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

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

Their post.

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

As always, I translate it twice.

What is Miko Kagura?

The main theme of this game is Kagura.

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

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

The name "Seidai"

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

A generation that is neither god nor human

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

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

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

This further links Yoshiro and Soh just via their names.

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

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

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

The effectiveness of the generation's exorcism

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

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

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

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

The goal cannot be achieved unless these two work together.

Similarities between Mune and the generation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

She cannot purify cocoons though.

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

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

Generation's Palanquin

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

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

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

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

Generation is a human sacrifice

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

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

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

Is fulfilling her role and duty just a pitiful victim?

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

This is from the Great Cherry Tree of Nakahara.

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

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

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

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

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

The villagers are also pitiful. 

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

This isn't true! 

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

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

Is turning into a spiritual stone just a misfortune?

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

That's not all bad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is a new Gion?

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

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

Therefore, only a generation can become a Gion.

Pass of the Goddess

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

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

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

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

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

Yoshiro becomes 'defiled' in the game over screen.

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

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

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

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

She also immediately loses her veil when she becomes crippled.

But regains it in the spirit world.

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

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

From the previous post:

The theory that Muneta was the previous shrine maiden

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kagura masks in which gods reside

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

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

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

The white mask of So is where the Yamatsumi resides.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also, look how the sync up!

they twirl and jump at the same time

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

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

Shrine maidens are not gods

"Oare" also means that a god has manifested.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just like Mune has regained his true face.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All about Soh (Looking at someone else's theory to help myself)

I'll be going over the theory of this blog post about Soh. It's a follow-up to the previous Fox post.

Some things I disagree with but I have also spent more time on this game so it's to be expected...

Who is So?

So is a Yamagami

So is a messenger of Yamagami, and is consistently portrayed as "not human".

So is cold to Generation

Generation is sometimes attacked by black smoke and suffers.

The villagers rush to Generation, worried about her suffering, but So shows little emotion and picks up the mask she has recovered.

The relationship between Generation and So is not as romantic as that of a samurai guarding a princess.

Yamagami only has So protect Generation because she has a role to play.

Gods don't have as many emotions as humans imagine.

However, since she is a goddess, it is Yamagami who sends the Ikoku, and Yamagami (messenger) who fights the Ikoku and protects the shrine maiden, making it a troublesome match-pump situation.

In the picture scroll "Gekka no Mune Gozen," Mune is looking at the moon without looking at Gendai.

However, Mune's torso and toes are pointing towards Gendai, which expresses his "outer attitude and true feelings being different."

A messenger of the Yamatsumi resides in Mune's mask, so Mune's head and the persona below his neck are different.

Soh is not cold. Soh is dutiful whenever she is on the battlefield. (Contrasting with Yoshiro who acknowledges Soh even during battle to sing to her) 
I also believe Soh knows what Yoshiro is capable of and doesn't really 'baby' her. (Which goes against my very instinct...)

Ten is absolutely right. Soh treats Yoshiro as a tool but has moments of kindness.

(the rest I wrote before I finally came to this conclusion. However, my reasoning for Soh being cold is that Soh is the Goddess manifesting in a physical form and that Yoshiro is a tool to purify her mountain. But this painting implies that perhaps Soh has some affection for Yoshiro and this is why she broke the pact in the true ending. In both endings she has her full power.)

To get a better look at Soh's personality, you need to look at Yoshiro's animations in the tent. They are a response to whatever Soh is doing or saying. The tent interactions heavily imply a close friendship between the two. Soh is simply dutiful and focuses on the task at hand when it's battle. But when she can relax, there's a different side to her.

Yoshiro is seen smiling, listening to Soh, laughing, humming, dancing...

These interactions imply Soh makes her laugh and that the two have a friendly relationship. Soh is also the one who encourages her to eat the sweets because she gives Soh a look that quite clearly implies this.

the cutest...

And this image:

There's a certain delight in such things and is reflective of Soh's personality.

The part about Soh under the moonlight is great! I never noticed this, how Soh's body faces Yoshiro. Soh's mask facing away is her dutiful nature, her body facing Yoshiro shows she has affection for the Maiden. Her hand is on her heart, after all.

But I had always believed this scroll is about Soh's feelings for Yoshiro. Whatever they are, they are deeply affectionate. 

(It's also implied that Soh shows her face in the tent when talking to Yoshiro because Yoshiro responds to obvious interaction. And the hitchigiri image shows that she exposes her face when encouraging Yoshiro to snack. She does not wear the mask all the time.)

Relationship between Mune and the villagers

Mune never speaks to the villagers, and despite fighting together with them, he doesn't seem like a friend. The villagers' voices are distant, like they're strangers.

The villagers may not be able to recognize Mune, or they may hear him as instructions from Seidai.

Seidai only greets Mune or calls for help, but they don't really have a conversation.

