The kunitsukami receives light and is tainted by the passage of the human world. A voice pierces the temple.

One of the first Yoshiro images to debut. Her current face is actually quite different to this one. 

Her eyes remind me more of Soh.

"The kunitsukami receives light and is tainted by the steps of the human world. A voice echoes in the temple."

Yoshiro becomes a kunitsukami and is then defiled by her journey on the Path?

A voice echoes through the temple? It must be Soh's. Perhaps it comes from her spirit stone.

Perhaps this is talking about Soh. Soh, a former Yoshiro, walked the path, became defiled and now her voice is calling out to the next Maiden.

This image of Yoshiro has a very mysterious vibe to it. It reminds me of Ico, another favorite game of mine featuring a Magical Maiden.

I wish for a DLC where we play only with Soh and Yoshiro.

another from her debut

A very popular image

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

crystal orb inside?

 

Looks like a Tamagushi.

The colors of Cursed Soh

Sacred Tamagushi Mazo tasliman that increases Soh's attack power according to the amount of crystals.

Numerous theories have been advanced to explain the origin of the tamagushi; and the most common holds that the tamagushi was originally a yorishiro (an object in which the kami reside), a physical object expressing the indwelling spirit of a kami.

Soh is the former Yoshiro and former Maiden.

I consider this fact now as there's enough evidence presented on my blog but I'll definitely make a post listing everything concisely.

Yoshiro is also the 'Body of the Goddess' with Soh being the Spirit.
Played by different Maidens, the former walking the Path and the latter having walked the Path.
(Possible reincarnation?)

But another interesting thing is the villagers variation. Titled Forgotten God.

Cursed Soh/Defilement colors.

I can probably add 'Cliff Maiden' here as well since we receive it after we beat Cursed Soh the first time.

Those colors again. The bumps remind me of Soh's spirit form.

One more might be added here. It's Uncontrolled Spirit, the final Mazo talisman you get.

The Maiden, The Priest and Death.

Could it be this again? This shows up in defilement, in the final boss and possibly the final Mazo talisman.

Who or what is Cursed Soh?

To preface, Soh and Yoshiro are roles and ancestors are worshiped as deities.
There are twelve masks of the ancestral deities. 
Soh is number twelve. But whose mask is she wearing? 

To walk the Path of the Goddess is to become defiled. Because the Goddess herself is defiled. 

Cursed Soh is Defiled Yoshiro because Soh was once Yoshiro. We see Soh's Spirit Stone in the opening.

Cursed Soh means Cursed Ancestor. Cursed here seems to mean defiled as well.

Through the journey on the Path, Yoshiro's body begins to resemble Cursed Soh's. 

This is the Path of the Goddess's end result.

Skin white like Cursed Soh

Her skin looks white and withered

Yoshiro, as an acting Goddess, is dressed as this goddess. 

Two circles on her forehead too

(In the play's script(Google bootleg translation), it says Soh is the Messenger of the true goddess. Is this the true Goddess?)

I thought the Birth of a Goddess was Soh ascending into being a Goddess but the appearance of said Goddess is the appearance Yoshiro takes when she's the acting Goddess.

So in actuality, it's a pre-existing one.

I changed my mind. This Goddess is the Maiden as a Goddess after ascending. It's the result of the story.

Cursed Soh, an otherworldly being, governs from the heavens.
Yoshiro and Soh(the roles or the Maidens in the roles) descend from above and govern this world of chaos that the people of the mountain reside in.

This means the two of them have the Goddess acting through them. These two roles.

Cursed Soh is actually the Defiled Goddess.

Is said 'Goddess' replaced every generation? The Messenger of the Goddess is really the spirit of the last Maiden who walked the Path. The Spirit Stone everyone prays to at the summit is the last Maiden's defiled body.

The Path is the Maiden becoming the Goddess. 

So, the 'Goddess' actually sends herself to guide the next Maiden into becoming Her? 

Soh and Yoshiro have to be the Mountain Goddess. Or rather, the spirit within them is.

Does the Goddess move through Maidens?

Soh guides the Maiden on the Path of becoming the Goddess. That is the role of the Messenger who was once the Maiden herself and acting Goddess.

But what was the first cycle like? Who guided the Maiden? What is the Maiden? A descendant of the Goddess?

Was the very first Messenger the Goddess herself?

Were they actually 7 Maidens or are these two reincarnated and switching places because they're the Goddess, split up? But I insist these are roles that a Maiden plays so these two are really nameless and the roles are filled by Maidens.

Yoshiro and Soh are connected. If she's incapacitated, Soh loses their physical form.
Does her body act as a conduit for Soh's spirit's ability to take action within the world? Without her, we can influence the villagers but not doing anything else.
Yoshiro's role is guidance and without our form, we basically revert to a variation of the Yoshiro role.

