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Connecting the Mountains and the Sea: Exploring the Full Release of Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders, Part 2

This is part two of a two part post covering the origins of Fossilized Wonders' characters, if you haven't read part one, then check it out here.

On that note, I’ve seen the idea floating around that Ariya’s wing is supposed to be a phoenix wing, in-keeping with her theming as a god of eternal life. And though I don’t doubt this was part of ZUN’s intention with the design, it needs to be pointed out that the wing has unfused fingers, a trait that isn’t seen in modern birds. Instead, the condition of unfused wing fingers is seen in basal aves and non-avian dinosaurs, such as the Zhenyuanlong pictured above, a mid-sized (about 2m long) dromaeosaurid similar to Velociraptor. There’s nothing particularly diagnostic about Ariya’s wing, so it’s impossible to attribute it to any particular animal, but something like Hypnovenator would be a decent fit as a troodontid dinosaur from Japan. Notably, Hypnovenator is known from the Ōyamashimo Formation (大山下層), which shares kanji with the deity Ōyamatsumi (大山祇神), the father of Iwanaga-hime. Relevant to Ariya, is also the fact that Fossilized Wonders technically isn’t the first time Iwanaga-hime has appeared in Touhou. In Chapter 4 of Cage in Lunatic Runagate, we are told by Keine that the Yatsugatake mountains were originally taller than Mount Fuji, before the deity Konohanasakuya-hime tore them down out of jealousy. Unable to tolerate her sister’s actions, Iwanaga-hime then took up residence on Yatsugatake, taking the eternal flame of Mount Fuji with her. The same chapter also identifies Youkai Mountain as the original form of Yatsugatake, before Konohanasakuya-hime destroyed it, which would therefore make Iwanaga-hime, and hence Ariya, the god of Youkai Mountain. Notably, this story of the Yatsugatake mountains being torn down by Konohanasakuya-hime is taken from a local legend in the Nagano Prefecture, though minus the mention of Iwanaga-hime. I find it at least somewhat noteworthy too that among the eight peaks of Yatsugatake, Mount Tateshina, which, as we recall, is the mountain in which Kōga Saburō became lost in the land of Yuiman, is given the nickname Suwa Fuji (諏訪富士).

As for my broader thoughts on the cast of Fossilized Wonders, I’m ultimately very mixed. On one hand, I love the return to Suwa mythology with Yuiman, and a character based on the legend of Kōga Saburō has been a want of mine for a while now. The fact that Yuiman is also tied into the pre-established lore of Iwanaga-hime and Youkai Mountain was an especially clever touch too, though I may be somewhat biased there, as I’ve toyed with the idea of Yuiman-hime and Iwanaga-hime OC’s myself. Additionally, I’m very happy to see one of the Watatsuki sisters make another appearance. Given the general unpopularity of SSiB among the fanbase, I’d resigned myself to thinking that ZUN would be dissuaded from using them again, but I’m glad to be proven wrong there. On the other hand though, I don’t think the characters’ inspirations really get to shine through as much as they could. In Yuiman’s brainwashed state, she is treated as a pretty thinly-veiled LLM analogue, while her actual ties to Suwa are only vaguely alluded to by Kanako in the endings. As such, she feels like a character that’s made to serve a specific role in the game’s plot and theme, that just happens to have the identity of Yuiman-hime grafted onto her. This is a pitfall ZUN has fallen into a few times; as much as I love Hecatia for instance, she serves chiefly as a freedom-loving stand-in for America, as an extension of the themes of LoLK, rather than actually reflecting much about the goddess Hekate. Similarly, I suspect Megumu was only chosen to appear in UM because ZUN needed an important resident of Youkai Mountain to show up in his already commerce-themed incident, and just went with Īzuna Saburō (飯綱三郎) because they were a great tengu from the nearby Mount Īzuna. You could maybe make the case that the wealth-granting powers of the Kuda-gitsune were a specific inspiration behind Megumu’s inclusion, though in that case, it’s strange that Īzuna Arts (飯縄の法, Īzuna no hō) are never even mentioned in UM. In any case, these kinds of characters wind up being defined by the roles that ZUN needed them to fill at the time, which, at least for me, comes at their detriment; choking out their vastly more intriguing origins.

