Is another theme of Kunitsu-Gami about healing wounds ancestors have left? Or fixing their sins?
If we decide Soh was the previous Yoshiro and the current Yoshiro's ancestor, and when she's purged from defilement in the true ending she's able to purge current Yoshiro...
 |
| The split |
The girl in the scrolls has two different faces: Soh's and Yoshiro's.
Just a theory. But the faces are definitely different yet close enough to appear identical at a glance.
The eyebrows. Soh is arched, darker and thinner. Her upper lip is thinner with a larger cupid's bow. Thinner nose. More upturned eyes. Less eye-make up. (iconic pink eyeshadow)
Both of them aren't human and both of them appear to be two halves of one whole.
I'm wondering if they're the Goddess separated into two.
But Yoshiro seems to be the main one, as Soh has no name and seems to be an extension of herself.
I find this piece of lore unnerving.
It was prepared long ago, meaning they knew she'd become crippled?
But how does the cycle actually work?
Yoshiro is destined to always walk the path until Soh purifies them both completely?
After googling...
A Mikoshi (Japanese: 神輿/御輿) is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portableShinto shrine ). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport spirits in Japan while moving between the main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when moving to a new shrine.
So Yoshiro is regarded as a goddess and walks a path that was destined for her.
The fact Soh actually doesn't have a name and that Soh just means ancestor seems like a very important piece of Kunitsu-Gami lore.
Who is Soh, really?
Yoshiro and Soh are the defiled mountain goddess, aren't they.
I suspected Soh would be the goddess aiding Yoshiro the entire time but now I think the goddess, when becoming defiled, separated into them.
Cursed Soh is quite literally the previous Spirit Stone Maiden's body. It's also Yoshiro as she seems to be able to affect Cursed Soh's abilities. There's an acknowledgement between them.
So, Yoshiro and Soh are the same entity.
But why is Soh's face different?
I noticed Soh is associated with the moon. Yoshiro with the sun. But this sticker supports it. (the moon bit anyway)
 |
| Soh under the Moonlight |
 |
| A Moment of Peace |
When Soh dresses like Ammy and Yoshiro like Ushikawa, they switch and Soh becomes associated with the Sun and Yoshiro the moon.
 |
If the villagers can't see Soh, what happens during this ceremony?
This is Yoshiro's outfit and Soh's outfit. Maybe they can see Soh? But they don't seem able to as they don't react to Soh even in cutscenes.
.jpg) |
| The neck is too delicate to be a man |
I knew Soh was a woman immediately in the first cutscene of the demo because of the delicate neck and collarbone area. I quickly checked HD character renders and saw she has a chest.(wonder if it's the armor?)
Yoshiro, in contrast, is flat.
I wonder if this is related to Yoshiro's purity? The more curvy a woman's body, the more sinful she's immediately assumed to be. If we go in the opposite direction, the less fleshy a woman is, the purer she is believed to be.
Kunitsu-Gami has very little dialogue and much story-telling is told through visuals.
On the topic of Soh...Soh is an emanation of some sort related to Yoshiro.
Soh is referred to as 'they', a neutral term used when we don't know the person in question's sex or identity.
It might be how when we create an apparition of ourselves, it cannot have a sex as it has no human/physical body. The idea of the astral body having sexual organs has always amused me.
But with Soh, it could be that the developers wanted to surprise us with a cute girl.
I read up on Okami's history a long time ago. I read that Amaterasu was changed to be male in American releases(I think? I know it was one of the regions.) because they believed female characters wouldn't sell. Or they just called her 'they'. I really can't remember but you can look it up if you like.
Yet in game, she's called 'mother' and one spirit, who can see her true form, calls her a fair maiden. It's amusing...
With Soh, perhaps they also worried no one would want to play as a woman? I know modern day is poisoned with politics and prevents people from enjoying things due to their hyper tribal nature(us vs them, men vs women)
With art, perhaps one can set aside divisive thoughts, if only for a moment, and enjoy things. I don't engage in tribalism anyway so I don't bother with such topics to begin with.
As for Soh, I'm mixed. I like to see it as the more spiritual idea. We don't have a sex once separated from the body. The soul has no sex for it has no 'body'. (As for gender, duality is an illusion, so they say...feminine and masculine exist as one in the same.)
