That title is exactly what I intend this site to be. It would be nice to have an actual hardcover coffee-table book on the subject, but, not being in “The Business” I don’t have the resources for that. It would be nice because not only would there be tons of fact-checking going on but there would also be huge pretty pictures of all our favorite characters and scenes to go with the text! Alas, this I cannot provide. But hopefully this site will be informative for those who want to delve deeper into the complexities of Kaori Yuki’s phenomenal work. If any of my information is wrong, feel free to correct me! I want it all to be as accurate as possible. If I have posted any information that is exclusively from your work and you wish for me to take it down, let me know and I will do that ASAP. I don’t want to “steal” any information from anyone.
First, to have a deeper understanding of Angel Sanctuary one must understand some angel lore and, in this case, Qabala. Qabala is a type of Jewish mysticism, not a religion in and of itself. It is a rather complicated system; I am going to somewhat over-simplify it here, mostly because much of the information is really not relevant to the manga.
In Qabala, the universe can be represented on the Tree of Life, a diagram which consists of ten circles called Sephiroth and thirty-two paths connecting them.
This graphic isn't the best so here is a list of the Sephiroth:
1. Kether: Crown. White/Clear.
2. Chokmah: Wisdom. Pearly gray.
3. Binah: Understanding. Black.
4. Chesed: Mercy. Blue.
5. Geburah: Strength. Red.
6. Tiphereth: Beauty. Yellow.
7. Netzach: Victory. Green.
8. Hod: Splendor. Orange.
9. Yesod: Foundation. Purple.
10. Malkuth: Equal parts citrine, olive, rust, and black.
Importantly, there is an angel associated with each Sephiroth. So I have concluded that is where a lot of Kaori-san's information has come from. For example, the sixth Sephiroth, Tiphereth, is "beauty" and "yellow", but it is also associated with "healing" and the archangel Raphael. So in the creative mind of a manga-ka, what do you get when you add "beauty" + "yellow" + "healing" + Rapahel? A pretty pretty yellow-haired blondey Dr. Raphy!
This is really the most significant aspect of Qabala here: That it is a mystical way of understanding the universe. The universe is complex and layered, and angels, not being physical beings, are not bound by our world; rather they are subject to the energic fields of the universe. It does get a bit confusing, but if you can get anything from this site and apply it to your manga reading, the story will make a LOT more sense. It did for me, at least. Before I learned about Qabala (through Robert Wang's The Qabalistic Tarot) and got a copy of Gustav Davidson's A Dictionary of Angels I was constantly going back and re-reading earlier volumes because I couldn't keep track of who was who and what the devil they were talking about. So hopefully this will help someone else!
Also note that Kaori-san was influenced, as I said before, by other Angelic lore. For example in the Koran angels play a far more significant role than in early Judaism or Christianity, and she draws on this (like calling Gabriel Jibril, which is his name in the Koran.)
Whew! Possible TMI, I know. But without further ado – please look over my site! Anything you ever wanted to know about the series is (hopefully) contained here.
***BE WARNED***: THERE ARE PLOT SPOILERS! If you have not read a volume yet and you access it here, the plot WILL be ruined for you, so read the volume first, then come back for the information you seek.
Book of Assiah. Book of the Material World.
Volume 1: Electric Angel
Volume 2: Crying Game
Volume 3: Presumed Guilty
Volume 4: Goodbye Mother: Hold Your Hands High and Kiss the Blue Planet Good-Bye
Book of Hades. Book of Gehenna.
Volume 5: The Angel of Earth, Uriel
Volume 6: A Cruel Bond
Volume 7: Descent
Volume 8: Chance Meeting
Volume 9: The Captive Brides
Volume 10: Monarch Infernal
Volume 11: Sacrifice
Books of Heaven - Yetzirah. Briah. Atziluth.
Volume 12: Night of the Moonflower
Volume 13: The Eternal Empty Corridor
Volume 14: Confession
Volume 15: The Holy Inquisition
Volume 16: The White World
Volume 17: Announcement of Conception
Volume 18: Funeral of Ashes
Volume 19: Eden
Volume 20: A Hymn of Praise for You
Jump to Characters:
Adam Kadamon
Agate, Amber, Jade (the three dragons)
Alexiel
Arachne
Boyz
Dobiel
Enra-O
Erelim
Grigori
Jibril
Katan
Kato
Kira
Kirie
Kurai
Lilith
Metatron
Noyz
Raziel
Rosiel
Ruri Saiki
Sandalphon
Sara and Setsuna Mudo
Seraphita
Serephim
Seven-bladed Sword
Sevothtarte
Zaphikel
Webmistress: Cat C. E-mail: crystalcoffins@hotmail.com. Note the following images are from Celestial Requiem, a Kaori Yuki's Angel Sanctuary shrine: Sakuya Kira, Gabriel AKA Jibril, Michael, Raphael, Raziel, Sandalphon, Sevothtarte, Alexiel, Asmodeus, Astaroth, and Uriel. Note the following images are from The Angel Sanctuary Club: Anael, Barubelo, Beelzebub,
Enra-O, Leviathan, Mammon, Moonlil, Ruiet, Sariel, Shateiel, and Teialiel. If I have something up here that "belongs" to you and you wish for me to remove it, PLEASE e-mail me before Angelfire; I WILL take it down. If you are writing to correct information, please cite your source. Thanks for stopping by! Last updated 11/21/2012.