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I can't exactly take credit for this discovery, as I was informed through Discord, but it would appear I was mistaken about Nina's name. Her name appears to be a play on the Watari-gai (車螯), a kind of clam that is listed in the Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会), where it is described as creating mirages. Given that its description is so similar to the Shen, it seems to essentially be another name for the same creature. As an aside, while it's obvious how Nina's family name, Watari (渡里, spelled with different kanji to the actual creature), is drawn from the Watari-gai, I can't help but wonder if her given name is a roundabout reference too. The suffix gai is used in the names of other shellfish, though spelled with the kanji 貝 or 螺 (which typically refers to snails, rather than clams), with the latter character also being read as nina. Thus Nina's entire name could be seen as another way of writing Watari-gai.

The Watari-gai (車螯), as it appears in the Wakan Sansai Zue (和漢三才図会).

Despite my familiarity with the Wakan Sansai Zue, this reference still slipped through the cracks for me even though it's even mentioned on the Japanese Wikipedia page lol. With this in mind though, I actually think Nina's name is really fun, and a great way of drawing on her basis in an appropriately indirect way.

#touhou #fossilized wonders #touhou 20 #nina watari

What exactly are your thoughts on Okina?

My thoughts on Okina are rather complicated, on one hand ZUN clearly did his homework when working on HSiFS, and as such she’s likely the character who has sparked the most curiosity from Touhou fans regarding her inspiration. In this respect she serves as a testament to just how effective Touhou can be at introducing these kinds of subjects to a broader audience, and even my own interest in Japanese religion is owed in part to the seeds sown by Okina. However, as time has gone by I’ve found myself feeling more and more dissatisfied with how Okina has been handled in HSiFS and beyond, to the point that my own appreciation towards her stems more-so from my appreciation of Matarajin, and at this point I think it’s fair to say she is one of the biggest pieces of wasted potential in the series.

Now I won’t go too in-depth covering Matarajin himself here, as I eventually plan to write up a series of posts explaining his origins and associations in detail (though I’m gonna wait until I’ve read Bernard Faure’s Gods of Medieval Japan vol.4 first), but, credit where credit is due, almost all aspects of Okina’s appearance in HSiFS are informed either directly or indirectly by Matarajin. To give some of the major examples:

As I hope I’ve made abundantly clear by now, Okina’s identity, even if it’s not a perfect reflection, is informed so heavily by Matarajin that there’s really not a whole lot to be invested in otherwise, and I can’t help but feel that Okina has suffered for it post-HSiFS. Sunken Fossil World was particularly rough; never once hinting at Matarajin’s relation to chthonian deities, such as Taizan Fukun, which would allow Okina to have a unique history with former hell, so, despite her more overbearing and theatrical personality, her implementation in the plot felt like little more than a bargain bin Yukari that existed purely to explain away Flandre’s reintroduction to the series (to say nothing of the jokes that spawned from this). The worst offender to me though is Okina’s relation to Miko (or rather, the lack thereof); I mentioned earlier that Matarajin’s identification with Hata no Kawakatsu isn’t as strong as Touhou makes it out to be, however, you could justify this decision due to the presence of Miko and Kokoro, with ZUN perhaps wanting to lean into the Kawakatsu identity to flesh out Miko’s connections while giving Okina some history with already established characters. So why haven’t they actually interacted? It’s such an obvious thing to do with the characters, that, assuming ZUN doesn’t have plans for something later down the line (which I’m not too optimistic about given his treatment of characters like Junko), I’m left wondering why he would even bother to base a character off of a figure like Matarajin if he has no interest in the opportunities that they create. Not only does this make Okina’s presentation in HSiFS feel misleading but it feels like a waste to try engaging with Touhou on a deeper level. Hell, if I wanted to be particularly cynical, it even comes across as ZUN simply using the mystique of Matarajin to give Okina the illusion of depth, without having to actually do anything other than reiterate her status as a “secret god”.

