"Understanding the anger of the Mountain Goddess through Scrolls" by Ten

The original author of this post is Ten: A link to the original article.

All credit goes to them.

The post is in Japanese and if you hit 'translate', it can be difficult to understand due to how it's translated and structured. But if I put text in the translator myself, it comes out more neat and understandable.

Since I'm doing it for myself, I may as well post it for others to read it as there will be useful and interesting things as always. This post in particular sheds a lot of light on the world of Kunitsu-Gami.

I'm using Google Translate. I copy and paste it raw to allow people to interpret what's being said. If I altered the 'translation', there's no guarantee my opinion is correct. (But I will try and do minor corrects when it uses the wrong definition of the kanji. I didn't before...but I will now)

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Why is the Mountain Goddess of Mischief and Fortune so angry?

Reading the Oyamatsumi Generation Ritual Records

• 1. Village Festival

The state in which you have offered Kagura and kept your promise to Yamatsumi.(The cherry blossoms are in bloom, but they are actually in bloom during Shimotsuki.)

In the true ending of the second playthrough, you finally fulfilled your promise to the Mountain Goddess.

Dancing the Kagura is meant to honor the gods. It could have been part of the promise.

The women who wear the same make-up as Yoshiro, are they implied to be Maidens too? Or just girls?

• 2. Woodcutter/The Logger

They cut down the entire tree line and then did not perform the Toriso-tachi (a ritual in which a tree is inserted into a stump in gratitude and a prayer for the tree to regrow) and they have neglected to show gratitude to the mountain god and to plant new trees.

Forests have the ability to absorb sudden rainfall and store water, so leaving the mountains bare could lead to droughts and landslides.

The mountain is home to the "water god" who is in charge of water sources and the distribution of water. The mountain god is also the god who irrigates the rice fields.

This is the cause of the drought.

This is a far cry from the time of our ancestors, when the axe of the votive plaque "Woodcutter" cut open the mountain, bringing light to the land and creating a path through which the sun could gather.

Furthermore, in forestry there are designated trees, plots, and dates that must not be cut down.

Trees that the gods rely on, or use for shelter from the rain or to rest are left uncut.

It is said that cutting them down will result in the loss of work tools, a serious accident, or even just touching them can wipe out an entire family.

On days when the gods hunt or when they count the number of trees, people are afraid to enter the mountains.

These arrangements are also "promises" with the mountain gods.

The "kamaitachi" votive plaque also describes retaliation for deforestation, and the cutting down of man-made objects and buildings.

"Exorcism" can also be punitive.

The votive plaque "Hachimen-o" also says about the felling, "As if feeling pity for the trees being tainted, they continue to gather impurity upon themselves," and rather than simply the anger of the mountain, it seems as if they have exceeded their limits and become an uncontrollable, raging god.

At least, that's how it's depicted in the game. I think that's the only way to explain it easily for humans.

As for what the mountain god is like in real life, he erupts in anger at being polluted*2. It was said that if the anger of the divine spirit was not appeased, war*3 would break out.

This is a slightly extreme example, but I hope it shows the value of human life to the mountain god.

The part I bolded is important. The scroll is called 'The logger' but the ancestral mask is called 'Woodcutter'.

Since I suspect the masks are roles taught by the Goddess, and it's why the masks belong to her, humans deviating from what she taught them will anger her. In this image, they are cutting down so carelessly, aren't they?

• 3. Fish-Catching/The Fisherman

The scene shows the men catching a large fish with a harpoon. They pay no attention to the other fish swimming at their feet.

Like the woodcutters, they are showing off their beautiful bodies. They are getting enough protein from meat and fish, and it is clear that they are not starving.

It has changed a lot since "pitiful days like a thin silk thread that may break at any time."

Fishing has degenerated from a blessing that helped them to stave off hunger and receive the blessing of life to a sport to show off their skills, and they have grown to the point of fishing for the lord of the lake.

This is a scene where they have lost their respect for the gods and nature, and instead of submitting to the gods, they have even tried to conquer them.

Their arrogance has become a sin, polluting the lake where they are purified, and they can no longer fish.

Because fishing is a thriving industry in Japan, killing animals while fishing was considered a greater sin than hunting.