But Soh is given a body by Yoshiro, so I call Soh 'she' since she's also Yoshiro. Another thing I like.
Extra thoughts:
From the Goddess, emerges man and woman, physical representations of feminine and masculine.
The Goddess holds both principles within her. The Goddess, the God, is also the higher self. You.
The myth of the individual...
Hmmmm.....who really knows, anyway? :3
EDIT:
See my latest theory here.
She's the previous Maiden, so she's a woman indeed and we're surprised with a cute girl! (But she might also possibly be Yoshiro...)
Yoshiro and Soh being Yin and Yang is even reflected in the association of Yoshiro with the earth and Soh with the heavens. So much love, deep thought and creativity went into this game.
There's often more focus on Yin and Yang in relation to others and not as the two principles within ourselves and how they manifest.
But that's just my thoughts...
Thanks to Kunitsu-Gami, I now look at the idea of ancestral worship and asking ancestors for aid to be actually asking the soul for help and guidance. When I consider the mystical things I've read and how the human being is said to be created, it actually makes sense. Soul first.
Of course, some believe you can actually ask your ancestors for guidance but I always wonder how they're going to be of help vs the concept of the eternal soul who knows the universe itself.
 |
| Beautiful |
In the final battle of Kunitsu-Gami, hearing the melodies of the bases really helps you realize you're fighting defiled Yoshiro, who is also defiled you. This game is as magical as Okami.
Playing as a divine maiden protecting another divine maiden who is also you is brilliant. And so good...
.jpg)
Or is it...? Hmmmmm.
Yoshiro has red markings all over her, put by Soh, that are reminiscent of Amaterasu.
One of Soh's outfits is Amaterasu.
I like how there's a constant idea of Yoshiro and Soh being one in the same. Two halves of a whole. The masculine and feminine principle working together.
In the Bunraku Kunitsu-Gami performance, Soh is described as 'bearing a sword but no name'. Soh means ancestor so whenever Yoshiro calls Soh by name for help, she's basically asking her ancestor for aid. It's not an actual name but a title. One of the things lost in translation?
 |
| Just a cute photo... |
Managed to snag a screenshot...
Sometimes if you walk near Yoshiro, she acts as if she's been suddenly spooked by something until she realizes it's Soh and then bows her head in greeting. Complementing the idea Soh can only manifest because of Yoshiro and so can only be seen by Yoshiro.
And in cutscenes and in-game, the villagers don't notice Soh at all. When we meet the carpenter, he's talking to Yoshiro only then, which explains why Soh looks to Yoshiro for her reaction to the carpenter.
They get spooked the same way Yoshiro does. But Yoshiro can see Soh...so I'm assuming Yoshiro enters some kind of meditative mind-state to perceive Soh.
I'll record some better footage soon and compile spooking videos.
In Kunitsu-Gami renders, Soh's nails are white and Yoshiro's are black. (Dark purple in artwork). Cursed Soh's are long and bright red.
 |
| White |
 |
| Black |
 |
| Red |
 |
| This might be an artistic choice |
In-game, Soh has clear nails and Yoshiro black.
In regards to their nails in renders:
White to Yoshiro's black. Yin and Yang. Feminine principle and Masculine principle within the individual. But masculine and feminine are almost one in the same, which is an esoteric secret. (I won't discuss that here but maybe sometime.)
To ramble a bit...
Yoshiro is active, she dances and meditates, emanating Soh. Soh then fights Seethe in her stead and to the observer, she becomes the passive one. But they're both her, and both roles are fulfilled by her. She requires protecting and is protected and is doing the protecting. Her action of dancing is both active and passive in different frames of reference. This is true for all opposites.
The villagers can't see Soh. So, to them does it look like she dances and Seethe just get obliterated? :3
Since the story is usually that the soul exists before the body, Soh being the soul and thus the ancestor of Yoshiro, the mind and body, can work if they're meant to be the same being but have this 'one predates the other' relationship.
The soul usually aids the mind and body. The eternal friend, who is also you.
The long hair, painted nails and shoulder pads are very Yoshiro. However, Cursed Soh and Soh are busty. Yoshiro is not.
It seems to be them.
...Or is there a secret here?