In hindsight however, I don’t think HSiFS does a particularly good (or even respectful) job at commenting on these matters, not the least of which because Okina isn’t actually disabled. According to the SCoOW interview, ZUN did initially plan to depict Okina as physically disabled; specifically using a wheelchair, but decided against the idea to avoid accidentally being insensitive. Though this is somewhat commendable, the fact that Okina isn’t disabled creates a lot of dissonance when she still refers to herself as a “disabled person” (障碍の者), alongside the aforementioned instances where the game treats Okina as a representative for discriminated peoples (credit where credit is due, both Visionary Fairies in Shrine and Lotus Eaters have depicted Okina as a wheelchair user, but this doesn’t retroactively excuse HSiFS for not doing the same). Worse still is Okina’s treatment of her subordinates; Satono and Mai, who are borderline mind-controlled slaves with no identity other than to serve her. The fact that Okina treats the two as disposable, notably calling them “useless/worn-out” (ポンコツ), makes it hard to swallow the idea that she’s supposed to be sympathetic towards the downtrodden, not helped by the fact that, for a “god of the discriminated”, ZUN is strangely insistent on her having the image of an “evil boss”. It’s not like Matarajin’s dōji have any pre-established lore that ZUN could be drawing from either (they’re completely blank slates as far as I’m aware), so he could’ve easily written Satono and Mai as being outcasts who were taken in by Okina, thus demonstrating her affinity for such groups, but instead ZUN went out of his way to present Okina as, to put it bluntly, an evil slave owner. All-in-all, if ZUN genuinely wanted Okina to come across as a respectful and empowering representation of the disabled/discriminated (or at the very least as a deity who sympathized with such people), then he had a very strange way of going about it.

Partly to blame for this I think is the way in which information about Matarajin is often communicated in the fandom, which is epitomized by charts like the one posted above. It may seem like a strange thing to rag-on, but these images ultimately do more to confuse matters; inflating the importance of Matarajin in relation to other deities, and lacking any real context or explanation for the connections between the depicted figures. As a result, especially for people who aren’t very familiar with the subject of Japanese religion, the takeaway is often that Matarajin (and by extension Okina) is some all-encompassing and overly complex figure, rather than their complexity being emblematic of the religious framework they occupy. It also doesn’t help that these charts can be pretty flawed; the above mentioned image for instance makes many bizarre choices, such as suggesting that the name Matarajin is derived from the Bodhisattva Tārā (the name Matarajin is likely derived from mata (摩多); a transliteration of the Sanskrit mātṛ (मातृ; "mother"), in reference to the matrikas. By contrast, Tara Bosatsu is virtually irrelevant in Japanese Buddhism, and as such it’s unlikely she had much influence on the development of Matarajin.), seemingly claiming that Amaterasu and Inari were syncretized with Matarajin (though Amaterasu was closely linked to Inari, and Matarajin is described as the messenger of Inari Myōjin by Shukaku Hosshinnō, that does not mean they can be treated as interchangeable.), and describing Myōken as a “goddess” (Myōken is a firmly masculine deity as far as I’m aware, and the connection between him and Matarajin is somewhat exaggerated here too. Though Matarajin was indeed associated with the dipper and the pole star, I’m unaware of any direct identification of the two deities.), alongside the absence of numerous figures with closer ties to Matarajin, such as Shinra Myōjin, Shōten, Kōjin, Susanoo, the Saptamatrikas, Dakiniten etc.

#touhou #touhou project #okina matara #hidden star in four seasons #touhou 16 #matarajin #japanese mythology

sabinaemiri

amemenojaku

read right to left!

notes:

llamasyes

archaic

gluttondraws

Eiki and Komachi in outfits I've worn that I thought would suit them + a normal Peach Maki from Hoozuki no Reitetsu

These would be so cool as stickers or on postcards... would not be the first time I've drawn something just to display it in my home...

And as always......

Given you touched on it in the FW posts, what are the decisions or interpretations ZUN has made that you dislike?

If we're talking about the series more broadly, then, other than making Eika Ebisu way too throwaway of a character, one of the more standout cases for me would actually be Toyosatomimi no Miko. This might seem surprising as she’s a remarkably on-the-nose adaptation of Prince Shōtoku, with the bonus of being canonically trans a very entertaining character, in addition to the fact that ZUN evidently did his homework when working on Ten Desires. However, as I’ve learned more about historical Japanese religion, I can’t help but become increasingly frustrated with how Miko, despite being based on a figure famed for popularizing Buddhism in Japan, is depicted as a zealous Daoist with a pretty one-dimensional disdain for Buddhism. I don’t think it’s too much of an exaggeration to compare it to adapting Jesus Christ as a Satanist, which wouldn’t exactly be the most tasteful decision in the world.

