Yoshiro's Descent alongside Soh.

 Thanks to Japanese twitters, I have found a potential answer on how Yoshiro descends alongside Soh.

In the Japanese plaque, there is no subject given.

Soh is the messenger of the mountain goddess and governs the world alongside Yoshiro. Descending into the world, guidance is provided by Yoshiro and the power of the masks is bestowed by Soh.

In ancient Japan, there's something called a Miko's Divine Descent. It's when the kami descends into her body. The kanji for descent used is the same one in the plaque. It's not the descending from heaven kanji. When translated twice, it calls it either the miko's descent or the god's descent.

When the plaque mentions this descent, could it be to reference this type of descent?

So when it's 'the two descended into the human world' it could really be that Soh, through Yoshiro, descends into the human world. This fits because why include Yoshiro in Soh's bio unless she plays an active role in what Soh can do?

Something else to wonder about: Soh's bio mentions her 'taking up her own sword to protect the maiden'. Why phrase it this way unless it's meaningful that Soh has joined the battle? I'd figure it was a normal part of the pact.

Possibly implying the defilement gets worse over time and eventually, Yoshiro needs help from Soh.

Curses, Batsu, Soh's name, Yoshiro's power and Cursed Soh.

A post that begun simple but ended up going in different directions!

The Batsu post from the Kunitsu-Gami twitter had me thinking about the interaction again.

The Seethe steal Yoshiro's power whenever they attack her. Their attacks are 'curses' that defile her.

I've seen mixed information. on Twitter, a Japanese person said Tatari is from kami but noroi is different. Noroi are done by humans or yokai or demons.   祟り (tatari) is from kamis: divine retribution.

A google result said:

Noroi (呪い) = something from one person to another

Tatari (祟り) = something from a god, demon, ogre, or dead person to a human.

When Batsu attacks Soh, Yoshiro's 'miko barrier' breaks, meaning she was affected by the attack. Some of Soh's power is then stolen. We can see power is being stolen from Yoshiro too:

Lore-wise, when Yoshiro is attacked and her power is stolen, Soh loses power in battle.

We can safely conclude that Yoshiro's power(of purification) is Soh. When Yoshiro is fully defiled, Soh loses her body.

Whatever Yoshiro is doing, Soh is doing. When she dances upon the Spirit Path to purify the village, Soh runs around purifying it.

Soh is her power/she's channeling Soh.

Batsu does not curse Soh. Humans and yokai cannot curse those higher in the hierarchy. Soh cannot be cursed then. But Yoshiro can be.

(However, Batsu's curse was strong enough to affect the mountain. The mountain is the Goddess, isn't it?)

We see the Curse symbol when Yoshiro's attacked as if we are also getting 'cursed'. Because she's our vessel.

But why does Soh's name-card become 'noroi' when she takes enough damage?

The kanji 祟 is slightly similar to Soh's kanji 宗. 

呪 is 'noroi' and means curse. The kanji 詛, meaning curse ad can be read as 'noroi' too, can also be read as Soh.

In combinations, it usually takes the on-yomi (Chinese reading) of so (そ) or sho (しょ).

詛呪 (soju): Curse

詛呪【そじゅsoju】curse

Soju, which is basically Cursed Soh's Japanese name: 宗呪そうじゅ (souju)

そじゅ (soju)

そうじゅ(soo-ju / sou-ju)

It can mean 'twin trees', something relevant to Buddhism.

Two trees...!

Let's talk about these twin trees in Buddsim. Shara-sōju. (shorea robusta/Sal tree)

I'm pulling from this article: https://gardenstory.jp/plants/103746

Most of the trees referred to as "Shara trees" in Japan are actually summer camellias (Stewartia pseudocamellia).

Because the Japanese sara tree (Stewartia pseudocamellia) dislikes cold, it cannot be grown in Japan's climate unless it is in a greenhouse. However, since it is considered a sacred tree in Buddhism, the Japanese stewartia (Stewartia pseudocamellia), which has similar-looking flowers, is planted as a substitute and called the Japanese sara tree. 

The reason why summer camellias are often planted at temples is said to be because they were planted as a substitute for the Japanese sara tree, which cannot withstand the Japanese cold, as the summer camellias have similar leaves and flowers. As a result, summer camellias have become widely recognized in Japan as the Japanese sara tree. 

"The summer camellia has been cultivated in temples and shrines as a substitute for the Japanese sara tree."

Yoshiro is a substitute for the Goddess. All the defilement that accumulates in the mountain is transferred to her.

More information:

The "Shara Twin Trees" appear at the beginning of "The Tale of the Heike" in the following form:

The sound of the bell of Gion Shoja echoes the impermanence of all things. The color of the flowers of the twin sala trees reveals the principle that the prosperous must inevitably decline. Those who are arrogant do not last long, they are merely like a dream on a spring night. Even the mighty eventually perish, just like dust before the wind.

- From "The Tale of the Heike," Volume 1, "Gion Shoja"

The opening phrase, "Shogyo Mujō" (諸行無常), refers to the fundamental Buddhist idea that the world is constantly changing. The following phrase, "Jōsha Hissui" (盛者必衰), means that even those who are powerful will eventually decline and perish.

"The sound of the bell of Gion Shoja echoes the impermanence of all things. The color of the flowers of the twin sala trees reveals the principle that the prosperous must inevitably decline." This expression finds in the fading sound of the bell and the changing colors of the flowers that everything in this world is constantly changing and that even the most powerful things will eventually perish."

Even the most powerful things. Is the death of Cursed Soh the death of the Goddess then?

The Japanese stewartia the camellia, grows in Japan and Korea.

Awhile back I had a thought: is Yoshiro actually Korean? Is her family foreign to Japan?

I asked myself this because Inari is said to be a foreign deity and it's believed to have been brought over by the Hata-clan, who were Korean.

Soh is a kunitsukami:

国津神(くにつかみ) not 祇(くにつがみ), which is the title of the game.

Batsu cannot be a kunitsukami. He's a man who became a demon.

But if it's meant to be Batsu, then the villagers are worshiping him as a kunitsukami?

御阿礼みあれ

"Miare" is an archaic word or Shinto term (御生・御阿礼) meaning the birth or descent of a deity into this world.

Yoshiro is said to descend into this world alongside Soh. 

Soh is likely the real Goddess and Yoshiro is the local deity that is enshrined on the mountain. She's a human to gods and a god to humans, so she's just a human who is enshrined as a kami. But she's enshrined as the Mountain Goddess, which appears to end up cursing the Goddess herself?

Soh and Yoshiro were confused for each other over time.

Yoshiro's family cultivated the land which means they came from somewhere else. But this is just speculation. They might've come from another area in Japan to cultivate the mountain.

So the worship of the Maiden did cause the big issue. They confused her for the Goddess. 
(I touched on this in the 'shrine maidens who worshiped the rice kami were also worshiped as the kami)

Soh is the Goddess having cursed Yoshiro's lineage and possesses the chosen Maiden.

Soh even wears 'noroi' on her outset armor. Maybe because...she's a curse? 

 and 呪 is the main kanji used for curse in the game, appearing when Yoshiro is attacked and Soh is depowered. But Soh wears that kanji on her outset armor. It's also somewhere in her normal armor but I can't figure out where...it's a texture. But where could it be placed...? I'm not good enough to at Blender to figure it out.

Nanamagari represented the curse as it means 'seven turns'. For seven generations, what humans created is destroyed and a Maiden must be offered as a katashiro.

