On Yoshiro (Looking at another's theory once again)

This time I'm looking over their next theory, which seems to have changed a bit as they now regard Soh as 'human'. Or is there something being lost in translation? It's hard to say. Google translate is just not reliable.

Their post.

This is useful for me as it helps me revisit ideas and rethink things. And if anyone is interested in this game as much as me, they'll hopefully enjoy these posts, too...

As always, I translate it twice.

What is Miko Kagura?

The main theme of this game is Kagura.

In the past, shrine maidens would dance and become possessed by a god, then use their bodies as a yorishiro to summon the god and receive divine revelations. It is said that there are many rotating movements that tend to put them into a trance state.

It seems that the gods who were summoned were often tutelary deities or ancestral deities.

The name "Seidai"

Similar to "yorishiro" (a shrine) and "shiro" (a shrine), the theme of this work is also the repeated reincarnation of generations.

A generation that is neither god nor human

Seidai does not talk to the villagers, and is the only one in a tent at the base.

Those who communicate with gods and perform rituals cut off everyday actions such as interacting with others in order to reach an extraordinary place.

Ah! So shrine maidens use their bodies as yorishiros? I'm glad I was right about the origins of Yoshiro's name. Shiro means shrine, too? 

This further links Yoshiro and Soh just via their names.

I've also mentioned Yoshiro as 'the spirit stone Soh is tethered to' and Yoshiro as the 'body of the goddess'.

So, Yoshiro never talks to the villagers? Another interesting thing...

She talks to Soh but Soh isn't human, of course...

The effectiveness of the generation's exorcism

The effectiveness of the generation's own exorcism is limited to the large tainted torii gate (at the goal).

The black smoke surrounding it could not be exorcised, and although the Hidaru god was once removed, it remained possessed.

Mune can return the villagers from the tainted cocoons to their original state, exorcise the village's taint, the taint of animals, and blockaded paths to the shrine, drawing a path to the spirits.

It is also Mune's role to open the closed torii gates.

The goal cannot be achieved unless these two work together.

Similarities between Mune and the generation

The daifu used by Mune in exorcism glows pink. It is also pink when drawing a path to the spirits.

When the generation performs the Kagura dance, flowers and butterflies glow pink under their feet.

Also, in the movie at Meiko Pass, when a generation falls, Mune stumbles as well.

The only thing we can hear often is the voices of each generation calling out to So for help, so it seems like they connect on some sensory level.

I disagree here. Exorcising is something they both do, simultaneously. 

When Yoshiro dances along the Spirit Path, Soh goes around purifying defilement. There's an implication they are doing this together: when Yoshiro exorcises, Soh is doing it as well. It's a joint effort occurring. Her dancing helps Soh purify.

To argue against this though, Soh is said to be able to stand against defilement alone. But if we go by how these two are introduced, whatever Yoshiro is doing, Soh is doing.

Yoshiro can purify animals. If they walk in her path, they are purified.

It's difficult to get footage of this because they need to run into her path...and the times I've seen it has been in the corner of the screen. (I will update this post and make another post about it once I find footage. I definitely saved a 'saw it in the corner of the screen' moment...)

She cannot purify cocoons though.

The Torii Gates are purified with them together. Soh stands in front of Yoshiro as she dances, and waves the haraigushi. 

We hear Yoshiro call for Soh, sometimes telling her 'I can't hold on' if her health is low.
We can also hear the Carpenter talk and even the villagers. (The villagers will yell encouraging words: 'Not long now!' or they'll say things like 'opened it up for you' if they're a thief.)

Generation's Palanquin

The votive plaque "Kagura" says, "This was made from the roots of the biggest tree on this mountain."

This is thought to be the case because there are traces of a tree being cut down in Adano Village. To be precise, the roots remain, so they probably used the part close to the roots.

The emphasis on "roots" is probably because it evokes the land of the roots.

The trunk may be the part left over from the shrine building on the mountaintop and the altar inside it.

Generation is a human sacrifice

Generation is a destined shrine maiden, and it is true that she offered her body as a "sacrifice."

It is a matter of a promise to the mountain god, so it is not a matter of the villagers being bad. It is because it is Generation's mission to give them guidance.

Generation's votive plaque says, "I will not hesitate to bend to the wind," and she has decided to sacrifice her life.

Is fulfilling her role and duty just a pitiful victim?

Did I post up the images I took of the tree? (Oh no, I didn't! I totally forgot to make a post about it! I'll add one in now...here it is!)

