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Eirin Yagokoro
Eirin Yagokoro (♫) | |
|---|---|
 Eirin Yagokoro in Imperishable Night Brain of the MoonMore Character Titles | |
| Species | Lunarian (not native to Gensokyo) |
| Abilities |
Making any drug. Natural Genius. |
| Age | Hundred of millions |
| Occupation | Pharmacist |
| Location | Eientei, was originally from the Moon |
Music Themes | |
| Show Music Themes | |
Appearances | |
| Official Games | |
| Show Official Game appearances | |
| Print Works | |
| Show Print Work appearances | |
Eirin Yagokoro (八意 永琳 Yagokoro Eirin) is a medical genius from the Moon, able to create even the Hourai Elixir with the help of Kaguya's power, the manipulation of eternity. She is living in exile in Gensokyo after choosing to stay with and devote herself to Kaguya Houraisan on Earth rather than take her back to the Moon. She was a very well-known figure on the Moon, having not only been instrumental in the founding of Lunar society with Lord Tsukuyomi, but also being its leading medical mind and the person in charge of the Moon's emissaries to the Earth.
Contents |
General Information
Occupation
After the events of Imperishable Night, Eirin has begun using her knowledge of medicine to act as Gensokyo's premier pharmacist, selling medicines at Eientei ranging from sleep aids to various cures. You can visit her like you visit a normal doctor, and she can even prescribe medicine for obscure illnesses. Her medicines are well known to work with no side effects, though youkai medicine and human medicine must never be mixed together. It's reasonable to believe her medicines come from the Moon or are developed with Lunar technology. The medicine is not only effective, but fairly priced. Fortunately, Eirin is not fussy about payment; she will most likely wait until you pay her. Still, it is believed that Eirin may have another reason for starting this business other than profit.
Personality
Eirin is an enigmatic person surrounded by many mysteries, and her answers regarding the mysteries about her are incoherent replies. She is generally a fairly pleasant person and is devoted to serving her best friend, Kaguya, but she does not suffer fools gladly, and because of her incredibly high intelligence, she can come across as conceited, impatient and condescending at times to those not sharp enough to follow her explanations immediately. However, she also seems to lack general common sense, most likely due to her not living with humans.
Character Basis
Origin
She might be based on Ame no Yagokoro Omoikane no Mikoto (天八意思兼命), the god who thought of the plan to lure Amaterasu out of hiding. This can be seen by her spell card, and by the correlation between Eirin's sharp intellect and Omoikane's. (Takami-Musubi is also very strongly associated with intellectual facilities.) The interrelationships of various lunar figures presents a more interesting situation. Eirin is distantly related to the Watatsuki sisters, both based on mythology. In the third chapter of Cage in Lunatic Runagate, Watatsuki no Toyohime mentions that Eirin's participation was critical to the founding of the lunar capital, and that she was older even than Tsukuyomi. Omoikane is the son of Takami-Musubi, one of the great gods that summoned Izanagi and Izanami into existence, but it's unclear whether Omoikane was born before the creation of the Japanese islands, which also saw the births of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. Regardless of whether she is "meant to be" Omoikane, Eirin clearly draws on Omoikane in many ways.
Name
The characters for Yagokoro (八意) literally mean "Eight minds", and Eirin (永琳) "Eternal jewel". "Eight" is the sacred number especially for ancient Japanese, and it could mean "sacred, numerous, infinite". For example, Yakumo (八雲, eight clouds), Yashima (八島, eight islands), Yata no Kagami, Yaoyorozu no Kami. And gokoro is an ancient reading for 意, which could indicate something about heart or mind. So her whole name could mean "Intelligence of eternally clear brightness over infinitely extended area", referring her to be the "Mind of God". It's revealed in Silent Sinner in Blue that "Eirin" is merely her earth name. Her true Lunarian first name is unpronounceable by the impure (i.e. earthlings). Her last name is "Yagokoro" in both cases.