Fish-catching is more appropriate for this scene, isn't it? The implication in the Japanese title is that this is just an act they're doing. They're not fishermen. It's a sport, a hobby.

• 4. Beast Hunt/The Hunter

All creatures in the mountains belonged to the mountain god, and only hunters were allowed to steal them.

Hunting had its own strict rules*4.

Before hunting, they had to sleep separately from their wives. They could only use designated hunting equipment such as bows, spears, and matchlock guns. They spoke only in mountain language, and shared the catch among everyone*5.

They followed the etiquette set by the mountain god, such as performing daily rituals, and did not waste any life.

By keeping their promises, they maintained a good relationship with the mountain god, which led to safety and a living.

The votive plaque "Yumitori" (Arrows) says, "The arrows exorcised hunger" and "gave food to the people," and hunting supported daily food in Mt. Magafuku.

Considering the above, the nobles in kariginu (hunting clothes) were outsiders from the foot of the mountain, and were of a status that had nothing to do with hunger. For them, hunting was nothing more than exercise and entertainment.

They did not know the etiquette, and for entertainment they destroyed the lives born to the mountain god, and did not share them.

They have no idea of ​​etiquette, and for entertainment they destroy the lives born from the mountain gods, and do not share them.

"The deeds of people who repeatedly commit pointless killings and stray from the cycle of life"*6

Also, deer are messengers of the gods of Kasuga Taisha Shrine.

The deer in the picture scroll do not appear to be afraid of people.

None of the villagers are wearing deer fur, so it seems likely that they are not allowed to hunt deer for some reason, as they are believed to be messengers of the gods.

Since pigs and chickens are kept as livestock, there does not seem to be much need for hunting.

It seems the most we can do is hint at the demon statues(mazo talsimans), which are less likely to be noticed by wildlife.

This scroll has always been upsetting. The deer looks so innocent.

The mazo talisman that allows you to get closer to animals is called 'Hunter'.

• 5. Plague/Pestilence

A man lies on his sickbed, black smoke rising from his head.

The other villagers have full hair, but he is the only one with a tufted topknot, so he may be of high social status.

The white-haired prayer holding the harai-suki has long hair*9, but judging from his build, he is a man.

In Shugendo, prayers are offered to elucidate the causes of illness and to remove disasters and bring good fortune.

Ekishin, the god of plague, causes illness in order to "make all living beings aware of their evil intentions*10." The punishment meted out by the gods is an act of encouraging good and punishing evil, and the fault lies with humans.

Therefore, the sick person is made to repent, and the god's spirit is sent back to its rightful place.

Diseases caused by the gods' curse have more severe symptoms than those caused by living or dead spirits, and it was feared that they could be epidemic.

The votive plaque "Yoshiro" says, "Guide what should be where it should be," so it may have played such a role.

The mountain god would make people sick as punishment, but on the other hand, people also prayed to him for healing.

A note here: the little girl might be Yoshiro, as she looks at her mother the way Yoshiro looks upon Soh.

But now I'm also wondering if it's not Yoshiro but is meant to imply the Goddess is Yoshiro's 'mother' and it's why she takes a similar pose?

• 6.The Hundred Fears of the Night/Nightly Procession of the Seethe

The term "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" originates from the phrase "a procession of various monsters roaming the streets," and refers to many villains behaving in an arrogant manner.

The impurity of illness and sickness brought further disaster, and various kinds of wailing were manifested.

Since "oni" (demon) has been changed to "kikoku" (fear), the original source of wailing is likely "kikoku" (demons' cry).

Kikoku refers to the sad weeping of departed spirits who cannot rest in peace.

Lore on the nature of the Seethe. Quite sad...

• 7. National Crime/ Kunitsutsumi

Kamo no Mabuchi defined "sins committed by people on earth*11" and the perpetrator of the sin.

Suzuki Shigetane classified it as "physical mistakes of people" (not society) and the subject of the damage*12.

This is a picture of wailing injuring someone, so it is a physical mistake of a person.

But does wailing commit the Kunitsuzai? I don't think so.

(This Oharae no Kotoba was included in the implementing rules of the Heian period legal code called "Engishiki", so gods are not included.)

Either way, the fault lies in the "bottomless greed of the people" that awakened the wailing.

The character "怨" (resentment) is engraved on the prayer beads of the "Gaki Nyudo", a symbol of greed, so the purpose is revenge.

