Amaterasu as Cursed Soh.

This theory is being tackled in this post. 

Cursed Soh as Amaterasu is difficult idea. One I've played with in previous posts already.

But my reasoning is different to this person's. What if I combined the two?

I'm inspired by the observations of this poster.
I've touched on the possibilities of Amaterasu being a big player in the story but I have yet to be able to link everything coherently.

So let's try now.

 Here's some posts first about hints on Amaterasu:

Is there a Lore reason for the Okami collab? + More on Goddess Lore.

"Messenger of the True God"

 

Soh and Yoshiro:

Soh's Spirit Form + another hint that she was a former Yoshiro + a Forgotten Goddess

Soh and Yoshiro: the Spirit Shrine and the Spirit Stone.

"Amatsukami Kunitsukami"

can also be written as "Amatsukami, Kunitsukami" or "Shinto gods".

"Amatsukami" generally refers to gods who live in the heavens (exceptions omitted).

Kunitsukami means "gods born on earth", and in this game, it refers to Yamatsukami.

The picture scroll "Kunitsukami" depicts "disaster".

It is a lament about the drought "land", so it is fitting to represent the Kunitsukami.

I continuously misunderstand these two terms. First I followed this idea, then I thought it meant what the gods rule over specifically. So, it's about where the god lives? 

Then Cursed Soh is an amatsukami!

Who are the Amatsukami?

Since Kunitsukami are the opposite of Amatsukami, the word "Kunitsukami" is not often used by itself.

This means that there must be an Amatsukami somewhere in the game.

Souju's votive tablet says, "A person from the underworld who rules the mountains from heaven," so we know he is a Amatsukami as he is in heaven.

In the mountains there are mountain gods, animals, plants, and nature, ancestral deities, shrine maidens, and villagers, as well as the impurities and wails created by humans.

The one who brings all of this together (rules it over) is Souju, who lives in the underworld and is neither of this world nor the next.

The sun goddess is mentioned. And so is the idea of the rising sun purifying the land.

"Drew the sun goddess out of a cave..."

this is the man in the intro

Yep, I've posted the plaques about this. I have nothing to add...

"Spirits counted on fingers"

The lyrics of the theme song Kunitsu-Gami say "Spirits counted on fingers", but if we only count sects and generations, the number would not be so large that we could count them on fingers.

Yamatsumi is not a single entity, and if we include the villagers' ancestral deities and spirits, the lyrics do not contradict.

I don't understand what this means.

But my belief about this is in the this post and it's tied to my 7 maidens theory.

Soujou is depicted as a "mirror."

The passage of time in a normal stage is indicated by the "sun reflected in the water."

In the picture scroll "Phantom Alley," Sou and Soujou face each other in a mirror.

When you enter the back of the altar inside the main hall, you are surrounded by a kaleidoscope-like background.

The water at Sou's feet acts as a mirror and reflects Soujou's image.

Soujou can use the same tsuba and archery techniques as Soujou. There is no limit to the number of tsuba he can use, and he can shoot more arrows than Soujou, surpassing him.

Of the Three Sacred Treasures, the Yatagarasu Mirror is said to be the sacred object of Amaterasu.

In Bunraku puppet theater, he appears as a Kyokoku wearing a silver kimono and with two horns.

I never considered that Cursed Soh is actually a mirror in itself! Something to digest...

The kaleidoscope is in Soh's attack also, actually. When she strikes with her sword, the slashes are kaleidoscope images. In fact, you can argue Soh is associated with mirrors.

But why does this poster believe that Seethe from the play is Cursed Soh?

However...I'm now looking at Soh's introduction very differently. She's running out to meet a threat dressed in men's armor. Much like Amaterasu...

"The Great Yamatsumi-sama?"

The OP also features a figure that looks like the "Great Yamatsumi-sama."

Although he is a mountain god, he is not sitting on top of a mountain, but on a cloud, with the sun at his back.

The Mizura-yui hairstyle is an ancient men's hairstyle, but the thinness of his face and neck makes him look like a woman dressed as a man.

He holds a sword and has a rosary-like ornament on his arm, the "Yasakani-no-Ihyakuka-Mito-Iotsu-no-Misumaru." *1

The only time this applies in Japanese mythology is when Amaterasu, believing that "Susanoo is coming to take Takamagahara," prepares for battle and dresses as a man to greet him. *2

*3

*1: There is no bow and arrow or tomoe. He wears them in his hair, but there is no description of him wearing them around his neck.