There’s also the subject of Daoist deities that were adopted into Buddhism, a name you may be familiar with through discussions surrounding Okina is Taizan Fukun (泰山府君), derived from Dongyue Dadi, the deity of Mount Tai in China. Taizan Fukun notably appears in the retinue of Enmaten (焔摩天), a Buddhist form of the Hindu Yama that is closer to the original than the popular Enma-ō, though he was also characterized as a judge of the dead in his own respect, and served as a subject of the life-extending Taizan Fukun ritual (泰山府君祭, Taizan Fukun-sai) in onmyōdō. Another, more standout, case is the Bodhisattva Myōken (妙見菩薩, Myōken Bosatsu), who is an astral deity closely tied to the pole star and the Northern Dipper. Despite the alleged Sanskrit origins of his name (Sudṛṣṭi; “auspicious vision”), Myōken is essentially a Daoist deity in Buddhist garb, as his origins can be traced back to Daoist worship of the Northern Dipper and the deity Xuanwu/Zhenwu. Myōken is even referred to as an immortal (仙人, sennin) in the Hokushin Bosatsu Daranikyō (北辰菩薩陀羅尼経), a term which Touhou opts to translate as “hermit”. Although Miko’s primary motivation for converting to Daoism was her apparent desire for immortality, this wasn’t necessarily an area where Buddhism was at odds with her wants either, as rituals and sutra recitations for longevity were a key part of Buddhism’s interaction with the nobility. In a similar vein, it’s also worth covering the subject of Kōshin (庚申); a belief that the human body is inhabited by three worms or "corpses" (三尸, sanshi) that, once in every sexagenary cycle, on the kōshin day, ascend to heaven to report a person's sins to the “Heavenly Emperor” (天帝, Tentei), so they may receive instructions for punishments, such as sicknesses, bad fortune and early death. This concept, rooted in Daoism, gave rise in China to the tradition of holding vigil on the night of kōshin to prevent the worms from making their damning report. By the ninth century, this tradition was also known and practiced in Japan, where it adapted into a more social event in which performances, games and feasts were held. In the process a number of Buddhist elements were incorporated into Kōshin, like the worship of Buddhist deities such as Shōmen Kongō (青面金剛), and Esoteric Buddhist monks came to give Kōshin lectures throughout the country. Interestingly, Miko herself acknowledges Kōshin in an article from Symposium of Post-mysticism, though she makes no mention of any of the Buddhist elements that underpin the Japanese tradition.

It would also be impossible to cover this subject without also mentioning the Honchō Shinsenden (本朝神仙伝; “Accounts of Japanese Immortals”), compiled by Ōe no Masafusa, which portrays various legendary Japanese figures as Daoist immortals. Included in the text are the accounts of many Buddhist figures, such as Kūkai and Ennin, but most important to us here is the addition of Prince Shōtoku, under the name Jōgū Taishi (上宮太子). Though Masafusa incorrectly notes Shōtoku’s father as Emperor Bidatsu, the account of his life aligns with many conventional beliefs surrounding the figure: He was a sagely person who spread the dharma and built many temples, he was believed to be an incarnation of Kannon Bosatsu and Nanyue Huisi, he owned a black steed from Kai (甲斐の黒駒, Kai no Kurokoma) which could cover the distance of 1,000 li in a single leap, and he composed the “Constitution of Seventeen Articles” (十七条憲法, jūshichijō kenpō). Of additional interest however, is that the Honchō Shinsenden at many points appears to equate Buddhist devotion with xianhood, notably attributing the reading hijiri (typically written as 聖; “an esteemed monk”) to the word for “immortal” (仙, sen), and ikibotoke (typically written as 生き仏; “living buddha”) to the word for “spirit immortal” (神仙, shinsen). Given just how pertinent this work is to TD (there is even an entry provided for Miyako no Yoshika), I have to assume ZUN must have been familiar with it, but it’s strange then that there’s seemingly no mention of the Honchō Shinsenden in his interviews. With this context, it really leaves me wishing that Miko’s beliefs, as opposed to being strictly Daoist, were based more on a fusion of Buddhism and Daoism (to say nothing of onmyōdō specifically), perhaps serving as an interesting medium with which to tackle how Buddhism and Daoism interacted in Japan, not dissimilar to how Futo is based on how modern Shinto draws from Daoist principles and rituals. And reading through her dialogue from games like Hopeless Masquerade, the whole Buddhism-hating persona can come across as pretty tacky, again it’s not far off making a character based on a Christian Saint that constantly feels the need to announce that they don’t believe in God. There is a broader issue I have with how Touhou tends to oversimplify the relationship between Shinto and Buddhism, with them more-often-than-not being treated as distinct and opposed religions, though not to an individual character’s detriment like Miko.