This is from the Great Cherry Tree of Nakahara.

Whether it's the villagers fault or not is up for debate. They keep defiling the mountain! But the lore says that their very existence disrupts nature...so is it inevitable...?

I'm confused about what's being said on Yoshiro's plaque.

This is implying that she's physically weak and so the implication is that she needs Soh, her protector. That's why they descend together?

The japanese line says: 間で揺らがぬ清廉さは強さと見えるが、 一凛の花は風に靡くことを厭わない。 [Their unwavering purity is seen as strength, but a single flower does not hesitate to sway in the wind.]

This doesn't say victim...it's saying despite her purity giving her strength, the wind will make her bend. But is the Japanese implying something else?

The villagers are also pitiful. 

They are turned into tainted cocoons, and just when they think they have returned to normal, they have to do dangerous civil engineering work during the day and fight the Wailing with weapons at night. I think the villagers are also miserable.

This isn't true! 

Every stage has different villagers. During the day, the only work they might do, depending on the village, is fix bridges or clear pathways. Once the village is purified, they do base repairs and then that's all. No more fighting once the stage has been cleared.

The villagers don't accompany Yoshiro on the Path. Once the base is repaired, she travels alone with Soh to the next village. (And the carpenter!) When Yoshiro becomes crippled, the mikoshi-bearers join them.

Is turning into a spiritual stone just a misfortune?

The generation that is turning into a spiritual stone as they absorb more impurity seems to suffer, but at the end they are freed from the pain, lose their human emotions, and become beings that transcend humans.

That's not all bad.

According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki myths, Ninigi-no-Mikoto married only Oyamatsumi's daughter Konohana no Sakuya-bime, but sent her older sister Iwanaga-hime away because she was ugly and scary.

Iwanaga-hime was given a wish for a long life, but because he only summoned the beautiful Konokono-no-Sakuya-bime, people's lives became as fragile and fleeting as the flowers on a tree.

The generation are beautiful maidens, and when they dance kagura, flowers bloom at their feet and butterflies dance.

After becoming spiritual stones, they lost their blooms and their appearance became frightening, but they gained a solid life that would not be scattered by snow or wind.

Of course, Generation is not alive as a human, but there is no description of her losing her body and soul.

She does not go to either the Pure Land or the Underworld, but remains at the altar (the world where Souji was).

Yoshiro becomes defiled through purifying. But she's not 'human', she's specifically the 'Spirit Stone Maiden.'

When something is used purify it becomes defiled itself eventually. This happens to the Maiden and it happened to the lake in-game. (And I recently saw this is Dark Souls 3 theory post of the Cathedral of the Deep and how it became tainted this way)

(When Yoshiro becomes a home for the Goddess and then absorbs defilement, this will affect the goddess herself? Is this what Cursed Soh is?)

Her spirit stone form also serves as a vessel for her soul and the other Maidens. She absorbs the previous spirit stone which contains the spirits of previous Maidens.

What is a new Gion?

Mune is a messenger of Yamatsumi and will return to the mountain, so he cannot become a "new Gion".

The villagers wear masks and live as ancestral gods, so only the generation not wearing masks are "human". She will end when her stamina runs out and will not become a tainted cocoon.

Therefore, only a generation can become a Gion.

Pass of the Goddess

The subtitle is "The Narrow Path of the Goddess".

The goddess could refer to Yamatsumi or Mune, but it is also thought to refer to a generation that passes through the spiritual path.

At the end of the first playthrough, the generation that became a spiritual stone was enshrined on the altar of the mountaintop shrine.

It is safe to think that "the generation became a spiritual stone and became a new Gion".

The picture scroll "Miare Miare" also seems to depict a generation that became a god or Buddha.

Yoshiro becomes 'defiled' in the game over screen.

It's said that the Seethe seek to steal her power. Once they strip her of her power, she falls permanently. Unlike villagers who just become cocooned due to the power of the gods in their masks. (Although they might be next)

Yoshiro's crown is her 'mask'. Her crown and veil have a strange stone on it that I mentioned here which all the other villagers have in their masks. She has 4 stones in total. Some of the other masks have various numbers of stones.

it moves, check in game! Here's a gif

You can also see here that it's complementary to Soh's mask. Yoshiro's mask shows her full face. Soh's does not. This is intentional...isn't it?

She also immediately loses her veil when she becomes crippled.

But regains it in the spirit world.