As a god, he doesn't speak to people casually.

The villagers can't see Soh. Only Yoshiro can. Even when they wear their ancestral masks, they cannot see Soh. 

I speculated this in another post of mine(X and X) that when we instruct the villagers, we are acting as 'Yoshiro' because that is her duty and it hints at Soh being a former Yoshiro. Perhaps it is the Maiden who gives them Soh's directions. Or perhaps Soh influences them somehow.

Yoshiro talks to Soh in the tent.

She says 'Good morning, 'Good evening', 'Take care', 'welcome back', 'this place is back to normal' and 'thank you for everything'. There's more I might have forgotten. She has an animations explicitly showing she's listening to something Soh is saying:

The eye contact makes it clear Soh said something

They talk in the tent. We just don't get to hear it. (private girl talk)

He likes animals more than humans

Animals stare at Mune, and dogs follow him.

When they interact with him, Mune strokes the animals and nods, showing that he loves them.

One of the reasons Yamatsumi is angry is the damage caused to animals by humans. In other words, Yamatsumi thinks that the natural environment and living things are more important than humans.

A messenger of the Yamatsumi or the Yamatsumi himself?

In the game, he's a messenger of the Yamatsumi, but I'm on the side of the Yamatsumi himself.

To ancient people, gods actually appeared on the battlefield, or fought by possessing people.

It's not a prayer or a figment of the imagination, it's physical.

Soh even seems to be 'listening' to what they say! It's the cutest thing.

I myself have also believed Soh is the goddess. 'The Sent and the Sender are one'

But there's a strange relationship with Yoshiro, who descended alongside Soh. Even more interesting is that Cursed Soh looks like both of them.

Are they the goddess, split? I've already played with this theory...I am still unsure.

Where did Sou appear from?

I thought he might have been drawn to the sacred stone enshrined on the altar, but he came out from the shrine at the back left of the main approach, so I guess he's usually enshrined there.

The theory that Muneta was the previous shrine maiden

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

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

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

Soh is enshrined in the previous Spirit Stone, the place the spirit of the Maiden goes once she walks the Path. One of the pieces of evidence to support she's the previous Maiden. The shadow of Cursed Soh also appears to be the previous spirit stone.

Yoshiro is possibly not human. She descended alongside Soh.

But if Soh and Yoshiro are roles, then once you enter the role, you are no longer human.
Either way, she might not be human.

Yoshiro's original title was the 'Spirit Stone Maiden'.

Let's not forget this:

要出典精霊は祖霊にさらに神に昇化するとする考え方もあり、そのような祖霊は祖神（そじん）や氏神（うじがみ）として氏族や集落などの共同体で祀られることになる。沖縄地方では7代で神になるとされていた。

There is also a belief that spirits can ascend to ancestral spirits and then to gods, and such ancestral spirits are worshipped as ancestral gods or tutelary gods by communities such as clans and villages. In the Okinawa region, it was believed that a person could become a god in seven generations. 

This fits the game too perfectly.

About Yoshiro being human...I discovered something the other day and I want to make a separate short post for it but I will debut it here!

The Maiden is a flower on the map!

Here the Yoshiro symbol is the base

This symbol is the tent and the base. 

No flower. Just Soh and Yoshiro.

It's also the symbol that becomes Yoshiro when we are out purifying.
(I discovered those things on the Yoshiro symbol are called 'gohei')

Notice how the color of their symbols change? Soh gains Yoshiro colors, implying she's also now fulfilling the role? That would support the 'Soh was once Yoshiro and can do what she does' theory.

But once you repair a base fully, Yoshiro will stand outside it and gain her own little symbol! A cute flower!

Could this support my theory it is nothing but a role a Maiden fills? That when she fills it, she is no longer human? But once her duty is done, she becomes human again?

It might explain why she gets spooked by Soh. She's just a Maiden now.

It would explain why to the gods she represents humanity but to the humans she represents the gods.
For she has two symbols.

Can I still be your Soh if I was never a Yoshiro?

I wrote a few musing semi-personal posts about this game but it uses the Maiden=Messenger concept.

I still want to post them so keep in mind that I'll be treating the mentioned theory as the base for some of them.

I'm thinking about this fox theory and I'm not sure just yet. 

Soh runs across the bridge between heaven and earth. She comes from above, she's not a fox spirit taking human form. Fox spirits would live on the earth, wouldn't they? 

But the Maiden and the Messenger are intertwined and part of a pair so there's definitely some kind of connection. Do the spirits of the Maiden remain in the 'Otherworld' when they become the Spirit Stone? The Otherworld is alike a mirror...so is that why it speaks of the defilement being reflected?

Soh is tethered to Yoshiro as well. The fox thing seems to be only half the story. 

Why do they sync up when dancing and fighting? Yes, they both dance the Kagura but there's a lot of parallels and mirroring in general. 