For what it’s worth, ZUN does seem to acknowledge that Shinto was not historically a distinct tradition, going off of an interview on Ten Desires, and the fact that he never defines the Mononobe as belonging to Shinto in Futo’s omake, but it would be interesting as a whole if the series as a whole had more nuance. For context, the term shintō (神道) did not come to define anything resembling a distinct religious tradition until around the fifteenth century, with the likes of Yoshida Shintō (conversely, the earlier reading jindō was used to refer to a “realm of kami” akin to other Buddhist realms of rebirth), and even still, it took quite heavily from Buddhist concepts. Prior to this, native kami and their associated practices were readily adopted into a Buddhist framework (introduced to Japan during the Asuka Period), though understood as beings that needed to strive towards enlightenment themselves, but even as early as 781, gods such as Hachiman were instead designated as protectors of Buddhism and given titles such as Hachiman Daibosatsu (八幡大菩薩; “The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman”). Following this, throughout the middle ages, kami were largely understood within the context of honji suijaku (本地垂迹) theory, which posited that buddhas and bodhisattvas manifested temporarily as local deities to better save sentient beings, though in practice honji suijaku was much more flexible than this. It was only during the Meiji Restoration, and the Separation of Kami and Buddhas (神仏分離, Shinbutsu Bunri), that modern Shinto emerged as a largely artificial attempt at divorcing Japanese deities and practices from, what was perceived anyway, as the foreign influence of Buddhism (funnily, some of deities worst affected by the policies of the Meiji restoration were not actually very foreign to begin with, such as Gozu Tennō, who, though he may have had foreign affinities, was a deity unique to Japan). While I’ve only very briefly summarized the subject here, as it’s well beyond the scope of this post to go into detail, it definitely feels like untapped potential for a series like Touhou, which focuses on beliefs that are supposed to be forgotten. Hell, given that Gensokyo was separated from the outside world during the Meiji Period, not that long after the “Kami and Buddha Seperation Order” (神仏判然令, Shinbutsu Hanzenrei) was given in 1868, it would be interesting if the residents of Gensokyo maintained a more archaic belief system.

#touhou #toyosatomimi no miko

amemenojaku

thshipweek day 1 (stars)

I saw another dream; or was it a dream within a dream?

roaringwish

I feel bad for her.

Connecting the Mountains and the Sea: Exploring the Full Release of Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders, Part 2

This is part two of a two part post covering the origins of Fossilized Wonders' characters, if you haven't read part one, then check it out here.

#touhou #touhou project #touhou 20 #fossilized wonders #touhou spoilers #japanese mythology #japanese folklore #ariya iwanaga #nina watari

Connecting the Mountains and the Sea: Exploring the Full Release of Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders, Part 1

Now that the full release of Fossilized Wonders is here, I think just about everyone is surprised by the exact direction the incident took, admittedly even my own predictions feel a little quaint in retrospect. And though I do have some reservations with the game, I would be lying if I said I was completely disinterested with the new characters it brought to the table. There is a remarkably interesting network of connections at play with the cast of Fossilized Wonders, one that most fans will be unfamiliar with, that I would like to elucidate here.

Due to the sheer size, this has had to be split into two individual posts, first covering Yuiman Asama & Watatsuki no Toyohime, then covering Ariya Iwanaga & Nina Watari, alongside my personal thoughts. I do wish I was able to complete these a little sooner, as I’ve already seen some misinformation circulating about the new characters, but I wanted to take my time and ensure my coverage was thorough, rather than just rushing out a half-baked post on day one. With that out of the way though, let's move on to characters themselves…