In conclusion: Soh is the curse upon Yoshiro's lineage and is the source of her power.

We see Soh at the end to show the Maiden lineage is still cursed.

In true ending, Soh removes the curse from Yoshiro and in doing so, departs.

Defile Mountain>Become cursed for seven generations>make pact to offer human sacrifice>maiden serves a katashiro to purify the mountain/goddess>is enshrined as he Goddess>8 generations later and the Goddess is cursed>defeat and purify cursed Goddess>save 8th Maiden and break pact.

Did you know there's a mountain called Yoshino known for its cherry Blossom? Just thought it funny!

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 15: Batsu(魃ばつ)

■第15回　色々混ざった乾きの大ボス！魃… pic.twitter.com/AMku2ujoHv

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 20, 2026

■第15回　色々混ざった乾きの大ボス！魃

最初期にボスとしてラフ絵は上げていたもので考えた通りの敵になりました。大ボスの設定、干ばつのイメージから、乾き→地面ひび割れ→蜘蛛の巣っぽい→蜘蛛…みたいな連想を繰り返し、顔は動物では無く人寄り、開くと獣感、牛鬼とくだんを混ぜた様な印象にしました。

当初は尻尾に当たる部分は考えておらず、前後の分かり易さ、後ろが隙みたいな印象が必要かな？との意見もあり、蜘蛛の糸を出すようなよく動く尻尾をつけ足しました。この部分の動きの柔らかさも相まって妙な迫力が出ましたね。

当時はデザイン、モデル、リグ制作、アニメーションまで全部作ったのも、良い情熱の思い出。

ひび割れのエフェクトが良い感じに蜘蛛の巣要素を演出してもらえたり、プログラムでの動きも良い感じに生き生きとした制御。

異界遷宮で通常ウェーブで出て来た時のインパクトは必見です。

■15th Round: The Great Boss of Mixed-Up Dryness! The Drought Spirit

This was one I had uploaded rough sketches of as a boss from the very earliest stages, and it turned out exactly as I had envisioned as an enemy. For the great boss's setup, drawing from the image of drought, I went through associations like dryness → cracked ground → spiderweb-like → spider..., and made the face more human-like rather than animalistic, with a beastly feel when it opens, giving an impression like a mix of a cow demon and a prophetic beast.

Originally, I hadn't thought about the part that serves as a tail, but there were opinions that it might be necessary for clarity between front and back, and to give the impression of a vulnerability in the rear, so I added a highly mobile tail that looks like it could shoot out spider threads. Combined with the softness of movement in this part, it ended up creating a strangely compelling intensity.

Back then, making everything from the design, modeling, rigging, to animation was a fond memory of passionate effort.

The crack effects nicely brought out the spiderweb elements, and the programming for its movements was controlled in a way that made it vividly lively.

The impact when it appears in a normal wave in the Otherworldly Migration is a must-see.

Plaque Lore:

人が増えれば増えるほど様々な穢けがれを呼び込こむ。人が人を忌いみ嫌きらい、妬ねたみなどを向け呪のろいをかける。その昔、自分の土地よりも豊かに土地を実らせた人々を妬ねたむ村人がいた。その村人はついには家畜かちくの死体を使い、人々を呪のろってしまったという。呪のろいの力は凄すさまじく、山の一部をすべて干上がらせてしまった。魃ばつとは呪のろいをかけたその村人が変貌へんぼうした姿とも言われている。

Humans and defilement increase in equal parts, curses born from humanity's disdain and envy. Long ago, a man who was envious of those with more abundant fields used the carcasses of livestock to cast a curse upon the land. Legend states that the curse was so potent it dried out the entire side of the mountain and transformed the envious man into a frightening beast.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 14: Hidarugami(ヒダル神がみ)

■第14回　両面フロントの憑き物、ヒダル神！
村人達の力と同じ様に、逆の力に作用するお面として考案。
お面だけだと、インパクトに欠けるので、お面から人の身体が生えているイメージへ。
頭をすっぽり覆って二人羽織状態になって操る！背中は無く両方前として作っています。… pic.twitter.com/hXYjyIjjhQ

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 18, 2026

■第14回　両面フロントの憑き物、ヒダル神！

村人達の力と同じ様に、逆の力に作用するお面として考案。

お面だけだと、インパクトに欠けるので、お面から人の身体が生えているイメージへ。

頭をすっぽり覆って二人羽織状態になって操る！背中は無く両方前として作っています。

村人の手足を奪い、操り人形的に考えていたので手足自体は触手、軟体感が出るようにしました。

二人羽織はIK等、非常に大変になりそうな空気と取り憑かれている状態が視認し辛いかも？を察知したので、シンプルに顔だけに取り憑いて、上に上る印象になって分かり易くなり解決。

■14th Round: The Possession of the Double-Fronted Hidarugami!

Conceived as a mask that exerts an opposing force in the same way as the villagers' power.

Since a mask alone lacked impact, we shifted to an image where a human body sprouts from the mask.

It covers the head completely, creating a two-person costume state where it manipulates! The back is absent, designed with both sides as fronts.

Since we were thinking of it as seizing the villagers' limbs and treating them like puppets, the limbs themselves are made into tentacles to give a soft, invertebrate feel.

We sensed that the two-person costume would be extremely challenging with IK and such, and the state of possession might be hard to visualize, so we simplified it to just possessing the face, giving an impression of rising upward, which made it clearer and solved the issue.

Plaque Lore:

人間に憑依ひょういし極度の疲労感ひろうかんや空腹感を与あたえて憑とりつくとされる畏哭いこく。ヒダル神がみの正体はかつて同じくヒダル神がみに憑とりつかれた人間であるとされ、憑依ひょういされた者の周囲では徐々じょじょに生気を奪うばわれるといった現象が発生する。これは自身が味わった苦しみを他人にも味わわせたいという人間の悪性が顕現けんげんしたものとする説もある。

The Hidarugami will possess humans, inflicting them with severe hunger and fatigue. Legend states that they are born from humans whose life force was completely drained by another Hidarugami. But some believe that they are actually the manifestation of unfortunate humans who wished for others to experience the same suffering.

So the way it looks when possessing Yoshiro the first time was the original idea for it?

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 13: Tsurube-otoshi(つるべ落おとし)

■第13回　時間があると盛ってしまう！つるべ落とし… pic.twitter.com/AfCIYC0ZVR

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 15, 2026

■第13回　時間があると盛ってしまう！つるべ落とし

空から落ちて来て、人を食べるを解釈して、空で大きく丸っこい幽体が泳いでいて、落ちてくる。落ちて来たものは実は口で開くと、今まで食べられたであろう者たちの顔が見える、発光のテクスチャで泣いてるようにしました。開発初期にデザイン。最初はザコとして考えていたにも関わらず、内容を盛り込んだ物になってました。

元はひとうばんのポジションで扱う予定でしたが、仮モデルでもポリゴン数も骨も多くなってしまい、これは大量に数出せないかもと。

少し小さめでしたので口中の顔群も細かいので見え辛かったので、思い切って巨大にしてつるべ落としに相応しい大きさへ。

船のステージで乗り物になっているのが面白いです。

■13th Round: When I Have Time, I Overdo It! Tsurube Otoshi

It falls from the sky, interpreting "eats people"—a large, roundish ghostly form swims in the air and comes falling down. The thing that falls is actually a mouth that opens, revealing the faces of those it has presumably eaten before, made with a glowing texture as if they are crying. A design from the early development phase. Even though I initially thought of it as a small fry enemy, it ended up being something packed with content.