This gives the impression the veil is linked to the role as Yoshiro? When she becomes crippled, she appears to be more fragile and more human, and loses her veil. (I'm not entirely sure yet about this...)

Didn't the previous theory say humans can't become gods?

From the previous post:

The theory that Muneta was the previous shrine maiden

I'm of the opinion that humans cannot become gods (except for Tenjin-sama), so I don't really want to buy the theory that Muneta was the previous shrine maiden.

I think it makes sense as a game story, and fits the themes of generations and reincarnation.

A shrine maiden can become a vessel for a god and summon a god, but that doesn't mean that a human becomes a god.

Did they change their opinion? Or translation issues? Then again, they say it makes sense in game.

It also looks like Soh as the previous shrine maiden is a common idea in the Japanese Kunitsu-Gami community?

Back to the previous topic, it's possible that the Maiden becomes deified through her sacrifice. 

Kagura masks in which gods reside

At the end of the first playthrough, So reveals his true face (after turning back into a human) and disappears.

The next generation inherited So's masks and remained in the mirror world where Sono was. It is an intermediate place, neither this world nor the afterlife.

In Kagura, the manifestation of gods is expressed by wearing masks, and human roles are performed without masks. It is believed that gods reside in the masks themselves, and they are treated with great respect.

The white mask of So is where the Yamatsumi resides.

The mask alone cannot do anything, so a shrine maiden is also needed to serve as a medium.

The girl in the red and white kimono who was at the foot of the mountain at the end of the first playthrough will likely become the next shrine maiden.

Why does So fight as if dancing?
Because his body belongs to the shrine maiden who dances Kagura.

In Kagura, dancers often hold objects such as bells, fans, and sakaki branches in their hands. This is called torimono kagura.

It is said that the torimono become a place where the gods reside and a landmark for them to descend.

Mune uses the sword as a torimono to perform a Kagura dance and exorcise the spirits, but the generation does not carry the torimono.

But I thought Soh was a fox spirit, according to the previous theory?

But yes, the Maiden becomes the new Messenger...and wears the mask. Until she's needed, she remains enshrined in her body, the Spirit Stone.

Soh's body being linked to Yoshiro and this is why she dances is possible, I suppose. It's more likely that Soh was a previous Maiden. In the play, they dance the Kagura together.

Also, look how the sync up!

they twirl and jump at the same time

What I wouldn't do to be able to see both of them all the time to see how their movements sync up! It's so satisfying!

Even better...is this what battles are actually like in canon? As Soh fights, Yoshiro's dances will mimic her movements? If only they had implemented that!!!

Shrine maidens are not gods

"Oare" also means that a god has manifested.

The position of the generation is that "from the gods' point of view, she is a human, and from the humans' point of view, she is a god."

Even if she is "seen" by a god, she remains a shrine maiden who "doesn't waver in between."

Even if she becomes a sacred stone, her features remain and she has not lost her individuality.

When a person becomes a god, their face (individuality) is no longer drawn on them. In fact, unlike the villager's masks, Mune's mask has no face.

Kagura is "a way for both gods and people who perform the ritual to soften their hearts and share the joy as they melt into one*1."

Even if a person is possessed by a god during a ritual, they return to their daily lives once it is over.

Just like Mune has regained his true face.

The villager's original masks have no face. Or is the flower a face? 

Their faces are flowers, which is the metaphor frequently used for the Maiden.

I'm a little confused by what's being said here.

Is the bit about gods being faceless a Shinto thing? It's not in the game because in battle, the villagers are wearing the masks of their ancestral gods who are described as 'gods of the mountain'. And the ancestral masks have faces...

But they are probably saying that the person's own face(individuality) is no longer seen? But that's everyone except Yoshiro.

Soh's mask is also the 12th mask. Who's the ancestor of the Maiden? It must be who the mask belongs to? It's not. It's the 13th,

I agree with it being faceless. It's why I like Soh. I like faceless or headless characters.

But again, it's saying Soh is now human? And if a shrine maiden is needed as medium to wear the masks then...

Soh is the previous shrine maiden as she 'wears the mask of the goddess' and dances Kagura, becoming the Goddess. Yoshiro is what is used to allow Soh to act in this world, the yorishiro.

But both are channeling the Goddess: Soh in her mask, Yoshiro in her dance.

It's implied that Soh shows her face in the tent when talking to Yoshiro because Yoshiro responds to obvious interaction. And the hitchigiri image shows that she exposes her face when encouraging Yoshiro to snack.

But I have other ideas which will be in the next post.