Yoshiro seems to be alike to 'yorishiro' which I touched on in my 'most plausible theory' post. She's what allows Soh to inhabit physical space. Yoshiro appears to be regarded more like an object as her ultimate destiny is to become the Spirit Stone which is what houses her spirit as Soh in the future generation.

If you were to destroy Soh's Spirit Stone, the same effect as Yoshiro becoming incapacitated would probably occur. Which means Yoshiro is, was and will be the Spirit Stone.
Not our Yoshiro specifically but the role of Yoshiro.

Soh does not die if Yoshiro dies. She just loses her physical form, you can still move her before game over hits when Yoshiro has been killed already.

Soh's mask is the only mask that lacks the strange stone that moves. Even Yoshiro's crown and veil have it. What is this implying? The Veil and Crown is a mask and role of an ancestor? Then the Goddess is her ancestor because that's what she's dressed as.(incorrect)

But what about Soh? What mask is she wearing?

The end of the Normal Ending, our Yoshiro inherits the mask. This is the same way our Soh must've, from her Messenger when said Messenger fulfilled her duty. Then Soh wears the mask given to her by the Goddess(herself as Yoshiro/the former Soh) and returns as a Messenger.

All the villagers with roles can fight but Yoshiro cannot fight. Soh fights in her stead. They dance the Kagura together, hand in hand. The role of Messenger is to protect the Goddess's body.

What happens to Soh in the Normal Ending? She disappears and our Yoshiro inherits the mask but what happens to the spirits of Maidens who completed their role as Messengers? 

Why don't we see Soh's face in the true ending?

Is it really 7 Maidens or is it 7 cycles with these two switching roles?

In the beginning, the Mountain Goddess was defiled and so the Seethe, her underlings, come and seek to steal(or reclaim?) her power. Why do they attack Yoshiro if they're the Goddess's underlings?

The cycle is broken once Cursed Soh is purified. But why does she emerge in the 8th cycle?

Why does she lead the two to into 'the Unknown Land' to fight her? Why does she have a different outfit to Soh in her shadow form?

Symmetrical shoulder pads

Why can Yoshiro actively affect Cursed Soh's power? Because she wields the power of the Goddess or because Cursed Soh is actually her future body and time itself has become defiled? (Doubt this...)

It's established gods can be ancestors. Or rather, ancestors eventually come to be worshiped as gods.

It's said the ancestors of the Maiden cultivated the land and brought defilement during their times as gods of the mountain which brought a curse upon humanity. Was the Mountain Goddess one of the twelve deities?

At some point, Maiden(s) would devote themselves to the Goddess, gain her power to purify the land but in doing so become defiled? Is it because when gaining Her power, they are destined to suffer the same fate?

What is actually happening in the story of Kunitsu-Gami other than the metaphorical themes? (purifying oneself, breaking cycles, living with one's vices in harmony, compassion for others, etc) 

We need a DLC to give us more lore or updates to add lore to clarify what's going on.

If the end result of walking the Path of the Goddess is resembling Cursed Soh, then Cursed Soh is the Mountain Goddess and possible ancestor of the Maiden because of the lineage. 

The Goddess.

 In a previous post, I said Yoshiro is dressed as a certain goddess. I was mistaken.

She's also on a cherry tree(I think), the mikoshi was built from the cherry tree

They are posed the same way and these scrolls are telling a story.

Between these two scrolls, is this scroll: Phantom Paths.

Which we get after finishing defeating Cursed Soh, alongside Eternal Pool of Sunlight which we get after completing NG+.

So it's Moment of Peace, Phantom Paths, Birth of a Goddess, Eternal Pool of Sunlight.

When we finish NG, we see Phantom Paths with only Soh illuminated. Perhaps hinting this path has been taken by Yoshiro in the ending?

Are these the paths Yoshiro could've taken? A Cursed Ancestor or a Messenger?

My first instinct is that this story is a journey of Yoshiro's soul, Soh, to guide her into becoming a Goddess. But it can't be that because Yoshiro is worshiping the spirit stone of someone and Soh is a role because of the mask. (Her spirit self could be wearing the mask?) 

Yoshiro's veil and crown having those strange jewels on them, and every other mask as well save for Soh's... Perhaps it's because Soh does not have a human body?

At the end, Yoshiro removes the mask from Soh...

But Soh can't be Yoshiro because what was the spirit stone in the beginning?

They bow before it as if it's the Goddess. It can't be coincidence we see these after each other. This is representing the defiled Goddess. And this spirit stone was absolutely a different Maiden. It's Soh's body.

A kaleidoscope is shown when Soh arrives. It's made of mirrors. We use a mirror to move onto the next cycle and there's mirrors in Shinto shrines. Mirrors help us see our divine selves. Reflections are mentioned in Cursed Soh's plaque. Mirrors can 'hold' gods.

Where the spirit stone is, isn't a mirror usually there in actual Shinto shrines? So isn't Yoshiro looking at herself, as in...her future? Or is she looking at her divine self, which is defiled?