Originally, it was planned to be handled as a one-pattern enemy, but even the provisional model had too many polygons and bones, so I thought, "This might not be something I can produce in large numbers."

Since it was a bit small, the cluster of faces inside the mouth was detailed but hard to see, so I boldly made it huge to fit a size appropriate for a tsurube otoshi.

It's interesting how it becomes a vehicle in the ship stage.

Plaque Lore:

人間の頭上を狙ねらって執拗しつように落ちてくる畏哭いこく。その姿はオタマジャクシ、あるいは人の口のようだとも伝えられる。 口を開けた中には人の顔のような集まり、苦悶くもんの表情が見られる。かつて水辺で仕事をしていた際に不慮ふりょの事故によって失われた村人たちの訴うったえなのかもしれないと言われている。

The Tsurube-otoshi aims to relentlessly crush humans from above. Some say it looks like a tadpole, while others say it is a human mouth. When it opens its great maw, many humans faces in great anguish are revealed within. Legend states that it was born from the humans who were lost to unforeseen water-related accidents.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 12: Enenra(煙々羅えんえんら)

■第12回　顔をリロード！！えんえんら
遠くから呪詛を唱えて、プレイヤーからNPCへの干渉を塞ぐ。という機能をまず考える。
ゲームとしては、接敵しにくくなるから分かり易くしないと。ミーティングの中でラフ画と共にお焚き上げと言うワードが出現。… pic.twitter.com/TnLswcpt0m

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 13, 2026

■第12回　顔をリロード！！えんえんら

遠くから呪詛を唱えて、プレイヤーからNPCへの干渉を塞ぐ。という機能をまず考える。

ゲームとしては、接敵しにくくなるから分かり易くしないと。ミーティングの中でラフ画と共にお焚き上げと言うワードが出現。

それだ！頭から延々と煙が出ている。近所の神社で節分の時に神社で見るあの感じ。

罪人の顔を模したものを頭に装填して燃やす！顔自体は”受け皿や襟”に見立て高尚な雰囲気に見える様に造形。

リロードする素材は腰にぶら下げてて、大事そうに他の手で押さえている。顔が装填されると見た目的には完成。

独特な舞が非常にかっこ良い。

■Round 12: Reload the Face!! Enenra

Chant curses from afar to block interference from players to NPCs. First, let's think about that function.

As a game, it makes it harder to engage enemies, so it needs to be visually clear. During the meeting, the word "offering to the fire" came up along with rough sketches.

That's it! Smoke endlessly billowing from the head. Like the sight at the local shrine during Setsubun.

Load a likeness of the sinner's face onto the head and burn it! The face itself is shaped to resemble a "receptacle or collar," giving it a refined atmosphere.

The reload material is dangling from the waist, carefully held in place by the other hand. Once the face is loaded, it looks complete visually.

The unique dance is incredibly cool.

Plaque Lore:

大勢のお経の音と共に現れる。 身体の周りには蛇へびのように巻き付けた経典、腰こしには生前に仏門で悪事を働いた坊主ぼうずたちを模した呪面じゅめんをぶら下げており、その呪面じゅめんからは不気味な念仏が唱えられ続けるという。 呪面じゅめんから発せられる煙けむりは宗そうと仮面の力を抑おさえ込こむ力を持ち、煙けむりが消えると腰こしにぶらさげた呪面じゅめんと取り換かえることで再び煙けむりを発するようになる。

The Enenra have snakelike sutras coiling around their bodies, and the cursed heads of Buddhist monks who committed evil acts during their lifetime hanging from their waists. The heads chant ominous sutras, which can be heard as the Enenra approach, and produce a cursed smoke that suppresses both Soh's own powers and the powers granted through Soh's mask. If one head extinguishes, an Enenra can replace it with a fresh one hanging from its waist.

When we're in Defiled State, we can't guide the villagers or change occupations. The Command screen is unavailable. 

But it says it 'suppresses Soh's own power and the power granted through Soh's mask'.

We bestow power using the mask but suppressing Soh's own power...must be the inability to control the villagers. Which is said to be Yoshiro's power.

When I pasted Soh's plaque into Google Translate App, this came out:

A messenger of the Mountain Deity, an entity that, across the generations, has guided and watched over a world steeped in chaos. Descending into the realm of mortals, it has bestowed guidance upon each successive generation, and, through the lineage, granted power via the medium of a mask.

It's not translating Soh's or Yoshiro's names yet doesn't this make perfect sense in the context of the game?

Each Yoshiro is guided by Soh and through Soh's mask, she grants powers of the masks upon the villagers.

But what 'own power' of Soh's is being suppressed?

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 11: Gotaimen(五体面ごたいめん)

■第11回　擬態で出落ちのはずが・・・の、ごたいめん
当初擬態が中心としてデザイン。穢れに擬態して、出てくるとデカい顔！デカい顔と言えば五体面。
手の平に逆さまの顔がついている、穢れに擬態しているので指には腐生植物的なアレンジを入れ、… pic.twitter.com/Y16NJfLoWw

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 11, 2026

■第11回　擬態で出落ちのはずが・・・の、ごたいめん

当初擬態が中心としてデザイン。穢れに擬態して、出てくるとデカい顔！デカい顔と言えば五体面。

手の平に逆さまの顔がついている、穢れに擬態しているので指には腐生植物的なアレンジを入れ、

その指が折りたたまれて顎になり、閉じると顔に見えるけど実は、そこから小さな畏哭が出てくる！だったんです。

ゲーム的にも敵の進軍が大切なので止まって待つは無いなとなり、ゲーム内での役割は固定砲台に変更。

派手に動きまる様になり、敵として擬態よりは強い砲台として脅威になる良い働きをしてくれました。

■11th Round: The Camouflage That Was Supposed to Be a Quick Exit... Turns Out to Be a Five-Faced Horror

Originally designed with camouflage as the central theme. It camouflages as filth, and when it emerges, it reveals a massive face! And when it comes to massive faces, it's a five-faced one.

An upside-down face is attached to the palm, and since it's camouflaged as filth, the fingers have a decay-plant-like arrangement added to them.

Those fingers fold up to form the jaw, and when closed, it looks like a face—but actually, from there, a small Fear-Weeper emerges! That's what it was supposed to be.

From a game perspective, the enemy's advance is crucial, so it couldn't just sit and wait; thus, its role in the game was changed to a fixed turret.

It became something that moves around dramatically, and rather than as a camouflaged enemy, it serves well as a powerful turret that becomes a real threat to the player.

