Making Youtube Thumbnails is hard.

Because of datamining, I have more stuff to share so I've begun using my youtube more.

@blademaiden

I post random gameplay clips from the game or Otherwordly Venture but also things I find in the game files. I've managed to pull a lot including music, vocals and voice lines.

I've posted the vocals only version of the two theme songs but there's still more!

After much thought, I decided to verify my Youtube to get access to custom thumbnails but making them is really hard.

I finished my 'Yoshiro in trouble' vocal compilation and wanted to make a thumbnail.

Here's what I attempted:

the very first...

graphic design is my passion

It's...not working. Frustrated, I asked ChatGPT how can I improve this? It's a mess.

You are so diplomatic lol.

This looks much better but it's a whole different image! And that's AI Yoshiro!!

She's lovely but Yoshiro's face is a little different to that. Alas, I am a sucker for beauty...

(I want to use this one...)

She's so pretty here.

I'm gonna use Youtube's A/B testing where it shows different thumbnail you select to check which is better.

But it's also unfair because ChatGPT's is obviously clearer and more neater than mine so its designs will win. But I'll do it anyway.

I did more edits, one being this:

when will the suffering end?

Gah. You do not want to see the other one I tried making. God help my soul.
(I simply have no eye for such things...)

I asked it make a Yoshiro vocalizations thumbnail for me to look at it.

Don't really like them...

Anyway. my youtube is just a supplement to this blog so I won't get too finicky about it.

I am going to try and make my own still. Maybe I should restart and try and use the aesthetic I used on the 'vocal' thumbnails?

Happy New Year!

It's time to walk the Path and become your predestined self.

Today's my blog's anniversay!

31st December!

It's been a whole year.

Majority of my posts are 'Soh as previous Maiden' and I've since discarded that theory personally but I'll still take it into consideration when making posts. (I'm always changing my mind) I'll create a tag for it: 'Maiden Soh Theory'.

I'm also still going to publish old posts that discuss this theory. I have many I don't want to discard just yet.

Being able to look into the files has changed my perspective. 

Being away from Kunitsu-Gami, too, has made me look at it differently. I understand Soh's personality better while before, I was too biased towards Yoshiro. But intuitively, I knew her.

A summary of this blog.

 

The time I thought the mikoshi was something uniquely Kunitsu-Gami but it's actually just Shinto.

It's actually a struggle because I'm ignorant of a lot so I fear many things go over my head...

Happy Anniversary, Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess!

Happy 1st Anniversary! Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess was released on July 19 last year.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has played the game! ⛩️🌸

We hope you've been enjoying the Mazo Talisman: Yashichi Waves, released to celebrate this exciting occasion! pic.twitter.com/zhEF4uBPYM

— Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess (@Kunitsu_Gami) July 19, 2025

I hope we get more merchandise or DLC extras!

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess on Displate!

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess on Displate.

Let's take a look at what's available!

Divine Duo

A digital painting from Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, the praying maiden Yoshiro and warrior Soh. Crowned in gold, her form bathed in the soft luminescence of a pale moon, amidst a golden realm of swirling blossoms. Below, her masked guardian, clad in resplendent armor of blue, red, and gold, draws a gleaming katana, poised above a swirling abyss of deep indigo and violet. The scene weaves spiritual grace with martial readiness.

Purchase Here.

 (So it's a moon!)

Kagura Dance Ritual

A digital canvas unfurls a scene from Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, where the Maiden, Yoshiro, crowned and robed in gold, stands sentinel behind her guardian, Soh, poised with katana. Their forms emerge from a swirling, crimson-hued abyss, alive with the spectral visages of yokai and twisted organic forms. Golden threads weave through this vibrant, fantastical realm, echoing ancient Japanese artistry infused with a modern, dark allure.

Purchase here.

Divine Guardians

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess - a digital tableau, echoing ancient Japanese artistry, unveils a luminous Maiden, crowned and haloed, her hands extended in a gesture of divine power. Flanking her are three masked guardians, their ornate attire a testament to their sacred duty, poised against a tide of grotesque, green-skinned Seethe that writhe amidst tendrils of defilement. This vibrant clash unfolds before a gilded screen, adorned with delicate foliage and whispers of Japanese script.

Purchase Here.

Night's Embrace

Under the serene gaze of a full moon, an Ukiyo-e inspired scene unfolds, featuring two figures from Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. The masked guardian Soh, adorned in rich purple and gold, stands vigil beside the graceful Maiden Yoshiro, who rests beneath the boughs of an ancient tree. Moonlight dances on the calm waters beside them, illuminating their ornate raiments. The composition, rendered with bold lines and flat, vibrant hues, evokes a timeless Japanese myth.

Purchase here.

(My favorite... The name 'Night's Embrace' paints a more intimate moment between the two. The original title of this is 'Soh Under the Moodnlight/Moonlit Gozen Soh')

Maiden of the Mountain

Maiden Yoshiro, a vision of serene divinity, graces Mt. Kafuku, her form framed by a golden halo and the gentle embrace of blossoming branches. Adorned in an ornate crown and flowing, patterned robes, she cradles a small bird while a peaceful menagerie—a white rabbit, a deer, and a water buffalo—rests at her feet. This artwork, steeped in the delicate beauty of traditional Japanese ink and woodblock artistry, whispers tales of Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess.