While Kōga Saburō journeyed back into the mountain, his jealous brothers seized the opportunity to rid themselves of their father’s successor, and so cut off his lifeline, trapping Kōga Saburō inside the cave. With no way out, Kōga Saburō wandered aimlessly through the depths of Mount Tateshina, passing through a total of seventy three countries, before finally arriving at the subterranean land of Yuiman (維縵国). There he was given lodging by the king of Yuiman (維縵国の王) and his wife, who recognized Kōga Saburō’s deep spiritual power, and was offered one of the couple’s three daughters to marry. Though the three daughters outwardly appeared young and beautiful, no older than thirty, they were each many thousands of years old, and Kōga Saburō took for his wife the youngest daughter, Yuiman-hime (維縵姫, also written as Yuima-hime (維摩姫) in some versions). The two lived happily in Yuiman for many years, with Kōga Saburō having long since lost track of the passage of time, but in his dreams he was reminded of Kasuga-hime and his homeland. And though Yuiman-hime was deeply saddened by the thought of his departure, she sympathized with the grieving Kōga Saburō, and recommended that he seek the aid of her father to return to Japan. As it was the custom in this land for people to make their living by hunting, Kōga Saburō impressed the king of Yuiman with his peerless skill as an archer, hunting a total of 1,371 deer, and requested that he be allowed to return to his homeland. The old man obliged, but first showed him many secret places within the realm, among which was the “Gate of the Four Seasons” (四季の門), through which he cycled through all the seasons of the year in a single sweep of the eye. Moreover, the old man took the kneecaps of 1,000 deer and ground them into bone meal for Kōga Saburō to eat on his return trip, carefully instructing him to eat only one portion a day, or else he would never be able to reach Japan. Bidding farewell to his wife and father-in-law, Kōga Saburō made the long journey back to Japan, overcoming yet more hardships, until he surfaced at the foot of Mount Ōnuma (or alternatively Mount Asama) in Shinano. However, things were not as he remembered, hundreds of years had passed while he had been living in Yuiman, and he worried what had become of Kasuga-hime.

Another aspect of the Suwa Engi that stands out in relation to and Touhou’s Yuiman is Yuiman-hime’s deification as the god of Mount Asama, as this is almost certainly the reason for her full name; Yuiman Asama (ユイマン・浅間, as an aside I’m not totally sure why it’s structured the way it is, as two separate names rather than one full name). The subject of Mount Asama, and by extension Asama Shrines, appears to be a major focus of Fossilized Wonder’s theming, and requires some elaboration in its own respect. The name Asama (浅間), also read as Sengen, seems to have been used as a generic name for sacred mountains, possibly originating as a word for volcanoes and volcanic eruptions specifically. By extension, the names Asama Daimyōjin (浅間大明神) and Asama Daibosatsu (浅間大菩薩) were used to refer to the deity of Mount Fuji, Konohanasakuya-hime, who appears in classical Japanese mythology as one of the daughters of the mountain god Ōyamatsumi. More will be said on the subject of Konohanasakuya-hime later, but it’s important to note here that she serves as the main deity enshrined at Asama/Sengen shrines throughout Japan. So does this mean that Yuiman is Konohanasakuya-hime herself? Eh, not really… Konohanasakuya-hime has appeared a few times in Touhou already, with no apparent connection to what’s going on with Yuiman, so it would be a strange decision to completely retcon her to align with a character that only references a name she’s venerated under. In that same vein, Asama is a generic name, and refers more specifically to the Mount Asama of the Nagano Prefecture in Fossilized Wonders, so the implication would seem to be that Yuiman came to be venerated as a substitute for Konohanasakuya-hime, and not that she is identical to the goddess of Mount Fuji. Given who the final boss is, I have no doubt that it was an intentional decision on ZUN’s part to play into the link between Yuiman-hime and Konohanasakuya-hime, but it likely serves more-so as a thematic link, rather than a complete conflation.

There were once two brothers, the older, Hoderi, was favored by the ocean and so was called Umisachihiko (海幸彦; “Man [Who Receives the] Luck of the Sea”), while the younger, Hoori, was favored by the mountains and so received the name Yamasachihiko (山幸彦; “Man [Who Receives the] Luck of the Mountains”). One day, the two agreed to exchange their talents, but Hodemi failed to hunt any game in the mountains, and Hoori failed to catch any fish in the sea. Therefore, the older brother returned the bow and arrows he had lent from Hoori, and demanded that his fish hook be returned to him. However, Hoori had lost his borrowed fish hook, and though he crafted many replacements for his brother, none would appease him. Having invoked his brother's anger, Hoori grieved by the sea shore, where he was approached by the deity Shiotsuchi no Oji (塩土老翁; “Old Man Tide Spirit”), who inquired as to why he was weeping. Hoori explained that he had lost his brother's fishing hook, to which the old man, taking pity on Hoori, granted him a vessel with which to travel to the Sea God's Palace (海神の宮, Watatsumi no Miya) to find it (in one version he is instead brought to the Sea God's Palace by a wani (和邇, also written as 鰐), a kind of draconic sea monster, the name of which can also refer to a crocodile or shark). Wandering the palace grounds, Hoori encountered a beautiful maiden by the name of Toyotama-hime, the daughter of the sea god Watatsumi, whom he fell in love with. Having married Toyotama-hime, Hoori dwelled in the Sea God's Palace for three years, enjoying a life of pleasure there, though he ultimately grew to yearn for his homeland. Taking notice of his homesickness, Toyotama-hime informed her father that Hoori wished to return to Japan, and so Watatsumi asked to speak with him. The sea god inquired as to what had brought Hoori to his palace in the first place, and, by summoning together all the fish of the sea, retrieved the lost fish hook that he sought. He further bestowed Hoori with a pair of tide-controlling jewels, Shiomitsutama (潮満珠; “Tide-Flowing Jewel”) and Shiohirutama (潮干珠; “Tide-Ebbing Jewel”), with which to subdue his angered brother, and had Hoori escorted home by a wani, alongside Toyotama-hime, who was pregnant with their child.