Design
Eirin has dark grey eyes, long silver hair, has a large braid on her back, and carries a strange pair of bow and arrow. Her clothing is red and blue, and is covered with constellation patterns. She also wears something similar to a nurse's cap.
Eirin's clothing has trigrams (broken and solid Yin/Yang lines) lining the bottom hem. They appear to be the complete set of trigrams used in Feng Shui, and match the set of trigrams on the Hakkero.
Story
- Imperishable Night
During the events of Imperishable Night, Eirin attempted to seal the passage between the Earth and Moon, which opens every full moon, by casting a spell that would seal the Earth inside a chamber (similar to a Chinese folktale about a paradise found inside a pot). She only meant to do this to protect both Kaguya and Reisen so that the emissaries coming from the Moon wouldn't be able to reach them, but this did not go unnoticed by the various Youkai in Gensokyo who enjoy the moonlight.
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- Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red
Eirin has created a new medicine called the Kochoumugan (Butterfly Dream Pill), which guarantees that one will have a pleasant dream. She says that since the youkai of Gensokyo rarely suffer from physical ailments, she began developing medicine for spiritual ailments instead. This particular medicine is ancient, but humans who took it in the past often found their dreams too enjoyable and never returned from the dream world, so Eirin has weakened its potency and made it safe to use. She also has a variety which causes nightmares instead of pleasant dreams.
In the interview, Eirin remarks that only a few people have come to buy the pill, even though it was a featured article in Aya's newspaper. Aya admits she doesn't have many readers. She is curious who is buying the medicine; Eirin is initially reluctant to say, but then reveals that it was Alice Margatroid. Aya mentions that she tried the pill herself, but found the dream uninteresting. Eirin suggests that she try Kochoumugan Nightmare Type (a scene in Shoot the Bullet).
Relationships
- Kaguya Houraisan (Fellow Exile, Mistress)
- Reisen Udongein Inaba (Apprentice)
- Tewi Inaba (Allied Earth Rabbit)
- Fujiwara no Mokou (Indirect Recipient of Eternal Life)
- Sakuya Izayoi (Unknown)
- Watatsuki no Toyohime (Former Student, Distant Relative)
- Watatsuki no Yorihime (Former Student, Distant Relative)
- Lord Tsukuyomi (Relative, Lunar Capital Co-Founder)
- Alice Margatroid (Recurring Customer)
Spell Cards
| Name | Translated | Comments | Games | Stage | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total: 15 | ||||||
| 天丸「壺中の天地」 | Spacesphere "Earth in a Pot" | IN | St. 6A: E/N/H/L | |||
| 覚神「神代の記憶」 | Awakened God "Memories of the Age of the Gods" | IN | St. 6A: E/N | |||
| 神符「天人の系譜」 | God Sign "Genealogy of the Sky-Born" | IN GoM |
St. 6A: H/L — | |||
| 蘇活「生命遊戯 -ライフゲーム-」 | Revival "Game of Life" | IN GoM |
St. 6A: E/N — | |||
| 蘇生「ライジングゲーム」 | Resurrection "Game of Rising" | IN | St. 6A: H/L | |||
| 操神「オモイカネディバイス」 | Leading God "Omoikane's Device" | IN | St. 6A: E/N | |||
| 神脳「オモイカネブレイン」 | Mind of God "Omoikane's Brain" | IN | St. 6A: H/L | |||
| 天呪「アポロ１３」 | Curse of the Heavens "Apollo 13" | IN GoM |
St. 6A: E/N/H/L — | |||
| 秘術「天文密葬法」 | Esoterica "Astronomical Entombing" | IN | St. 6A: EN/H/L | |||
| 禁薬「蓬莱の薬」 | Forbidden Arcanum "Hourai Elixir" | IN | St. 6A: E/N/H/L | |||
| 薬符「壺中の大銀河」 | Medicine Sign "Galaxy in a Pot" | IN | St. 6B: E/N/H/L | |||
| 「天網蜘網捕蝶の法」 | "Heaven Spider's Butterfly-Capturing Web" | IN GoM |
LW — | |||
| 薬符「胡蝶夢丸ナイトメア」 | Medicine Sign "Butterfly Dream Pill - Nightmare Type" | StB | St. 9 | |||