It can be said that this is a picture of a "Kunitsuzai" that occurred due to the greed of the villagers.

The villagers wear the white faces of the "curse" and hide in their tainted cocoons, sealed away in a flexed burial position.

Sericulture was once popular in the mountainous regions. Amaterasu holds silkworms in her mouth and produces silk, so she is also the goddess of sericulture*13.

It can also be thought of as a fast in the sense that it cuts off ties with the people around her, removes herself from everyday life and the general public, and becomes purified.

They are released from the tainted cocoons through the purification ritual of Soh, and are reborn anew, just as larvae transform into moths, and are given new roles.

It is very Japanese that the thing they do in their new lives is to "work."

The types of sin in Shinto and the history behind the 'heavenly sins' is worth a read. Heavenly sins are sins that are alike the ones Susanoo committed.

• 8. Human Sacrifice/Victim/The Sacrifice

A white-haired prayer leader performs the ritual, and a shining young girl is Yoshiro.

The cave represents the mother's womb, and the skeleton alludes to the girl's fate.

The mountains are where spirits live, ancestors sleep, and where new life comes, and are filled with motifs of death and rebirth.

It is said that there are cases where Kagura was originally a shrine maiden dance that came to be performed by male priests.

It may be that the role of chief priest changed from male back to female.

This scroll is reminiscent of Nanamagari. It holds the spirit stone within its womb much like the imagery in this scroll.

This must be when the Maiden gains the two circles on her forehead and the bead on her chest, becoming Yoshiro.

• 9. The Ceremony of the Relocation of the Gods/Ceremonial Procession

A sacred place is a religious facility where divine spirits reside*14.

There are various theories about it, such as a sacred shrine, a grove, a tree, a sacred place and its fence, or even sacrificial meat, but no conclusion has been reached.

Here, the mask is a scene where a god resides, but the word "move" means "movement" of a god, such as in a senza or a shrine transfer, so it is not appropriate for a scene where a god resides*15.

The costume of a priest is a crown of a suei on the head, and a "zomen" used in bugaku dance "Soriko" and "Ama" on the face.

The three-common stag has been changed to the divine crest of Gion, and other arrangements have been made.

The robe looks like a jōe, but there is no sleeve tying cord. It seems to be mixed with a myōe, as it is a crown of a suei instead of an eboshi hat.

He is wearing Asagi's nubakamakama and sashiko, so his status is third or fourth class.

This scroll greatly intrigued me. The english translation is so different to what the kanji says. Other translations are 'The ceremony of transfer of the shrine' and 'The ceremony of transferring the gods'.

The gods move to live within their descendants, which is why they live as messengers of their ancestors? 

• 10. Preparation for the ceremony/Ceremony Preparations

Costumes for Soh and Yoshiro. The kimonos of men and women are lined up side by side to create a wedding atmosphere, and feature a lily pattern.

After Batsu and Re-election(?), this lily pattern is hidden by the gauntlets and cannot be seen.

One of my favorites. It's so mysterious in nature upon the first viewing. Soh is a spirit, why are her clothes here? I considered it to merely be an expression of an idea and not a physical thing.

To hear it has a wedding atmosphere put so much into perspective for me. Marriage as a spiritual action, in relation to a god, is extremely relevant here for what happens to both Yoshiro and Soh. Becoming one.

Lillies are a symbol of purity and the fleur de lis is a symbol of the Virgin Mary, a woman who held god within her. Lily is also 'yuri' although I'm not sure this game is that kind of game. Or maybe it is and I'm so used to things being overly crude?

The previous scroll puts this into perspective as well. Yoshiro becomes a shrine for the Goddess?

• 11. Kunitsugami/Kunitsukami

The first battle with Batsu, at the shrine at the top of the mountain.

Soh's powers are taken away at this time and her costume changes, with the breastplate of her armor now reddish-brown and with the word "Curse" written on it. The thin fabric around her waist and shoulders is also gone.

Normally, Soh, who is a messenger of the Mountain God, would be a Kunitsukami.

However, since Soh is a "messenger" of the Yamatsumi, I would not call him a Kunitsukami.

It is not uncommon, though, for the messengers sent by the gods to actually be the gods themselves.

Batsu, which dries up the land, is comparable to Susanoo, who withered the mountains.