Although Hoori himself isn't explicitly mentioned in association with her, Toyohime is still played pretty straight as an adaptation of her basis, and even the incestuous marriage of Ugayafukiaezu is acknowledged in Chapter 1 of Cage in Lunatic Runagate. Notably, Toyohime's ability, to connect the mountains and the sea, likely serves not only as a reference to the brothers Yamasachi (山幸; “Luck of the Mountains”) and Umisachi (海幸; “Luck of the Sea”), but also Toyotama-hime's apparent control over the “sea boundary” (海境, unasaka). This term, also rendered as “sea slope” (海坂), refers to the imaginary border that separates the world of humans from the world of the sea god, and would explain why Toyohime's ability is likened to Yukari's manipulation of boundaries. As an aside, Yorihime's ability is also likely derived from the inferred meaning of Tamayori-hime (玉依姫), as something like “spirit-inviting maiden” or “maiden (姫, hime) who becomes a yorishiro (依代) for spirits (魂, tamashī)”, which would liken her to a shrine maiden. This would in-turn explain why SSiB is themed so heavily around channeling gods, and why Yorihime serves as a natural foil to Reimu. More broadly, Toyohime's ability could also be a reference to how the mountains and the sea could function as mirrors of each-other in Japanese religious thought. For instance, mountain gods, such as Asama Daimyōjin, were often grouped with sea gods, due to the role that mountains served as landmarks for navigation. Whether this was a specific inspiration behind Toyohime's inclusion is unclear, but regardless, she's still linked to the subject of Asama Daimyōjin, and Mount Asama, due to her identity as the wife of Hoori, the child of Konohanasakuya-hime, which I would assume is the biggest reason she was chosen to appear in Fossilized Wonders over Yorihime. Her spell cards in the game even reference the tide-controlling jewels that were used by Hoori to defeat his brother, and, though more than likely a coincidence, I can't help but wonder if the extinct Toyotamaphimeia (a genus of gavialid crocodile named after Toyotama-hime) was an additional influence behind her inclusion in a fossil-themed game.

Returning again to Fossilized Wonders, the identification of the Lunarians with “the gods that arrived from Takamagahara” is given a lot more context now, though it isn’t the only case in the series where the conflict between the heavenly and earthly gods is acknowledged in relation to Suwa. In Chapter 19 of Silent Sinner in Blue, it is suggested that the earthly god Takeminakata was sealed away by the Lunarians, mirroring his defeat in the Kojiki and aligning with Kanako’s animosity towards the Lunarians in the endings of both LoLK and FW. However, SSiB also leaves it somewhat ambiguous as to whether Takeminakata is here supposed to be understood as Kanako herself, or as a different deity that happens to occupy the Moriya Shrine. Interestingly, if we assume that the latter case is true, and Kanako instead represents Yasakatome (as her family name suggests), then she would be staunchly aligned with the Lunarians, or at the very least be an ex-Lunarian. This is due to the characterization of Yasakatome as either a daughter of the sea god Watatsumi, making her a sister to Toyohime and Yorihime, or as the daughter of Ame-no-Yasakahiko-no-Mikoto (天八坂彦命), who is recorded in the Kuji Hongi as one of the deities who accompanied Nigihayahi when he descended from heaven. Whichever way you slice it though, Kanako is deeply connected to the Lunarians, either as a strict enemy or former ally. And yet, this isn’t the only way Suwa mythology can tie into the Lunarians. An oral legend associated with the Gozaseki (御座石; “August Stone-Seat”), recounts Suwa Daimyōjin’s victory over a certain “frog god” (蝦蟆神, a likely reasoning behind Suwako’s design and theming), which transformed into a “Great Kōjin” (大荒神, here referring to a category of harmful and insubordinate gods/demons, rather than the individual deity Sanbō Kōjin) and caused all kinds of calamities in the world. After quelling the violent deity, Suwa Daimyōjin then sealed the way to its dwelling, which is noted as being the Dragon Palace, with a large rock that he then sat atop. This could very well be part of the reasoning behind stage 5 of Fossilized Wonders, which takes the player from the pyramid beneath Youkai Mountain, to the Sea of the Moon. But, assuming that is the case, I would rather the Pyramid bear a resemblance to something like the “Stone Throne Pagoda” (石之御座多宝塔, Ishi no Goza-tahōtō) which is actually associated with the Suwa Shrine.

