The cherry-blossom-shaped antennae sensors on side of her head enable telepathic powers and it can fly using its ichimatsu pattern cape! With a calm and quiet presence guided by great inner strength, these superpowers represent the toughness and determination of the Paralympic athletes! How inspiring!
The Olympic mascot have been noticeably absent from the games as reported by the NYTimes. With the heat and the virus, definitely a tough year for mascots. However, I have enjoyed seeing Miratowa on the Olympic bouquets and hope to see some of Someity as well!
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