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| Cursed Nails |
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| Pinned Insect |
Let's talk about these two mazo talismans!
In Japanese, Cursed Nails is called [呪釘] and Pinned Insect is called [翁負蟲]
Cursed Nails is true to its Japanese name but Pinned Insect isn't.
翁（おきな） — old man, elder, venerable old person.
負（お）う — to carry, bear, bear a burden.
蟲（むし） — insect / creature / worm.
It's an insect carrying an old man. There's no mention of it being pinned.
This talisman causes Yoshiro to die in one hit.
The butterfly is Yoshiro and the old man, symbolizing Soh, is being carried by this fragile insect. Yoshiro, the delicate shrine maiden, is channeling Soh.
The old man isn't just an old man!
The face is Okina(翁). A figure in traditional Japanese performance and religious imagery, particularly Noh theatre. (Masks!)
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| bottom right...you look familiar. |
The Okina mask represents a supernatural, auspicious, almost divine elder figure.
宗の体力が一で固定され、回復しなくなる。
Cursed Nails prevents Soh's health from recovering and she's defeated in one hit. In the Japanese, it says she can't recover health and that her HP is fixed at 1. (fixed in place by the nails)
In Kunitsu-Gami lore, damage to Yoshiro is damage to Soh. Soh can be depowered by attacking Yoshiro and Yoshiro can be stunned by attacking Soh. These two cannot be separated in terms of damage.
This means these two talismans are meant to work together: the cursed nails pin the insect, causing Yoshiro's health to be at 1, allowing her to be defiled in one blow.
(Since Yoshiro dances when channeling Soh, is it hinting that by 'pinning in her place', Soh is weakened? The Sacred Spinning Top talisman that raises Yoshiro's maximum health is a symbol of movement, spinning around(doesn't real kagura have circular movements?) and this increases her health. Thus the opposite, restraining her, greatly weakens her.)
If Yoshiro can be defeated in one hit, so can Soh. Yoshiro is carrying Soh, after all. If she's down, it's all over. If Soh loses her body, Yoshiro is vulnerable.
But this mechanic is not active in the gameplay because it wouldn't be too fun. If we lost power as Yoshiro's health drained, people might perceive that is too difficult?
Something strange though...one needed to look at these talismans in both English and Japanese because the Japanese doesn't mention the insect is pinned. Are the Japanese meant to be reminded of the story of the little insect that kept carrying heavy burdens until it was crushed?
Anyway, it blew my mind seeing that the cursed nails that fix Soh's heath at 1 are the nails that fix Yoshiro's health at 1. The nails pin the insect, Yoshiro, and the old man, Soh. It's all meant to imply these two cannot be separated.
A terrible pair of talismans.