I would like to consider Batsu, who has a deep connection with the soil, to be the Kunitsukami.

The title is written 'Kunitsugami' but the english uses Kunitsukami.  On the topic of the localisation, the director specified there was purpose behind using 'gami'. The game title is written Kunitsukami but uses hiragana that says 'Kunitsu-Gami'.

Ten here is saying that Soh is not the kunitsukami to him as he believes Soh is the Goddess.

So the kunitsugami is Batsu.

What makes this interpretation very interesting is that if Soh is fighting a kunitsukami, there can be a hint she's a a heavenly deity as there's usually conflict between the two.

(I'm writing a theory on that, Soh as Amaterasu)

Chestpiece here.

• 12. The Battle of the Witching Hour

Battle scene in the village.

• 13. Rainy Night Lake Battle/The Stormy Battle of the Lake

Although the title is of a lake, lightning is striking, resulting in a mixture of "Lake Yuminari" and "Arakaze Valley."

•  14. Moonlight Gozen Soh/Soh Under the Moonlight

Moonlit night at base.

Even as he gazes at the moon, Soh places her right hand against her chest, clenching her armpit to protect his side.

She is on guard against the direction of the toes of her right foot (left side of the screen).

Her torso and left toes are pointing toward Yoshiro, revealing her true feelings.

Soh is wearing a mask, and Yoshiro has his eyes closed, but they appear to be looking at the same moon.

Yoshiro leans forward as if trying to get closer to Soh, and their toes look as if they are about to touch, embodying the relationship between the two.

My favorite one.

Gozen is the title of a female samurai warrior. 

Soh being on guard while at a purified base... I always interpret it as Soh making some kind of oath, but on guard is likely too. Her duty is never done and she doesn't need sleep.

Yoshiro really is extending her foot out a lot, as if to get closer to Soh, with Soh's body facing her.

Yoshiro's eyes are closed as she looks upon Soh. In the Pestilence, the little girl looks upon her mother with her eyes closed.

Is there a hint at the little girl being Yoshiro? Or at the relationship between Soh and Yoshiro? (familiar)

• 15. A Moment of Peace

The animals that have been cleansed of impurities go to Yoshiro, so this scene can be seen during the day.

Yoshiro is a shrine maiden, and it is a lonely role where she cannot get along with the villagers.

This is a scene where she comes into contact with the animals and feels comforted.

Rabbits, sparrows, deer, and cows are animals that appear in myths and are considered messengers of the gods.

Yoshiro has a halo around her head.

Nigimitama is a name that honors the god's calmness, affection, and harmonious work, and is considered to be the main characteristic of the god.

Aramitama is "constructive, enterprising bravery, and work on the side of creation"*16.

It does not mean a "wild god," but if ara goes too far, it becomes "wild."

Aratama and Nigimitama are terms that refer to certain aspects, so it is not that there are "separate souls" or that the "soul has been split into two"; they are the same spirit.

It is said that "he accomplishes things with a rough spirit and serves with a peaceful spirit," and he accomplishes his tasks by working both actively and passively.

She appears to be enjoying a peaceful time away from the roughness of battle, and Soh, who is not depicted, can be seen as an "aramitama."

This interpertation caught my attention because Ten is implying Yoshiro and Soh are one spirit, with Yoshiro as peaceful and Soh as more wild.

I'm already convinced these two are one due to fusion but adding this idea in fits. Masculine and Feminine. Active and Passive. Yin and Yang.

I wasn't aware of the circle being a halo. I thought it was a sun, since we see this during the day. (I am ignorant...)

On the topic of the two aspects of the soul, the active and passive, the masculine and feminine, yin and yang... it reminds me of twin souls. People who believe the other part of their soul lies in another body. If it were true and we used this particular shinto belief, your twin flame would be the opposite of you? Or a very good complement.

(I personally agree that the soul does indeed have two aspects. There is a Maiden and a Messenger within you. But I don't believe it resides in another body.)

• 16. Phantom Street/Alleyway of Illusion/Phantom Paths

The painting is reminiscent of Ogata Korin's Red and White Plum Blossoms.

Between Cursed Soh and Soh there is only darkness separating them, and they lean forward with their faces close to each other, facing each other with their backs to each other, showing that they are opposing beings.