They have the same voice actor and look similar. 

Could Yoshiro also be a fox? Is that the hint of the Maiden wearing a fox mask in the NG ending? 

They both descended from heaven and work together to rule this world of chaos, while Cursed Soh rules from heaven. 

Cursed Soh looks like Yoshiro and Soh. 

Is Soh a goddess in her own right?

Why is Soh's spirit form a tamagushi, a former yoroshiro? Why does it resemble a magatama, the same thing on Yoshiro's chest?

Is Soh a fox spirit or is her mask just a fox? Because a few of the other ancestral deities have animal masks. But their masks are decorated with those special stones and Soh's isn't. 

The numbers 7 and 8 are important. And that 'after 7 generations, a spirit becomes a god'. 

I'll have to spend time looking through lore again...

But can I still be your Soh...?

Foxes: The animal messenger of the gods, a new theory on Soh's identity and confirmation Soh is female.

I was linked to a blog which has a few Kunitsu-Gami theories by the owner of this blog who is a big fan like me. I posted about their theory before and they recently updated it. (if you would like to peek at it)

As for this new blog, I want to make individual posts looking at all of their ideas. They have a background in Shinto!

I'll start with the aforementioned ones in the title because my previous post was about foxes!

Their post

They mentioned Soh is a fox spirit, an animal messenger of the Goddess.

They don't agree with Soh being a previous Maiden. But it confuses me on why Yoshiro inherits the mask then if not to imply this is a normal cycle of the mask being passed along.

Or is it to say that Yoshiro is now the Goddess and the mask has been returned to her?
I think I mentioned this idea before, of the the mask being returned to the Goddess.

Even more interesting...this blog has confirmation from the game Soh is female, confirming my 'they Samus'd us' belief.

So, let's look at this theory!

As usual, we need to translate things a second time to get a proper idea of what's being said.

The bit about it not being politically correct is funny. Are they implying it's a love story between Soh and Yoshiro? If Soh is not the previous Maiden, it may very well be a love story but one of divine love.(my opinion)
But you could make the claim there's something between them if you wanted to, just by the tent interactions and the way Yoshiro looks at Soh, and how Soh, at times, looks at Yoshiro. It's entirely up to you on how to interpret it. But if it was romantic, it's a chaste love, as Yoshiro is a Maiden. A pure love, if you will. One between a knight and Maiden, perhaps?

(Let's not forget all the images I've posted of intimate poses of the two...)

Owari is 'Yoshiro' and Mune/Sect is Soh. Just translation error things.

The first thing to catch my attention is this: 宗御前

Source

Source

そうごぜん 

This is from 'Soh under the moonlight'. 

The title attached to Soh is 'gozen', meaning female samurai warrior. The kanji used to write Gozen is the same one used to write 'animal messenger of the Gods'.

So, it actually says 'Gozen Soh under the Moonlight' (or however you put these words together...), written with kanji for animal messenger. (I hope I'm understanding this correctly.)

The hidden details in the kanji always fascinate me.

So, we confirm she's female and perhaps we can confirm she's a fox spirit, if we look at the implication of the kanji and evidence of her being related to foxes.

Soh puts red markings on Yoshiro. 

The red markings on fox masks is to show it represents the deity. Covering Yoshiro in these marks to help ward off evil but maybe also to mark her as being protected by Soh? Who appears to be a fox god or spirit.

Yoshiro wears red on her eyes and her lips.

A beauty icon. An inspiration.

More on Inari.

When I wrote my post on Soh's mask being lupine and was looking for photos, I found a very interesting image. When I saw it, I saw Soh yet it was an image of a fox.

A beautiful moment

This is...Soh under the moonlight. Even the pose is similar, with the face turning away from the body. (More on Soh's pose in the next post.)

It's called 'The moon on Musashi Plain (fox)' by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi.

WhenI first saw Soh's face, I thought she's a 'fox-like' beauty.

This is a fox taking the form of a woman

Soh is a fox deity kitsune(?) who takes on the form of a beautiful female samurai and is a messenger of the Goddess. The power of the Goddess lies in the mask she wears.

Remember how we saw the Maiden wear a fox mask? Soh herself wears the Goddess's mask and Yoshiro 'acts' as the Goddess. Could this be the relationship hinted at regarding Soh's mask?

Does this mean Soh leads every Maiden down the Path? If so, Soh is the nameless Soh in the very beginning.

But why is she called 'Soh' now? 

Needless to say, this changes everything.

I love Soh as the previous shrine maiden but I also love Soh as a fox messenger of the Gods. Whichever is true, I love it. But the latter seems far more likely now.

I am sad to let go of 'Soh as the previous Maiden'...

One extra thing to add: The ancestral deity masks, some of them are in the shape of animals.

Red panda?

Boar?

Rat?