#touhou #touhou project #touhou 20 #fossilized wonders #japanese mythology #japanese folklore #yuiman asama #watatsuki no toyohime #touhou spoilers

As a heads up, I am working on a post covering the origins of the Fossilized Wonders characters, though it may take a little while. very excited to share stuff about the legend of Kōga Saburō and the network of connections that inform the Lunarians. Stay tuned.

An Impromptu, Bite-sized Bishamonten Post

My recent artwork of Shou got me thinking about Bishamonten and some of the interesting connections and characteristics that could be explored within the context of Touhou, so I thought it would be fun to provide a few relatively off-the-cuff notes. This is hardly all there is to say on the matter, but trying to map out every single link would be a little beyond the scope of this post lol.

#touhou #undefined fantastic object #hidden star in four seasons #unconnected marketeers #shou toramaru #byakuren hijiri #nazrin #okina matara #momoyo himemushi #bishamonten #japanese mythology #japanese buddhism

Visitor from the Land Hidden by Gods and Immortals - 神仙の隠れたる国の客

但馬菓（たじまのこのみ） Tajima no Konomi

Species: Ancestral God of Candy - 菓祖神 Ability: Capable of crossing countless waves and fording distant rivers - 万里の波を踏み、遙かに弱水を度る程度の能力 A Touhou OC I made for a contest. She's based on Tajimamori, a figure mentioned in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki as being tasked by Emperor Suinin with travelling to the Everlasting World (常世の国, Tokoyo-no-Kuni) to retrieve the "ever-fragrant fruit" (非時香菓, Tokijiki-no-Kagu-no-Konomi), which is now known as the Tachibana orange. Because of his exploits, Tajimamori ultimately came to be enshrined as a god of confectionery.

#my art #touhou #touhou art #touhou oc #tajimamori #japanese mythology

Shou Toramaru

Given that Shou is a yōkai based on the idea of a tiger, I thought it would be fitting to depict her alongside the White Tiger from the Kitora Tumulus. A statue based on this depiction was notably also installed at Chōgosonshi Temple, which is the irl basis for the Myōren Temple.

#my art #touhou #touhou art #shou toramaru #undefined fantastic object #japanese mythology

Exploring the Demo Characters of Touhou Kinjoukyou ~ Fossilized Wonders

With the arrival of a new mainline Touhou demo, I finally want to take a swing at writing up my own examination and explanation of the cast of Fossilized Wonders so far, alongside my own thoughts on the characters and some speculation as to where the incident is going to go. As an enthusiast of both mythology and paleontology the title definitely intrigued me, to the point I made my own prediction for a possible character, but Fossilized Wonders still managed to surprise. Obviously, spoilers ahead.

Also, thanks to @Yamayuandadu for her help with this post.

#touhou #touhou project #touhou 20 #fossilized wonders #ubame chirizuka #chimi houjuu #nareko michigami #mythology #japanese mythology #japanese folklore #japanese yokai

Last second character prediction for Fossilized Wonders (ignoring that a character was just revealed anyway lol): Living Fossil from the Age of the Gods - 神代の生きた化石 Kamui Mukawa (鵡川冠依, Mukawa Kamui) Based on Kamuysaurus, a hadrosaurid dinosaur known from the Hakobuchi Formation of Hokkaido in Japan, named after the Kamuy of Ainu belief.

#my art #digital art #touhou project #touhou art #touhou 20 #fossilized wonders #dinosaur #kamuysaurus

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