Purchase here.

(Original title: A Moment of Peace. I have this image on my wall! It's beautiful.)

Against The Seethe

An ukiyo-e inspired digital canvas unfolds a clash of spirits: guardian Soh, robed in regal purple and gold, lunges with a silver blade. Before them, a monstrous Seethe, a dark, segmented form ablaze with orange and gold patterns, rises from smoky depths. Ethereal blue fabrics billow from the warrior, mirroring the creature's coiled power, all framed by traditional Japanese script.

Purchase here.

(Originally titled 'Kunitsukami'.)

Battle for the Lake

An Ukiyo-e inspired artwork depicting a lone boat, bearing masked guardians, braving a tempest-tossed lake. Towering waves churn around monstrous, tentacled forms of the Seethe, emerging from the depths. Above, a sky rent by orange lightning hosts ethereal, dragon-like monsters, all rendered with the bold lines and vibrant hues of a classic Japanese woodblock print.

Purchase Here.

(Original title: Rainy Night Lake Battle/The Stormy Battle of the Lake)

The Seethe

An Ukiyo-e inspired artwork depicting the monstrous Seethe from Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess. A colossal entity, bristling with crimson growths, dominates the scene, encircled by its smaller, distorted kin and a serene, sage-like figure in a verdant kimono. The composition, rendered with bold outlines and flat washes, echoes the timeless artistry of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, emerging from a gradient backdrop.

Purchase Here.

(Originally titled 'The Hundred Fears of the Night/Nightly Procession of the Seethe')

Happy Mother's Day!

The thing in Soh's hand is the cushion Mazo Talismans rest on. Implying Amaterasu sprung to life off of it!

Origin of all that is good and Mother to us all...only a heart as pure as yours can pierce the darkness.

A pair of favorite old photos I posted already:

Boys' Day! (5th May)

 I was so engrossed in reading theories, I forgot to post about Boys' Day! It was on the 5th of May!

It's called Children's Day now. Yet calling it Boys' Day has a certain charm to it, much like Girls' Day.

If you ever struggle to beat Cursed Soh, make all the men Sumo Wrestlers and all the women Sorcerers(except two, who you use as shamans that you put in the corner and send injured boys to)

This is the only way I managed to beat her on the later cycles!

Appreciation for the sturdy boys who saved me. And of course, for the Carpenter!

Idea for a sequel: The Path as an actual journey.

The Path is Yoshiro becoming an abode for the Goddess. In the Mikoshi post, I showed how the localization implies this.

The mountain is alike the Goddess's body, and so when Yoshiro acts as a substitute, she absorbs the defilement from the mountain into her own body and becomes defiled instead of the Goddess.

Sometimes I like to imagine the Path as an actual physical journey with only the Maiden and the Messenger. Very Ico-like, if you will.

The mikoshi could be smaller and Soh could have the ability to interact with the physical world, allowing her to pull the mikoshi. (Yes, I want to be the one to pull Yoshiro!!)

I wonder what kind of journey they would have? What trials would Yoshiro endure on such a Path?

For a sequel, it could be a re-imagining of Kunitsu-Gami, allowing them to explore more ideas with their original concept. (I believe Evil Dead did this with its sequel. A remake and a sequel.)

I don't see how a normal sequel is possible without ruining the original. Sometimes things are perfect alone. And when they're perfect as they are, a 'requel' is an option: same concept, different execution.

All I know is I'd love to play this kind of story but only with these two characters. 

I think this game is very special and very mystical with the ideas it presents.

Defiled Yoshiro is Cursed Soh.

Cursed Soh is Defiled Yoshiro. Defiled Yoshiro is Cursed Soh.

 I've mentioned this many times. 

The Defiled Yoshiro in question is Soh when she was the previous Maiden.

But it's better to say the all the defiled Yoshiros have become Cursed Soh. Cursed Soh is alike to a defiled Goddess, born after 7 generations. She's got 6 Yoshiro spirits with her.

I'm bringing this up because I was replaying Bloodborne and there's a 'Cursed and Defiled Chalice Dungeon.' But in the second description, its only called a defiled dungeon but the description says it's cursed.

So these two seem to be the same thing... Or did they leave it out because it's implied that the defiled dungeon must be cursed as well?

I just thought it was interesting.

The Path of the Messenger.

 I love this image. (I am Soh in this)

An important, well-thought out theory by someone else!

I was translating the Villager's plaque when google showed me the same image on another site.

And lo and behold...someone Japanese wrote a long post on trying to understand the story of Kunitsu-Gami!

https://kanigame.jp/kunitsugami-theory/

Because they got to experience the game in its natural form, their opinions are going to be valuable to me. (why do I sound like AI? hahaha)

Pretty Yoshiro.

Their post was written a long time ago, before I had played the game. But it also means they haven't had a chance to update their thoughts...

But to see someone with the same opinions excites me. Although the translation makes it slightly difficult to understand at times.