Plaque Lore:

人の顔が逆さまに付いているような姿をした畏哭いこく。 胴体どうたいを引きずりながら動き、大口を開けて穢けがれの塊かたまりを吐はきつけてくる。普段は森の中で息をひそめて隠かくれているとされる。 とある村では親が子を躾しつける際に「不思議な光る玉を見つけても決して触ふれてはいけない、五体面ごたいめんにのまれるぞ」と言い聞かせて躾しつける風習があると伝えられている。

The Gotaimen have the appearance of upturned human faces. They drag themselves across the ground as they vomit defilement from a gaping maw. They are typically found in forests, where they obscure themselves as they lie in wait for their next victim. Parents tell their children the cautionary tale of the Gotaimen when they venture out, warning their kin to never touch the mysterious glowing orb, lest they be swallowed whole.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 10: Hozukime (鬼灯目ほおずきめ)

■第10回　範囲攻撃＝爆発！？鬼灯目
モチーフより、機能から！
役割としては各職業を固めて置いておくと痛い目に会うかもよ？という存在。これを、”範囲攻撃と抽象化した敵デザイン”での表現を目指しました。記号としては分かり易くなっている思います。… pic.twitter.com/N25AB7pxaA

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 8, 2026

■第10回　範囲攻撃＝爆発！？鬼灯目

モチーフより、機能から！

役割としては各職業を固めて置いておくと痛い目に会うかもよ？という存在。これを、”範囲攻撃と抽象化した敵デザイン”での表現を目指しました。記号としては分かり易くなっている思います。

デザイン的には百目っぽい事をやりたいと考えていましたが、そもそも、目が無いって設定にもしたい…、どうしよう。

目の様な物に穢れが入った水風船と思い込んでデザインしたんですけど、伝わりにくいので自身のアイデアは没！！

思考を変える為に、鬼灯目にしたいんですという事だけを伝え、モデラーの方にデザインして頂きました！自分には無い路線で、一塊としてみて、両側に赤目っぽい装飾があり、顔っぽい部分が鼻。そして、亜種の土壌汚しの際には顔が伸びで亀のような見た目！！面白く仕上がりました。珍しくデザイン画も多かったキャラクター。

■10th Round: Area Attack = Explosion!? Lantern Eye

From function, rather than motif!

In terms of role, it's an entity that might make you regret locking down each class too rigidly. For this, I aimed to express it through "area attacks and abstracted enemy design." As a symbol, I think it's become quite clear and easy to understand.

In terms of design, I wanted to go for something reminiscent of a hundred-eyed creature, but at the same time, I also wanted the setting to be that it fundamentally has no eyes... What to do.

I ended up designing it by imagining a water balloon filled with filth in the shape of an eye, but it was hard to convey, so I scrapped my own idea!!

To shift my thinking, I just conveyed to the modeler that I wanted to make it a Lantern Eye, and had them design it! It went in a direction I wouldn't have thought of: viewed as a single mass, with red eye-like decorations on both sides, and the face-like part serving as the nose. And during the subspecies' soil contamination phase, the face stretches out to give it a turtle-like appearance!! It turned out really fun. Unusually for me, this character had a lot of design sketches.

Plaque Lore:

人の手によって開拓かいたくされた土地、土地を敬う心を忘れた人々、それらによって生じた穢けがれが土地を返せと嘆なげく時に姿を現す。 刺激しげきを与あたえるとその目は赤くなり、散り際に周囲に穢けがれをまき散らす。 その様が人々から鬼灯ほおずきのようだと言われている。

Humans have forgotten their place as they till, shear, and cleave the ever-giving earth, the benefactor of their very existence. The Hozukimeare born of the defiled land, lamenting its destruction. The shape of

a ground cherry, their eyes turn red when provoked, and when they are destroyed, the defilement within their bodies returns to the earth.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 9: Kamaitachi(かまいたち)

■第9回　”網切”or”かまいたち”か…
当初は網切で考えてたんですけど、分かり易い方が良いってことで”かまいたち”として再考、ボディ自体は網切の名残がありますね。完成版は網切とかまいたちのハイブリッドです。… pic.twitter.com/GL5oqzV9Tv

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 6, 2026

■第9回　”網切”or”かまいたち”か…

当初は網切で考えてたんですけど、分かり易い方が良いってことで”かまいたち”として再考、ボディ自体は網切の名残がありますね。完成版は網切とかまいたちのハイブリッドです。

所謂かまいたちの動物っぽいデザインは良く見るので、そこは外す。畏哭の設定から人っぽさが重要なので、腕を遠くでも分かる大鎌へ。

手が鎌だと色々不便だな、何か生活大変そう…からの泣いている様な顔が面白いんじゃないかと思い意図反映。

背中の小さな顔は色々と試行錯誤したなれの果てです。中盤以降にザコとしても出すとの事で、そんな複雑な事もさせられないって事で攻撃はオミット。結果、背中のオブジェクトはデザインの装飾としての意味も強かったので、動きの演出となり、派手さが増し中ボスとして活躍も果たせています。

■Round 9: "Net Cutter" or "Kamaitachi"...

Originally, I was thinking of it as Net Cutter, but for better clarity, I reconsidered it as "Kamaitachi," though the body itself still bears remnants of the Net Cutter concept. The final version is a hybrid of Net Cutter and Kamaitachi.

The so-called Kamaitachi's animal-like design is something you see a lot, so I decided to steer clear of that. Given the settings for Fearful Cry, human-like qualities are important, so I changed the arms to large scythes that are recognizable even from afar.

If the hands are scythes, it'd be inconvenient in all sorts of ways—life would seem pretty tough... and from there, I thought it might be fun to give it a face that looks like it's crying, so I incorporated that idea.

The small face on the back is the end result of a lot of trial and error. It was mentioned that it'd appear as a small fry enemy from the mid-game onward, so I figured we couldn't make it too complex for that, and ended up omitting the attack function. As a result, since the back object was already strong as a decorative design element, it became a motion effect instead, adding more flair and allowing it to shine as a mid-boss.

Plaque Lore

森林の伐採ばっさいによりどこからともなく嘆なげく声が聞こえるという。 腕うでには大きな鎌かま、眷属けんぞくたちの魂たましいを背負ったような見た目をしているとされ、自分たちがやられたことを仕返しに帰って来るという。 人だけではなく人の作りだした物や建物までもが切断されてしまうといい、かまいたちが出没しゅつぼつした村では凄惨せいさんな光景が広がるという。

Distraught wails emanate from the desolate remains of deforestation. Armed with a sickle and carrying the souls of their fallen brethren, the Kamaitachi seek revenge upon the humans that eradicated their homes. Be it humankind or human-made, they will demolish everything, leaving behind nothing but destitution in their wake.

Name Cards: Soh & Cursed Soh. (Lotus & Water Lily?)

Cursed Soh

Soh

Cursed Soh has lotus leaves on hers. But why?

I thought it had to do with lotus's booming in muddy waters. (defilement)

I asked ChatGPT to see what it says.

In Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, that contrast feels very intentional symbolically.

A lone lotus blossom on Soh’s normal name card suggests an idealized or purified state:

• spiritual clarity,
• devotion to the Maiden,
• transcendence above corruption,
• a singular sacred purpose.

When the “Cursed Soh” version includes lotus leaves around the flower, it changes the symbolism from a pure emblem into part of a living pond ecosystem. Lotus leaves are closer to the muddy water the lotus grows from, so visually they can imply:

• connection to impurity or the earthly realm,
• being surrounded by corruption instead of rising above it,
• a return to origin or instinct,
• spiritual burden rather than pure transcendence.

Because lotus leaves are broad, shadowing, and rooted to the water surface, they also create a more enclosed feeling. The flower alone feels elevated and clean; the flower with leaves feels immersed.

There’s another layer too: in Buddhist imagery, the lotus flower is often the enlightened state, while the pond/leaves/stems represent the cycle of suffering and worldly existence that enlightenment emerges from. “Cursed Soh” having both could symbolize someone pulled back into the mire instead of remaining detached from it.

Visually, it also makes Cursed Soh’s emblem feel denser and more organic — less like a sacred crest and more like something overgrown or overtaken. That fits the game’s recurring themes of defilement, transformation, and purification rituals.

Very interesting information from a robot.

The arena is also watery, which was the first thing I thought of.

