Faces of the Maiden.

 

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The bottom face is 'Yoshiro' and this is when the Maiden becomes the abode for the Goddess.

Is it safe to say that the Maiden's face changes due to their intertwining/merging?

It's made visually clear that her face changed to resemble Soh once she became Yoshiro.

This face from the art is seen in the trailer:

Original face

Originally, Yoshiro's face was closer to Soh's face. It might've been changed to avoid confusing them to be the same person. But this change in her face absolutely should have been shown somehow in-game. 

It makes it very clear when that the Maiden becomes 'Yoshiro', she is merging with the Goddess.

And that this merge actually physically changes her.

In the final game, Yoshiro keeps her Maiden face:

Versus her first face, which is true to the art:

Here's Soh's:

Her 3D face seems prettier and less harsh.

A missed opportunity to show what 'Yoshiro' actually is and what's happening to the Maiden when she undertakes this duty.

I once said this face resembles Soh's:

Here she is becoming a vessel for the Goddess. It would explain her face resembling Soh's.

In the scrolls, I just noticed the 'Birth of the Goddess', this Goddess has her eyes closed:

I always thought she was looking down...but it appears not? Her eyes are closed.
The black in the middle is her make-up.

Looking at the scrolls again, are the Maiden's eyes meant to represent something?

Faces are definitely important in Kunitsu-Gami. Everyone is masked. Yoshiro wears a veil until her  petrification begins.

Only Soh gets to see her without her veil, in the tent. Oh, and the villagers who come to leave offerings for her.
(and Soh as they are seen as one in the same. It's why we receive the offerings.)

Maiden in White.

More questions than answers.

The Kunitsu-Gami Collector's Edition.

I received my collector's edition.

It's as small as advertised.

Better official images here. 

The biggest issue is that the artbook is incomplete. It's missing Seethe artwork and certain artwork present in the mini-artbook, and artwork shown in the 'Behind the Scene's videos.

Everything is tiny but it's A5 and I bought it knowing that. But I expected it to actually contain all artwork.

It's been a huge disappointment and feels like false advertising. :(

For example, in the mini-artbook, you can see more of Yoshiro and the back of Soh's armor. These images don't exist in the artbook.

Most Seethe images aren't drawn art. They're 3D art.

I can barely even see Cursed Soh's art. It's just a small little piece in the corner. 

Since she's such an important boss with heavy lore implications, you'd figure she'd get a few pages. (or at least 2)

On a brighter note, look at how pretty the Maiden is!

As pretty as a flower!

We have Soh's face, too! Fashionable earrings... But they were shown in the image of her back!

Building on the Eyes on Yoshiro post, here's her face in the artbook:

In the mini-artbook, we saw her frontal with her crown on.

this isn't in the artbook!

And they had Puppet Yoshiro! Her outfit was altered for the play.

There's more but I'll make a post since it's about the spirit stone.

And a new rendition of that special image...

Overall, it was so very expensive for me due to importing and customs and I'm disappointed. The artbook was what I was looking forward to the most and it's not even complete.

Map of all pots in Kiritake Village by Satoko_Kuke.

#くにつがみ #KunitsuGami
予言通り、腹の立つミッションが多いですが、ほぼ初見か2回目で全条件クリアできています。

皆が無駄なストレスを溜めないように、
使い終わった自作のマップを共有しておきます。
（IGNでもまだでした）

　霧竹村 Kiritake Village
　全ての壺の位置 all pots pic.twitter.com/iXRNrgFDJ1

— くけさとこ (@satoko_kuke) July 21, 2024

 

Location of all pots in Kiritake Village by Satoko_Kuke on Twitter.

Red bibs & hinting at the cycle of the Goddess.

While researching the red bibs in Kunitsu-Gami and their possible significance, I learnt no one knows why these bibs are added to statues. 

But it's speculated to honor children who died.

(My research is what began my Spirit Stone post but I never posted on the bibs themselves as it turned out to not go anywhere. It's not unique to Kunitsu-Gami.)

I thought child mortality, or even infertility, was an issue in Kunitsu-Gami but actually, in the past Japanese children would die young often. So this is rather normal.

But I wonder in times of woe, when the Seethe attack, is infertility an issue? The Path takes at least a year. It confirms all 4 seasons pass in the game. 

What does the pact affect? How bad do things really get?

Some photos of statues:

They are in many places. Along with pinwheels, too. Pinwheels can represent the cycle of life, reincarnation or to honor dead children.

But here, they're put by the Goddess:

Is Kunitsu-Gami using the old belief that the Mountain God is an ancestral deity? It would explain why she is 'replaced' every cycle by the new Maiden, who was first worshiped as the Mountain Deity she had devoted herself to, effectively being able to replace her due to this perceived fusion.

(there's a belief that the maidens who worshiped the agricultural(mountain) goddess fused with her and were worshiped as well. This is what happens to Yoshiro)

A short that touches on the Red Bibs topic:

Soh's chainmail.

Soh has chainmail across her chest!

cursed outfit. (power stolen by Batsu)

Its design differs depending on whether she's in her 'cursed' outfit or her normal one. It protects the exposed skin.

In her 'cursed' outfit, the chainmail is clumpier, providing more protection?

The design is quite clever. It gives her a feminine neckline but still provides her with protection.

I realized it when I was looking at Wolf's outfit. He has chainmail, too. 

Yoshiro's (lack of) eyebrows.

A long time ago, I stumbled across a Reddit post that was a clip of Yoshiro eating. The comments weren't interesting but they referred to the circles on Yoshiro's face as 'eyebrows'.

In artwork, Yoshiro actually has no eyebrows!

It's in line with her make-up being from the Heian period. (mentioned in the future Kuon post)

I remember when I thought those circles were related to her becoming the Maiden and were magical in nature.

They aren't but it is interesting that she's the only one wearing such make-up. The other women in scrolls don't wear make-up in this style nor does Soh.

When the Maiden becomes the 'Spirit Stone Maiden', she shaves her brows and dons the special make-up. In the artwork of the Maiden when she's younger, she retains her eyebrows.

I can't believe I didn't notice her lack of eyebrows.