Yoshiro is called the Kagura Maiden. When you dance the Kagura, you become the deity. Is this implying she's always the deity?

Is this a mitama thing? 

Is Yoshiro a living Shintai? (note the kanji used has a similar one to Yoshiro)

Was Soh was sent by her own self as the Goddess? Is she is the Messenger of herself because she has sent her soul to guide Yoshiro?

What is actually happening in this story?

7 is a meaningful number. (8 is a lucky number in Shinto so maybe that's why it was chosen)

There were 7 cycles. But were there 7 individual maidens? 

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? 

Yoshiro is Soh's new Spirit Stone.

Aaah she's lovely.

Why does Yoshiro becoming incapacitated affect Soh's physical form?

By physical form, it's referring Soh's ability to fight and interact with the world(in a limited way). 

Soh has no physical body and the villagers cannot see Soh. Though they can 'feel' her or sense when she's close by whenever they're in the Spirit World.

Yoshiro and Soh are roles given by the Goddess.

A Maiden becomes Yoshiro and a Maiden who walked the Path becomes the Messenger, Soh.

The Maiden is also called the 'Spirit Stone Maiden'.

Because that's what she is. The next spirit stone but also an already existing one. It's simply a role that is filled by a girl chosen as the Maiden.

Soh's spirit stone is absorbed by Nanamagari and therefore Yoshiro becomes her new spirit stone because it's part of the role of the Maiden.

The Maiden is a Spirit Stone meant to house the Messenger Soh regardless of who is playing Soh.

Once Yoshiro began to walk the Path, Soh's spirit stone was dissolved, taken by the Seethe. This is when Soh becomes tethered to her. Or is she tethered to Yoshiro when Yoshiro is chosen as the Maiden?

Once you see these as roles and not individuals, it becomes a lot more clear.

The Maiden is also the acting Goddess. Or rather, this generation's Goddess.

As the Messenger of the Goddess, Yoshiro becoming afflicted affects Soh because Soh receives her power from the Goddess. 

To support 'Yoshiro is the Goddess'...

When we face Cursed Soh, Yoshiro has the ability to hinder Cursed Soh's powers. I'm assuming it's because she's the Goddess of this generation. How else can she do that?

So yes, Cursed Soh is the defiled Goddess in this context because Soh was the previous Goddess and Cursed Soh is her defiled body. Yoshiro's physical appearance at this stage looks like Cursed Soh.

I was writing a post about Cursed Soh and began to really think about how Yoshiro and Soh are linked if they are not the same person. So I then had a lot of thoughts about this theory.

Is Yoshiro, our Maiden, always the spirit stone? Every cycle? It can't be because she's praying to a spirit stone in the beginning. She can't be praying to her own former body so it must be our Soh's. Especially since Cursed Soh emerges from Soh's spirit stone.

At the end of NG, Yoshiro takes the mask off Soh. A mask that belongs to the Goddess and Soh is then dismissed from her duty. We can then assume Yoshiro becomes the next Soh, the next Messenger of the next Goddess. She, as the Goddess, sends herself to look after the next Maiden.

In another post, I said 'The sender and sent are one'. 

Which is true. Soh is the previous 'Goddess' that is sent by the Goddess(herself) to guide the Maiden, the next Goddess, on the Path.

How did the Path begin? A Maiden dedicated herself to the Goddess to stop the Seethe and was given powers? Or was she possessed by the Goddess?

Are Maidens actually possessed by the Mountain Goddess? Is she attempting to return?

Are they the Goddess moving through different bodies? Soh is able to tether herself to Yoshiro as if it she were her own spirit stone. These roles are intimately linked but the ones who fill them must also be linked, probably by blood. Or by soul?

Every generation, she is defiled again...

An oath beneath the lunar light.

This moment is very sentimental and bittersweet. 

We're purifying the land and defiling her in the process.

Yoshiro simply smiles as the defilement spreads, crippling her even further.

After you play this level with the Cherry Tree, you're rewarded with Soh Under the Moonlight.

I always speculate what changed this cycle was Soh's compassion for Yoshiro.

What oath is she taking here? What is she swearing to herself?

Why is this scroll part of this story? It must be a meaningful moment.

I replayed the game on NG to see which scrolls are rewarded when.

One more thing I'll add here.

When the villagers become cocooned, they've been spirited away, taken into the lands of the spirits or gods.

So during levels, we are in the lands of the spirits and gods but cannot be perceived by the villagers. Only by Yoshiro. We can be felt by them, certainly. I have a few videos running circles around them and spooking them.

When we return to base, I believe we return to the normal world. Soh's presence can no longer be felt by villagers at all. Yoshiro can still sense us but we're not as 'corporeal' as we were before.

At times, Yoshiro seems to not be able to see us but she can hear us. In the tent, she'll listen to Soh but not look at her, seeming to not be able to. Other times, she looks directly at us.