Hirai is the direct descendant of Abe no Seimei and a master Onmyoji. He leads the Tsuchimikado Clan, one of the last royal families of Japan that practiced Onmyōdō. He also serves as a spiritual adviser to the Emperor in Kyoto.
Significance
In classic depictions of Abe no Seimei in art and literature, Seimei is usually portrayed as a wise, crafty elderly gentleman with powerful supernatural abilities. Hirai, being Seimei's descendants, is modeled off this image. Furthermore, his actions in the story are modeled off the actions of Seimei in classic stories from the Uji Shui Monogatari.[1] This is one of the last notable instances in Japanese pop culture of the "wise old sorcerer" image being used for Seimei or his descendants as the overwhelming success of Baku Yumemakura's Onmyoji series would result in them usually being illustrated as bishonen in future depictions.[2]