Since they are about to fight, it is natural for them to face each other and approach each other. The toes of your dominant foot and your forehead should be pointed towards your opponent.

A gold flowing water pattern on a black background is at the base of the feet, indicating the final stage, "Foreign Land."

The upper left half of the Yoshiro's body is the same color and pattern.

The title refers to a place of crossroads, like the boundary between this world and the next.

This is a scene where two people who were traveling the same path part ways at a crossroads.

In some areas, the mountain god is considered to be the god of mountain paths, mountain passes, and forks.

Inspiration

The first time we see this scroll, it's only half lit, at the end of the normal ending.

As if she gazes into a mirror. It's covered by impurity. When we get the True Ending by purifying Cursed Soh, the game's logo is purified. Kunitsukami is purified and we hear the song 'Kunitsukami' not 'Kunitsugami'.
(Can we assume the phantom path to the Otherworld is Cursed Soh's path?)

Yoshiro follows the path of Soh in the normal ending, merging fully with the Goddess and wearing her mask.

In the True Ending, Yoshiro is purified, Cursed Soh is purified, the logo is purified. Soh gains the power to perform this purification.

If the kunitsukami is purified, is Yoshiro the kunitsukami due to her fusing with the Goddess?
("The kunitsukami receives light and is tainted by the human world.")

Or is that Soh, in fusing with Yoshiro, is the one tainted? They're both tainted in the end.

The foundation is Yoshiro's design because she is the foundation of them.

As for red and white plum blossoms...

Red and white

The Maiden is referred to as a singular flower. Plum Blossoms are single flowers. In the kanji, if looking at the Chinese meaning, they are called 'apricot blossoms'. 

(More here flowery visuals here)

• 17. Birth of a Goddess

The birth or manifestation of a divine spirit. The crown and magatama are the same as those worn by Yoshiro.

The twisted old tree is covered in moss, and a single flower is blooming from the generation's back. (It doesn't look like a cherry blossom, but a double-flowered apple?)

The bottom left is a chrysanthemum, an autumn flower. Is the bottom right a tachibana?

Women wearing masks are praying.

It depicts the souls of the Yoshiros that have become spiritual stones.

The picture is filled with the villagers' regrets and atonement, and while it is painted in a divine manner, as if to wish for things to be as they should be, its life is superimposed on the falling petals of a cherry blossom.

This scroll is so mysterious as we see it after the True Ending as well but we obtain it when we complete Yamasuso Lodging and Yoshiro is approaching her end, becoming almost fully the spirit stone.

Her pose is the same as Yoshiro's in 'Moment of Peace'. Yoshiro also uses this same 'as above, so below' in official artwork.

Why a 4 tiered halo?

• 18. Eternal Sunshine/ Eternal Pool of Sunlight

"The eternal dawn comes" - a place where the sun shines forever.

A young girl who seems to be a generation talks with a hungry ghost at dusk.

The lyrics of Kunitsu-Kami, which plays at the end of the second playthrough, are similar.

While it is spring with cherry blossoms, dandelions, horsetails, and butterflies, the grass and trees are withered.

After sacrificing many girls called generations, she is able to converse with the lament.

She no longer needs the halo as she did in "Human Sacrifice" and "Moment of Peace", indicating that the lineage of the shrine maiden has lost its power.

I wonder if defeating the Souji (without exorcising it) is enough to resolve the issue, just like defeating the Yamata no Orochi.

To me, it seemed unclear and unresolved what to do about the impurity in the second ending without generations.

I don't think this is a Maiden. The cherry blossoms are linked to the Goddess, so are the Seethe.

I believe this is...a descendant of the Goddess.

In Kunitsu-Gami, the Goddess sends the Seethe, the monsters we fight. 

The Seethe have the impurity pattern upon them and so does Soh.

In a land of eternal sunshine, we can live with impurity without becoming impure. The Maiden is a symbol of purity, the Seethe impurity. 

Could it also mean living with those who are impure without becoming tainted by them?

The sun is meant to cast out defilement so why in eternal sunlight, do we have Seethe? Because with light, we need darkness?

It's an image that has to be meditated on...

This scroll has a personal meaning to me.

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I added some thoughts after each scroll so I'm not just stealing someone's post! Please visit their blog for more posts!