Soh's flower has a stem and is shaped very slightly different to Cursed Soh's.

EDIT:

Cursed Soh's might be a Water Lily and Soh's a Lotus! It explains why Soh's has a stem. To show it's rising above water. Cursed Soh's is on the water, alongside its leaves.

This could be another 'two things which are mistaken for each other'. Another would be Cursed Soh's name which could be a reference to the Sal tree. A tree which has a substitute in Japan.

Forces. (Kunitsu-Gami GMV)

It's not lore accurate lol but I liked the idea and felt like making a shorter one too.

This is the third Forces one I made but the first I've decided to post. The very first isn't complete yet. Or rather, I'm not satisfied with it yet.

A simple thumbnail.

Making this video is actually when I noticed that when Soh's powers are stolen by Batsu, it's affecting Yoshiro too. Her silhouette 'doubles', as if she's being pulled.

I make GMVs for myself so I often sit with them for months even years, before posting them. Most times I never post them.

It's just very satisfying to see something actualized.

I hope you enjoy it.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 8: Mukadejoro 百足女郎むかでじょろう

■第8回　技術は凄い！が調整大変！！百足女郎　
企画から百足モチーフのボスの提案がありました。這う蟲の災のイメージ行ける！分かる、必要よね、ははっ。次の瞬間、あれ、これ作るの色々大変なのでは？どうすれば、この大型敵を上手く作れるのかな～と必死に考えながら、デザインに入りました。… pic.twitter.com/9gEz7LAlHy

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 4, 2026

 ■第8回　技術は凄い！が調整大変！！百足女郎　

企画から百足モチーフのボスの提案がありました。這う蟲の災のイメージ行ける！分かる、必要よね、ははっ。次の瞬間、あれ、これ作るの色々大変なのでは？どうすれば、この大型敵を上手く作れるのかな～と必死に考えながら、デザインに入りました。

本体、足（連続部分）、尻尾という感じで構成して、本体の動きに追従するように関節くっつけて、アニメーションの負担も少し減らして…等々構成を考えるの先でした。

所謂、女性を連想させるデザインは本作には少ないので良さげかなと思い意識しつつ、足は設置とか細かい事が気にならない様に、ブヨブヨで大きくし、エフェクトで良い感じにしてもらい。

全体的に垂れた塊と外骨格のコントラストをつけ完成。

その間にも技術進歩もあり、床を歩く以外にも壁にも上り、天井に張り付く等想定以上の動きを見せてくれました。

■Round 8: The Tech is Amazing! But the Adjustments Are Tough!! Centipede Lady  

There was a proposal from the planning stage for a boss with a centipede motif. The image of a crawling insect disaster works! I get it, it's necessary, right? Haha. The next moment, wait, isn't making this going to be really tough in various ways? How can we create this large enemy smoothly~? I desperately pondered that as I dove into the design.  

I structured it with the main body, legs (continuous parts), and tail, attaching joints to follow the main body's movements, slightly reducing the animation burden... and so on—that was the first step in figuring out the composition.  

Since designs evoking women are rare in this work, I thought it might be a nice change and made a conscious effort, while making the legs plump and large so that placement and fine details wouldn't be noticeable, and had effects added to make it look good.  

Overall, I created a contrast between the sagging mass and the exoskeleton to complete it.  

In the meantime, tech advancements happened too, and it showed movements beyond expectations—not just walking on the floor, but climbing walls and sticking to ceilings.

Plaque Lore:

昔々、洞窟どうくつで暮らす女がいた。 その姿を見た者の村の田畑は蟲害ちゅうがいを受けるという言い伝えがあった。 時は進み、その言い伝えを恐おそれた村人は洞窟どうくつの中にある巨大きょだいな柱を祀まつった。 その柱には人骨があり、不憫ふびんに思った村人が埋葬まいそうしようとするととても信じられないほど巨大きょだいな百足むかでの姿へと成り果てた女が現れて、 瞬またたく間に柱を登って行ってしまったという。

Long ago, there was a woman who lived in a cave. According to legend, all those who laid eyes on her would soon find their fields infested with plagues of insects. As time passed, the villagers began to fear the legitimacy behind this tale and started to worship the large pillar of fossilized bones found in her cave. Full of pity, the villagers made to lay the old bones to rest, only for a woman in the form of a tremendous centipede to scurry its way up the pillar.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 7: Rosokuro(ろうそく老ろう)

第7回　モーションキャプチャーの面白み！！ろうそくろう
ここまで、敵の機能が出そろえば次はバフキャラが必要。主人公サイドもレベルアップするので敵側も強く出来るような性能を考える。… pic.twitter.com/IZ7WVBtgIh

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) May 1, 2026

第7回　モーションキャプチャーの面白み！！ろうそくろう

ここまで、敵の機能が出そろえば次はバフキャラが必要。主人公サイドもレベルアップするので敵側も強く出来るような性能を考える。

ミーティング中に「火を灯して煽る感じだね」と出たので、それを元に呪詛唱えて力を与える、ロウソクで火を分け灯す感じから現在の形に落ち着く。法衣を来て、その首が伸びてシルエットはロウソクっぽく、舌が芯になり灯がともっている。喉はふいごの様に動く。

色々出来上がった後に気づく、そういえば火ふきってもの居ましたね。

モーションキャプチャー時は上の人と下の人で同時に撮影する様にデータを組んでおり、普段の撮影とは違い非常に面白味がありました。

Round 7: The Fun of Motion Capture!! Candle Row

Up to this point, once the enemy functions are all in place, next we need buffer characters. Since the protagonist side levels up, we think about performance that can make the enemy side stronger too.

During the meeting, someone said, "It's like lighting a fire and fanning the flames," so based on that, it settled into the current form of chanting curses to grant power, sharing the flame by lighting it with a candle. Wearing robes, its neck stretches out and the silhouette looks like a candle, with the tongue becoming the wick and the flame lit. The throat moves like bellows.

After everything was finished, we realized, oh right, there was this thing called a fire-breather.

For motion capture, we set up the data to shoot the upper and lower parts simultaneously with two people, and unlike regular shooting, it had a lot of interesting flavor.

Plaque Lore: 

異界について記された書物との出会いをきっかけに畏哭いこくを操る術を求めて 山中を歩く中、異界にまぎれ込こんでしまった老人の成れの果て。異界の中で念願の畏哭いこくを操る呪炎じゅえんの術を習得するが、 その姿や思念は目的に取り憑つかれた異形と化していた。 己もまた畏哭いこくへと成り果てたことに気づかないまま、 今も喜々として畏哭いこくに呪炎じゅえんを与あたえ続けているという。

There once was a man so entangled with his work, that it devoured him alive. Upon finding a tome detailing the other world, he sought for the power to control the Seethe. His chance eventually came when he was spirited away from the mountain, where he threw himself into his research in the other world. Possessed with manic ambition, he finally mastered the art of the cursed flame.

However, joyous in his newfound powers over the Seethe, he does not realize that he has become the very creature he sought to control.