Reading through it, they noticed all the same things I did! Such as the spirit stone being gone in the prologue! Even including the flowers associated with the Maidens and the flowers on Soh and Yoshiro. The parallels...the magatama, sword and mirror...

They noticed Soh might be a previous Maiden but their method of coming to the conclusion is different than mine. I can't remember what mine was... I knew Yoshiro became Soh but not Soh was once a 'Yoshiro'.

I spotted this on their post right after I took a screenshot of the Japanese text of the Mikoshi to see what it says. It's from the Mikoshi plaque.

It is said that the portable shrine was prepared long ago, when generations began to take turns as a place for the gods to dwell. 

So I was right, she's an object channeling the Goddess and there were many of them. (I have mikoshi post in drafts which is why I went back in-game to collect things.)

The mitama thing is there!! I mentioned it briefly in another post but I had looked into it and considered it. It's nice to see a different perspective on these things that I'm not familiar with.

They mentioned women and men being called turtles and cranes due to the political trends but I thought it was visual story-telling and not because of the political climate. If this game catered to the political climate I think we would've gotten a very ugly game. We definitely would not have gotten such beautiful girls.

She's pretty. I don't need reasons to put her here.

One of the most important things I saw in their post:

When I translated the play last month, it said Soh was a messenger of the true god(this greatly delighted me). I kept that post in my twitter drafts because it's hard to trust google but this blog mentioned it.

前日譚の人形浄瑠璃文楽スペシャルでは宗のことを「真神の遣ひが、サアサア参りたり」という。真神＝まことの神の他に日本オオカミの意味もある。もともとは『もののけ姫』のモロのような神がいたのかもしれない

Even more interesting...the phrase used is Makami! An old form of wolf.

Messenger of the True God could Messenger of the Great God. The Messenger wears the mask of their ancestor.

Is Soh's ancestor Amaterasu? More on this in the next post(Hint: maybe yes and maybe no. Wolves are also associated with the Mountain Gods in shinto)

Aaaah, I much to say. But this blog has been a big help to me and I'll be sure to credit them when I reference things they noticed that I didn't. (I will keep in mind all the research I've done myself. With the Mikoshi for example. I had just screeshotted it myself already. And I had already looked into the play. What I hadn't understood was the kanji being used. But it's thanks to them I now know about makami.)

I left a message on their post but boy, do I not know how to use the internet anymore. How weird it must be for them to see some random person leaving a long comment on a year old post.

I'll make a few posts repeating some things they've noticed, with credit. Some juicy details...

The Scroll Order Mistake.

I had to edit a previous post because the Kunitsu-Gami wiki is incorrect. I won't be using that anymore because they have the scrolls out of order, which affected my theories. Feh. It's my own fault for not checking things myself. I worry how many old theories were affected. 

But I'm always changing my mind so it doesn't matter.

I'll use this as a reference. I took it from the game.

As you can see, I made the mistake of thinking Phantom Paths was directly before Eternal Pool of Sunlight. I also factor in we see the Birth of a Goddess scroll after the end credits of NG+, which makes me assume Yoshiro ascended then.

More importantly...

The scrolls describe Yoshiro's journey. But we play 'Soh's journey'.

We have to assume they're ultimately one being...

Once again, it's probably a lot simpler than what I think it is.

If Yoshiro is a reincarnation of Soh and the Maiden is reincarnated every generation, then Yoshiro prays to her old body?

And the Maiden made a pact with the Goddess so why is she...a Goddess like this? She must be the twelfth ancestral deity. 

A photo of the Maiden's hands

Hichigiri...

You can see part of Soh's face! (I love how I instantly recognize her lips like an actually crazy person)

Translated from the Twitter

From the game

My girls celebrating a festival for the girls...

I knew Soh(me) was the one encouraging her to eat sweets. I even mentioned it in my 'plausible theory' as part of Soh's relationship with her.

You get this sweet in Kamukura Shrine, the first place the Goddess is said to have descended and the place Yoshiro becomes crippled.

Capcom doesn't really show Soh's face. It might be to be spoiler-free but the game would probably be more popular if they knew Soh was a beautiful Maiden/Messenger/whoever she is.(I am so glad it isn't popular so I can have it to myself)
Playing as a stylish, beautiful protagonist is always nice. Although Soh's beauty is never the focus. Rather, Yoshiro's is. 

Soh's entire design is beautiful though. Very intricate, as is Yoshiro's.

But I'm glad you're left to discover Soh's secret on your own. I discovered it immediately but if I hadn't, the moment might've been interesting. (I would've died) But alas, my eyes are keen...

Learning about these two and their roles, future and history is a journey in itself. I still don't know what's going on in this story.

More importantly.

Soh figure with removable mask. PLEASE. 

Can I just add...Soh's face suits her? There's something so gentle and calm about her smile and how her lips sit in the image above.

Does this mean Soh shows her face when in the tent with Yoshiro? Probably.

Extra:

The English twitter of Kunitsu Gami doesn't mention festival it's eaten at to celebrate the growth and happiness of young girls. I wonder why?