| 練丹「水銀の海」 | Elixir "Mercury Sea" | StB | St. 9 | |||
| 秘薬「仙香玉兎」 | Secret Elixir "Lunar Incense" | StB GoM |
St. 9 — | |||
Additional Information
- Eirin's profile states that she killed the other messengers sent with her. Kaguya's profile describes these messengers as "emissaries". Later official works would state that moon rabbits are trained as lunar emissaries, and it is unconfirmed if any of the emissaries were Lunarians. Given that rabbits are viewed merely as tools by the Lunarians, this may explain why the severity of murdering the other emissaries isn't emphasized whenever Eirin's crime of helping the princess comes up. Eirin has also made it clear in both Cage in Lunatic Runagate and chapter 2 in Silent Sinner in Blue that she has no qualms with killing moon rabbits should situation make her go to such lengths.
- Eirin has a Spell Card named "Apollo 13" after the aborted third American moon mission launched in April 1970. The spell card's spell sign is "Curse of the Heavens", and seems to imply that it was Lunarian magic, not mechanical failure, that critically damaged the spacecraft and forced it to abandon its lunar landing so as to forestall the "invasion". It's also stated that the Lunarians know why the number 13 is cursed. Eirin in Silent Sinner in Blue reveals that the Apollo series failed because the sun ("Apollo") is incompatible with the back side of the moon, and Cage in Lunatic Runagate's 2nd chapter mentions Lunarian technology while talking about the humans' failure to establish a base on the moon, implying Lunarian sabotage.
- Eirin had recently developed a medicine called Kochoumugan (Butterfly Dream Pill), which guarantees the person who takes it will have a pleasant dream once they fall asleep. The medicine was featured in an article in the Bunbunmaru Newspaper, but still remains fairly unpopular (mostly due to the fact that the paper itself isn't too popular). There is one customer, Alice Margatroid, who has returned numerous times to purchase the medicine however, although the reasons why were never disclosed.
- In Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth Chapter 13, it is seen that Eirin wants to dissect and/or experiment on Suwako Moriya due to her similarities to a frog.
- In Tibetan Buddhism, the bow held in the right hand with an arrow in the left (as Eirin holds them) is a symbol of wisdom as a means of projecting method or skillful means.
- The bow and the arrow are a possible reference to the huntress and Greek moon goddess Artemis (sister of Apollo; In Imperishable Night, ZUN made a joke about Apollo being the sun god, so he surely knows about Artemis). Artemis (or her bow) sometimes represents the crescent moon, symbol of full maturity in the cycle of life (it suits Eirin very well).
- Artemis is often assimilated to Selene (the personification of the moon), which is the root of Selenium, a non-metal antioxidant sometimes used as a medicine but toxic in large quantity to human beings. Antioxidants are known to improve life expectancy.
- Ursa Major, one of the constellations on Eirin's clothes, was originally Callisto, a servant of Artemis.
- It is also confirmed that ZUN is aware of the bow representing the crescent moon. In Cage in Lunatic Runagate Chapter 5, Yukari is unable to see the crescent moon due to a storm, and wonders if it's because there is no one on the moon who wields a bow anymore.
- In Chinese mythology, Houyi was a god of archery banished from heaven. He was married to Chang'e, Kaguya's Chinese equivalent. According to legends, he received the last two immortal elixirs from Xi Wangmu of Kunlun mountains in the west. Chang'e drank them both, who then ascended to the moon.