The other world mentioned here is what I was hoping we'd explore in the DLC. :(

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 6: Shibakaki(シバカキ)

■第6回　感情を煽る！！しばかき
地上、空！とくれば次は遠距離だ！！開発初期なので割と軽いノリです。モチーフは”石”を何処からともなく投げてくる妖怪しばかき。恐ろしい、危ない。餓鬼とは違う雰囲気にしなきゃと意識しました。… pic.twitter.com/7VTeYepyTx

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 29, 2026

■第6回　感情を煽る！！しばかき

地上、空！とくれば次は遠距離だ！！開発初期なので割と軽いノリです。モチーフは”石”を何処からともなく投げてくる妖怪しばかき。恐ろしい、危ない。餓鬼とは違う雰囲気にしなきゃと意識しました。

遠距離攻撃するだけでは見た目的には面白くない…離れているので印象に残らない。遠くで「姑息な感じは感情を煽るよね」が頭に浮かんだので、動きは主人公達を挑発する感じにしようと決意。

挑発と言えば舌で”べろべろ”してると腹立ちますよね。からの舌飛ばし攻撃、気持ち悪い、妖怪っぽい。

顔は上下反対にしても成立する様にして、横から見ると弓矢っぽいシルエットを意識しつつデザイン。

出来上がりは、動きが良い感じに感情を煽るので良かったなと。一時の感情で深追いするのは危険です。

■Round 6: Stirring Emotions!! Shibakaki

Ground, air! So next up is long-range!! It's early in development, so the vibe is pretty lighthearted. The motif is the yokai Shibakaki, who throws stones at you out of nowhere. Scary, dangerous. I made a conscious effort to give it a different vibe from the hungry ghosts.

Just doing long-range attacks wouldn't be visually interesting... Being far away, it wouldn't leave much of an impression. The thought "a sneaky vibe really stirs up emotions, right?" popped into my head, so I decided to make its movements feel like it's taunting the protagonists.

Speaking of taunting, sticking your tongue out all "bleh bleh" is super annoying, right? From there, tongue-flinging attack—gross, very yokai-like.

For the face, I designed it so it works even if flipped upside down, while aiming for a bow-and-arrow-like silhouette when viewed from the side.

The end result turned out well—the movements nicely stir up emotions in a good way. But chasing that fleeting emotion too deeply can be dangerous.

Plaque Lore:

遠くから自身の舌を飛ばしてくる畏哭いこく。 シバとは「芝しば」を指しており、芝しばが生えているような路傍ろぼうから 引っ搔かくような音を出しながら舌を飛ばしてくる様子が 名前の由来という説がある。

The Shibakaki attack from afar using their own tongues as projectiles.

Legend has it, their name comes from the word for grass, as they typically hide in verdant roadsides where passersby hear a scratching noise just before they get assailed with the Shibakaki's tongue.

You can really in these images how it looks like a man bending over backwards. Creepy.

These guys are such pests.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 5: Coccoons

■第5回　怪奇な世界を演出！穢れと優曇華
蟲が村人にとり憑き、そのまま硬化＞蛹化と言う割と直球の発想です。
（薄らぼんやり、一般的なこなきじじい感）
顔には呪をモチーフとした文字柄があります。
無数の腕で動けなくされ、頭をすっぽり覆われて最後に呪が付く。… pic.twitter.com/0MkRqaSrgY

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 27, 2026

■第5回　怪奇な世界を演出！穢れと優曇華

蟲が村人にとり憑き、そのまま硬化＞蛹化と言う割と直球の発想です。

（薄らぼんやり、一般的なこなきじじい感）

顔には呪をモチーフとした文字柄があります。

無数の腕で動けなくされ、頭をすっぽり覆われて最後に呪が付く。

呪いと呪い（まじない）で対比してます。

優曇華架空の花の方から着想。先に描いてあった、ラフ画を元に具体化。シルエットになった時に無数の”人っぽい何かが集団で拝んでいる”を作りたかったんです。

フォトモードで寄った時に無数の優曇華が群生しているのを見て「ヒヤッ」となりますね。

喉の方が本来の顔で、おでこは拝んでいる顔っぽい何か。動きもコマを飛ばして怪しい表現できたので、独特な不気味さが出たと思います。デザイン的にはお気に入り。

■Round 5: Staging a Bizarre World! Filth and the Udumbara

It's the idea of bugs possessing villagers and then hardening > pupating—a pretty straightforward concept.

(A vague, hazy, general old man with a white beard vibe)

The face features text patterns inspired by curses.

They become immobilized by countless arms, their heads completely covered, and finally, the curse is applied.

It's a contrast between curse and incantation (spell).

The udumbara inspiration comes from the fictional flower side. I started with a rough sketch I had drawn earlier and fleshed it out. When it turns into a silhouette, I wanted to create an image of countless "human-like somethings" gathered in worship.

In photo mode, when you zoom in and see the countless udumbaras growing in clusters, it gives you a little chill, right?

The throat area is the original face, while the forehead looks like some kind of worshiping face. By skipping frames in the movement, I was able to create a creepy expression, which I think brings out a unique eeriness. Design-wise, it's one of my favorites.

Bugs possessing the villagers...

The name Udumbara is the Udonge plant. उडुम्बर ( uḍumbara )

Wikipedia link here.

Buddhist scriptures say that the Udumbara flower blooms once every 3,000 years, and at that time, the Wheel King appears in this world. The Golden Light Sutra , Chapter on Praising the Buddha, states, "Rare, rare, the Buddha appeared in the world, appearing once like the Udumbara flower." It also appears in the Lotus Sutra and the History of the Southern Dynasties. In classical Japanese literature, it can be found in works such as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter , The Tale of Genji (Wakamurasaki ) , and The Tale of Utsuho .

In modern literature, examples of its use can be found in works such as Okamoto Kidō 's "Hanshichi Torimonochō: Ningyō Tsukai , " Kambara Ariake's " Senjinshō to Hanabi no Kanshō ," Saitō Ryokuu's "Kakurenbo," Izumi Kyōka 's "Hakkin no Ezu , " Tayama Katai's "Michitsuna no Haha," and Natsume Sōseki's "Gubijinsō."

In modern literature, examples of its use can be found in works such as Teru Miyamoto's "Hotarugawa." From classical to modern literature, it has always been used to refer to a fictional flower, that is, the flower that blooms only once every 3,000 years. This is because it first circulated as the name of a fictional flower, and later came to be used as the name of an actual plant.

Wheel king. The name reminds me of how Nanamagi looks, his hands spinning like a wheel behind him.

The Wheel King

While it is said that a Chakravartin (wheel-turning king) turns a wheel, there is no established theory about its origin. Some theories suggest it represents the wheel of a chariot symbolizing the power of the god Indra, the sun that illuminates the world, the chakram (a wheel-shaped weapon), or a mandala.

According to Buddhist scriptures, the concept of a Chakravartin (universal monarch) is roughly as follows: The world goes through cycles of prosperity and decline. During times of prosperity, the human lifespan is 80,000 years, but as human virtue is lost, lifespans shorten, becoming 10 years in the dark age when all good is lost. After that, human virtue is restored, and a new era of prosperity arrives with a lifespan of 80,000 years.

I'm quoting this because in one google translation of the script of the Kunitsu-Gami play, it said that human lifespans were only a week. Or something like that. (I will edit this once I find it)

But I recall that their lifespans had dramatically been reduced, something I didn't understand until now.

The translation I wasn't sure of though as Google makes mistakes and went on to translate the same passage differently.

Pensive Maiden.

Found this pretty picture it the demo files. 