*2: In the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki texts, the part about Amaterasu and Susanoo making a vow

*3: As a side note, Amaterasu and Oyamatsumi are siblings. Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi-no-mikoto, married Oyamatsumi's daughter, Konohana-no-sakuya-bime.

The Goddess is indeed very reminiscent of Amaterasu. Sun behind her.

Notice how something is emerging from her wrists? 

I speculated this represents the Maiden's sacrifice when she walks the Path of the Goddess. But what if it's actually the Goddess creating offspring(Maiden)?

Entangled Beings

The mountain of good fortune and misfortune, the seven bends that may or may not be gods, the ancestral spirits that bring impurity and disaster, and the generations that stand between humans and gods.

This game is based on a worldview in which two opposing things are two sides of the same coin, in between, or tangled and chaotic.

And Amaterasu, who sits in the heavens, is also depicted as a chaotic mess tangled with the Kunitsukami Yamatsumi and the impurity of people.

Impurity and purification

Purification is the washing away of impurity, exorcising sins, becoming pure and returning to one's true self.

When Izanagi lost his wife and returned from the underworld, he purified himself of his impurity and became Amaterasu.

The violent Susanoo was purified of his sins and became the hero who slayed Yamata no Orochi.

Sins and impurities should be avoided, but purification rituals can also help you to be reborn.

The origin of the word "Sōjū"

Looking at the literal meaning, one might interpret it as a "cursed sect," but there is no good or bad in the act of incantation itself, and praying to gods and Buddhas to ward off disasters and bring good fortune is also included in sorcery.

"Buddha curse" refers to spells such as sutras and mantras, and can also refer to specific mantras such as Jikuju.

"Shinjū" has almost the same meaning, and if it is derived from Taoism, it is "Dōjū".

I couldn't find the word Sōjū, but "Sō" means a place where spirits are worshiped, such as a mausoleum or a shrine, or an ancestor.

There are many piles of stones in foreign lands, so perhaps Sōjū were used to worship ancestors. This is purely speculation.

When Sōjū was exorcised, it turned into a pillar of pale blue light, and its power resided in Sō. It is the power of the heavenly gods that surpasses the mountain gods.

Using the power he gained, So was able to remove the generational spirit stones and return them to humans, and he himself was able to attain nirvana.

Food for thought...I've already discussed Soh's name meaning Spirit Shrine. 

Amaterasu in Kunitsu-Gami

The lyrics of Kunitsu-Gami contain the characters "heaven" and "terasu" (sunlight).

Summary of the theory that Souju is Amaterasu

The word Kunitsukami is used in conjunction with Amatsukami, so there must be an Amatsukami.

Souju is in the heavens and rules over the mountains, so he is an Amatsukami.

Souju is a mirror that reflects Sou.

Amaterasu's sacred object is also a mirror.

Yamatsumi is depicted as Amaterasu dressed as a man and armed.

Mountains give birth to the sun (the sun rises in the morning), so they are their counterparts.

Sou exorcised the impurity of Souju, gained the power of Amatsukami that surpassed Yamatsumi, and broke the sacred stone.

The theme song contains the character "Amaterasu."

As someone who spent four years studying mainly the Nihon Shoki for the shrine examination, I believe that the theory that the religious curse is Amaterasu (plus mountain gods and ancestral spirits) is valid.

Her name name is...Cursed Soh. But why? Why is she the cursed version of Soh?

Soh is associated with mirrors from the very beginning.

They fought like Soh, dress like Soh...but also resemble Yoshiro. Perhaps she is mirroring the Pair but why in that specific way?

Why is the mountain goddess depicted as Amaterasu? (clothing + sun behind her)

The mazo talismans mentioned a forgotten deity, whose colors are that of Cursed Soh.

If she's an amatsukami, why was she inside Nanamagari? Why was she inside the spirit stone?

It's an interesting theory but...what if we're witnessing the birth of Amaterasu in the game?

Remember, the game has it's own myth, just like Okami has its own Amaterasu.

I always remember that Reddit post that said Amaterasu is fond of women and shrine maidens. It's not a valid source but what was their source? I wish I knew!