Fandom
- Eirin is often shown in fan works as using the many rabbits at Eientei, especially Reisen, as test subjects for various drugs and medicines. And according to Cage in Lunatic Runagate, she actually does sneakily give medicine to the rabbits. It would very likely be harmless to them especially compared to what Reisen goes through in fanon.
- Eirin is often placed as a doctor or nurse in fan works for obvious reasons.
- She is often grouped with Yukari Yakumo and Kanako Yasaka among the fandom, because their names contain the character 八 (which is sometimes read as 'ya'), which when misread, means old hag.
Official Profiles
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○６面ボス 月の頭脳 八意 永琳（やごころ えいりん） 種族：月人 月の民。つまりは宇宙人。地上に隠れ住んでから結構長い。輝夜との付き合いは、はるか昔輝夜が月に居た頃から始まっている。 八意家は、何時しか月に住むようになった薬の天才家系。中でも永琳の知能は抜群である。彼女の頭脳は人間のそれをはるかに上回るが、逆に何を言っているのか良く判らない時も多い。 本当は、輝夜より圧倒的に力を持つ。だが常に輝夜以上にならない様に力をセーブしているらしい。 はるか昔、月の姫である輝夜の罪が晴れた為、罰として地上に落とされていた輝夜を月に連れ戻しに来た使者の一人。ただ、とある理由で輝夜と共謀し、月の使者を全員殺害してしまう。当時輝夜と一緒に住んでいた賤しき地上人には、口止め料として永琳特製の「蓬莱の薬」の入った薬の壺を手渡した。この薬、飲むと死ななくなるのである。 その地上人は、蓬莱の薬を使わなかったらしく間も無く死亡した。 詳しい話は輝夜のエピソードで。 また、咲夜を見て大変驚くのだが、何故なのかは永琳にしか判らない。 |
Stage 6 Boss, Brain of the Moon
Species: Lunarian She's a person from the moon. That means she's an alien. She has lived on the Earth for a long time. Her relationship with Kaguya dates back to their days on the moon. The Yagokoro family is a line of medicinal geniuses that have been living on the moon for some time. Even among them, Eirin is exceptionally intelligent. She is much smarter than humans, which makes her rarely understood. In truth, she has power well beyond that of Kaguya's. She saves her power and maintains it at a lower level out of respect for Kaguya. Long ago, Eirin was one of a party of messengers who were sent to bring Kaguya back to the moon; the crime for which she was exiled to Earth had been forgiven. For some reason, she helped Kaguya kill all the other messengers instead. To ensure that the earthlings who lived with Kaguya would remain silent, she bribed them with the Hourai Elixir. The elixir had the power to make people immortal. None of those earthlings consumed the elixir, however, and died shortly afterwards. It was later discovered that they were murdered. More detail is available in Kaguya's profile. Eirin is very surprised to see Sakuya, but only Eirin knows the reason why. |
Official Sources
- 2004/08/15 Imperishable Night - Stage 5 dialogue; キャラ設定.txt
- 2005/12/30 Shoot the Bullet - Stage 9 spellcard comments
- 2005/08/11 Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red - Article and Interview: Eirin
- 2006/12/27 Perfect Memento in Strict Sense - Perfect Memento in Strict Sense/Eirin Yagokoro|Hourai Pharmacist: Eirin Yagokoro]]
- 2007/06/08 ~ 2009/04/09 Silent Sinner in Blue
- 2007/06/22 ~ 2009/11/22 Inaba of the Moon and Inaba of the Earth
- 2007/06/25 Cage in Lunatic Runagate - Chapter 1
- 2007/09/25 Cage in Lunatic Runagate - Chapter 2
- 2008/03/26 ~ 2008/04/26 Strange and Bright Nature Deity - Chapters 17-18
- 2009/12/27 The Grimoire of Marisa - Eirin Yagokoro's Spell Cards
References
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This page is part of Project Characters, a Touhou Wiki project that aims to write proper descriptions for all official characters of Touhou Project. |