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 4: Hitoban (飛頭蛮ひとうばん)

■第4回　ひとうばんはろくろ首
敵の機能として、餓鬼が地上なら空中も必要。と当たり前の流れでデザインを起こしはじめる。
空中か…そういえばろくろ首って伸びる以外にも飛ぶってあったよね…からの着想です。
ただ、顔が飛んでくるのも芸がないと感じ、考えていた所。… pic.twitter.com/dgXdNEUX4X

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 24, 2026

第4回　ひとうばんはろくろ首

敵の機能として、餓鬼が地上なら空中も必要。と当たり前の流れでデザインを起こしはじめる。

空中か…そういえばろくろ首って伸びる以外にも飛ぶってあったよね…からの着想です。

ただ、顔が飛んでくるのも芸がないと感じ、考えていた所。

一旦は敵の機能を先に詰め、飛んでくる、弓が必要だ！だけでは、色々と不備が出そうだったので、

降りて来て、攻撃するけど、ゲーム的には他ユニットを止める動きがあっても良いかなと考え、

現在の飛ぶ、降りる、呪詛でユニットを惑わせ止める。

となり、ここまでくれば飛ぶ時は、泳いでるニュアンス、降りてきて呪詛唱えるときに顔になる！

となって、落ち着きました。

■Round 4: The Number One Is Rokurokubi

As an enemy function, if gaki are on the ground, then aerial ones are needed too. And so, in that perfectly natural flow, I started fleshing out the design.

Aerial, huh... Come to think of it, rokurokubi don't just stretch—they're said to fly too... and that's where the inspiration came from.

But having just the face flying in felt a bit too gimmicky, so I was mulling it over.

For a bit, I focused on pinning down the enemy functions first: it flies in, needs a bow! But that alone seemed like it'd leave a bunch of gaps,

so I thought, it comes down, attacks, but game-wise, maybe it should have a move that halts other units too,

leading to the current setup: it flies, descends, and uses curses to confuse and stop units.

At that point, it clicked—when flying, give it a swimming vibe, and when it descends to chant curses, it turns into a face!

And with that, it settled into place.

Plaque Lore:

顔が見られることを嫌きらい、手で覆おおい隠かくし恥はじらう者がいた。 ある村人は、どうしてもその顔が見たいと思った。 満月の夜、村人がその者とすれ違ちがう際に無理やり手をどかせたところ、 顔はなく代わりに手の平に顔らしきものがあり、 それを見た村人は呪のろいをかけられてしまったと言う。

Once upon a time, there was a man who was cursed for prying into what was not his to know. One day, this man met a shameful villager who resolutely hid their face behind their hand. Determined to reveal that face, the man took the hand in the light of a full moon and wrenched it away.
Eager to appease his curiosity, he took in the sight in front of him, only to find that mysterious face not on their head, but on their hand.

They disappear from their cards! (Kunitsu-Gami beta?)

I found this video in the Kunitsu-Gami files. It looks to be an earlier version of the game. 

The Spirit Path looks different and the Woodcutters disappear from their cards once placed. (very cute)

Is it just me or does Soh also look a bit smaller?

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 4: Gaki (餓鬼がき)

■第3回　始まりの、がき・餓鬼
緊急事態宣言の真っただ中。企画立案中に描いた第一号畏哭。
同時に畏哭の設定を考えつつ、デザインをしつつ、行ったり来たりと。
ゲーム中のカメラが離れているので、顔は大きくして。
空洞に空洞って何か得体の知れない怖さがありますよね…… pic.twitter.com/eOlsqwrsjH

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 22, 2026

■第3回　始まりの、がき・餓鬼

緊急事態宣言の真っただ中。企画立案中に描いた第一号畏哭。

同時に畏哭の設定を考えつつ、デザインをしつつ、行ったり来たりと。

ゲーム中のカメラが離れているので、顔は大きくして。

空洞に空洞って何か得体の知れない怖さがありますよね…

気持ち悪さと可愛さを狙ったんですよ。えっ？ホントに？ホントです。

舌で穢れ土壌の味と耳頼りに確認しながら目的地に向かう、鳥居にとり憑きひたすらに穢す。

鳥居にとり憑いた後は蝉の抜け殻の様な痕跡が残る等、餓えの執着として餓鬼としました。

後に色違いだったり、大きくなりボスへと定番の進化で最初から最後まで活躍しましたね。

■Episode 3: The Beginning of the Gaki/Hungry Ghost

In the midst of the state of emergency. The first Ikoku I drew while planning the project.

At the same time, I was thinking about Ikoku's setting and designing it, going back and forth.

Since the camera in the game is far away, I made the face big.

There's something unsettling about hollows within hollows, isn't there...

I was aiming for both creepiness and cuteness. What? Really? Really.

It heads towards its destination, confirming the taste of the defiled soil with its tongue and relying on its ears, possessing the torii gate and relentlessly defiling it.

After possessing the torii gate, it leaves behind traces like a cicada's exoskeleton, representing the obsession of hunger, hence the hungry ghost design.

Later, it evolved into different colors, grew larger, and became a boss, a classic evolution that played an active role from beginning to end.

Plaque Lore:

口にしようとしたものは全て燃えて塵ちりとなってしまうため、 食べることは叶かなわない。常に飢うえと渇かわきに苦しんでおり、 少しでも満たされようと生きているもの全てを貪むさぼろうとする。 舌と耳により人の手がかかったものを判別する。

Unable to eat as everything turns to dust in their mouths, Gaki are constantly suffering from never-ending hunger and thirst. They try to devour anything living in hopes of alleviating their appetites, using their senses of taste and sound to seek out traces of humans.

Kunitsu-Gami Game Design Commentary 2: Seethe Concept

■第2回　妖怪よりちょっと怖くしたい！！畏哭
国津罪のイメージから考え始め、そこから山で暮らす人々のローカルな民間信仰、伝承が生まれ…という形で作っていきました。

概念として、
罪穢れを気枯れと捉え
痩せている（渇きのイメージ）
人間の様子が残っている… pic.twitter.com/0Y7i8x0n3t

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 20, 2026

■第2回　妖怪よりちょっと怖くしたい！！畏哭

国津罪のイメージから考え始め、そこから山で暮らす人々のローカルな民間信仰、伝承が生まれ…という形で作っていきました。

概念として、

罪穢れを気枯れと捉え

痩せている（渇きのイメージ）

人間の様子が残っている

きれいさときたなさ（色合いと醜い造形）

耳口はあるが目はない

人が罪を犯したことによって起こる具体化された現象。

これらを踏まえて、次回からは個々の畏哭について記していきます。

オリジナルで考えた物や、元ネタから拡張して考えたり様々。

畏哭の名称は一般的な妖怪名で落とし込めるように意識していったのが祇（くにつがみ）となります。

■Part 2: I Want to Make It a Little Scarier Than a Yokai!! Aikoku

I started by thinking about the image of Kunitsutsumi (a type of sin), and from there, I created it by drawing on the local folk beliefs and traditions of people living in the mountains.

Conceptually,

Sin and defilement are seen as a lack of vital energy

Skinny (image of thirst)

Remains of human form

Beauty and ugliness (color and ugly form)

Has ears and a mouth, but no eyes

A concrete phenomenon that occurs as a result of a person committing a sin.

Based on these, I will write about individual Aikoku in the next installment.

There are various types, including original creations and those expanded from existing sources.

The name of Aikoku was chosen with the intention of being easily recognizable as a common yokai name, resulting in Kunitsuga. 

Kunitsu-Gami Design Commentary 1: Defilement/Impurity

■第1回
祇（くにつがみ）・畏哭についてのデザインの解説を書き留めていたので、この場をお借りして紹介が出来ればと思います。（川田）
全30回お楽しみ下さい。

■畏哭と穢れについて
村や生活を脅かす穢れは天津罪から着想。
人の作り上げたものに暮らしの妨げになる様に寄生してゆく。… pic.twitter.com/rZDoccUwg1

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 17, 2026

■第1回

祇（くにつがみ）・畏哭についてのデザインの解説を書き留めていたので、この場をお借りして紹介が出来ればと思います。（川田）

全30回お楽しみ下さい。

■畏哭と穢れについて

村や生活を脅かす穢れは天津罪から着想。

人の作り上げたものに暮らしの妨げになる様に寄生してゆく。

人の手が入った場所には少なからずとも影が落ち、畏哭達の道しるべにもなっている。

欲しい物を取る、奪う等の連想から、手をモチーフにデザインを上げていきました。

夜になると爪を立てて、動き出し進行している感じや、手の動きで同族を応援している。

露骨な気持ち悪さ（スプラッタ的な）では無く怪奇性、指や手は具体的にそれ以外は抽象化。そんなイメージです。

アニメータと背景の方々の頑張りにより、背景としても動きがあり。

とても怪しい夜の祭り感が出たかと思います。

■ Part 1

I had previously jotted down some design commentary regarding *Kunitsugami* and the *Ikoku*, so I would like to take this opportunity to share it with you here. (Kawada)

We hope you enjoy this 30-part series!

■ On the *Ikoku* and "Defilement"

The concept of "Defilement"—the force that threatens the village and its inhabitants—was inspired by the notion of *Amatsutsumi* (Heavenly Sins).

It acts by parasitizing objects created by human hands, gradually encroaching upon them in a way that disrupts daily life.

Wherever human hands have left their mark—no matter how slight—a shadow inevitably falls; these shadows serve as signposts guiding the *Ikoku* on their path.

Drawing associations from acts such as "taking" or "seizing" desired objects, I developed the designs using the human hand as a central motif.

At night, they extend their claws and begin to stir, conveying a sense of creeping progression; they also use hand gestures to rally and encourage their fellow *Ikoku*.

Rather than aiming for overt grotesqueness (in the splatter-horror sense), I sought to evoke a sense of the uncanny. The fingers and hands are rendered with concrete detail, while the rest of the form remains abstract—that was the general vision.

Thanks to the hard work of our animators and background artists, the backgrounds themselves are imbued with a sense of motion.

I believe we successfully captured that distinct atmosphere of a truly eerie, nocturnal festival.

Commentary on Kunitsu-Gami art! I'm excited for more.

Wasn't the final boss of Okami also a hand(its true form)? And it represented the damage done by human hands?

Miniature Kunitsu-Gami.

■第1回
祇（くにつがみ）・畏哭についてのデザインの解説を書き留めていたので、この場をお借りして紹介が出来ればと思います。（川田）
全30回お楽しみ下さい。

■畏哭と穢れについて
村や生活を脅かす穢れは天津罪から着想。
人の作り上げたものに暮らしの妨げになる様に寄生してゆく。… pic.twitter.com/rZDoccUwg1

— 【公式】 祇（くにつがみ）：Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami_JP) April 17, 2026

There was an event by the person who crafted all the Kunitsu-Gami sets!

https://x.com/tokuken20091

From someone who visited: 

この前の道は霊道を引く道ですね！
農家の様子とか、お堂とか、ゲームじゃなくても見てて楽しい〜
門からの眺めなんてミニチュアに見えないよ
さりげなくイッヌが置いてあるのも嬉しい🥰
大鳥居には畏哭の手とか付いてそう pic.twitter.com/KS3zyEb0LG

— ガンダム試作1号機@モンハン中 (@GP01_Fb) April 18, 2026

Former Spirit Stone Maiden.

A look at the former Yoshiro in a video!

Spirit Stone 3.0

It's (a)Yoshiro.

This means Maidens all look the same and are likely named Yoshiro, after the term 'yorishiro'.

Yoshiro's Japanese biography says she comes from a lineage of Maidens with the same power. 

Is she praying to the Goddess within the stone or is she praying to her ancestor, the former Maiden?

Or both, and this directly contributed to the mixing of the Maiden and Goddess?

This spirit stone body is very different to our Yoshiro, who is covered in cherry blossom motifs(from pieces breaking off). In general, she looks like normal stone more than 'spirit stone'.

Forgotten God has both this bland stone and spirit stone, so perhaps this spirit stone is devoid of Goddess power? And the shiny appearance of spirit stone is what marks it as containing the power of the goddess.

If Nanamagari pulled the Goddess power out of the spirit stone, then it would just become plain stone?

For comparison, our Yoshiro:

Why's some of her foot not crystallized? 

More images of the spirit stone below the cut.

Flowers for the Maiden!

A video just to provide flowers for Yoshiro. :)

Forgotten God(祇去) is a former Maiden.

The rock fragments and underneath her are spirit stone.

The gold 'tears trail' is similar to the gold lining on Yoshiro.

The colors inside her are the colors of the barrier we fight Cursed Soh.

So, is it safe to stay we fight the battle against Cursed Soh inside the spirit stone body?

And that the 'spirit stone' is meant to contain the defilement, like a barrier?

There's also the Japanese name:祇去. Kamusari. ( かむさり)

(Google translated it as 'kami gone' It meas the death of a God, according to the Kojiki but the kanji used in the Kojiki is 神避)

祇: Kunitsukami. Read as かむ. Kamu.

'去' can be read as the ashes of a Buddha, and we have seen that the Maiden is alike to a Buddha.

Soh's mazo talismans are also titled in reference to Buddhism: Deva, Bodhisattva, Nyorai.

They resemble Nanamagari and those figures on the sides of the Torii Gates:

The kanji used for this talisman aligns with the title of the game. But why 'forgotten' when she's actually 'dead'?

The stories of the Seethe mention monks a few times so Buddhism is likely existing alongside Shinto? We are in the Heian period after all.

During the Heian period (794-1185), a form of Buddhism usually called Tantric Buddhism in India, but Esoteric Buddhism in Japan became widely popular. The Shingon (True Word or Mantra) sect, founded by Kukai (774-835), was one of two Esoteric sects to spread at this time.

Shingon was associated with a unique style of meditation that involved mandalas (artistic representations of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas or of the world as seen by those enlightened beings), mudras (symbolic hand positions associated with each Buddha and bodhisattva in the mandalas), and mantras (sacred Sanskrit verses associated with these figures). (source)

mandala on the maiden's belly in artwork. we can see them in Cursed Soh's arena too

Mudra. She also performs a set of mudras in the beginning + the talisman 'Cursed Mudra' 

かむ can also be read as 'chew', and when combined with 'bones', does it imply the Seethe chewed on this Spirit Stone?

(the rice might be relevant too since Inari is a kami associated with rice)

In the fight with Nanamagari, I called Shadow Soh the liquidated Spirit Stone, but when she goes to the shrine, the spirit stone is already there. 

But it's not there when we fight Nanamagari and look into the shrine.

So I don't really know if the stone appears because Cursed Soh wants it to and it was originally absorbed by Nanamagari, or if only the power of the Goddess was absorbed from the stone and the stone was left.

Forgotten God has both spirit stone and bland stone that resembles the stone of Cursed Soh, which has no 'spirit stone' appearance like we see in Yoshiro and this talisman.

So the reason it's a talisman is likely the spirit stone in it!

I talked before abut this mazo talisman here: Soh's Spirit Form + another hint that she was a former Yoshiro + a Forgotten Goddess