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Kanako Yasaka

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jasaka kanako (♫)
Kanako Yasaka
Kanako Yasaka
Kanako Yasaka in Touhou Gouyoku Ibun
The Avatar of Mountains and Lakes
More Character Titles
Species

Goddess of wind and rain (not native to Gensokyo)

Abilities

Creating heavenliness (Qian ())

Age

Over 2000 years old

Occupation

Goddess of Moriya Shrine

Location

Wind God's Lake at Moriya Shrine on top of Youkai Mountain, Underground Geyser Center[1]; Originally from the Outside World

Music Themes
Appearances
Official Games
Print Works

"A god must eliminate all who oppose their struggle for faith, one by one."
Kanako Yasaka (Mountain of Faith Stage 6.)

Kanako Yasaka (八坂 神奈子 Yasaka Kanako) is the main antagonist of Mountain of Faith. She's the current goddess of the Moriya Shrine after defeating its previous resident goddess Suwako Moriya in the Great Suwa War. She desires to collect large amounts of faith, but since the humans of the Outside World no longer place much importance on gods, she has transported the shrine to Gensokyo. She currently lives on top of the Youkai Mountain, where she has an uneasy relationship with the leaders of the tengu.

General Information

Kanako first appeared as the Final boss of Mountain of Faith, as well as being the Extra stage midboss. She was a target on stage 11 of Double Spoiler, one of Sanae Kochiya's spell cards in Touhou Hisoutensoku and was shown in Hopeless Masquerade. She was indirectly responsible for the events of Subterranean Animism, Undefined Fantastic Object, Touhou Hisoutensoku and Ten Desires.

As the deity of the Moriya Shrine, Kanako herself is considered a god, but she also possesses a human form. She is considered to be a divine spirit in this respect. Though she is currently considered a goddess of wind and rain, she currently has plans under way to transition into a goddess of technological innovation, as divine spirits can apparently change their own natures by using myths.

Personality

Kanako is an ambitious woman who treats religion like a business, using whatever means bring her the most "profit" - that profit being instead faith. She has a natural presence that can seem intimidating or suspicious at times, but also reliable. Unusually for a god she has little respect for tradition - she demands little formality in her worship, and encourages scientific progress. It is somewhat strange for a deity to be knowledgeable and interested about science.

She has no hostility towards humans, though as is the case with all deities, she may curse them if they are disrespectful. She also seems to be rather short-tempered, but she is vulnerable to gifts.

Abilities

Ability to create heavenliness

Kanako's ability specifically refers to the element of Qian (), the "sky" of Bagua in Taoist philosophy. Qian is associated with creation, leadership, overtness, reliability, and acting first rather than reacting to others. Suwako Moriya's ability to create Kun (, earth), refers to the opposite element.

She is at least called "wind god", so it may be a power to manipulate wind, rain, and weather. For Kanako to be a god of agriculture, to manipulate the wind and rain and make the soil plentiful would definitely be the quickest and easiest way to quickly and easily gather faith.

In Symposium of Post-mysticism, it's stated that this ability of hers is still very much a mystery. Concerning what kind of power this is, since there is nothing that seems like a portrayal of this, it is not definite, but it is probably a power unimaginable to humans. After all, perhaps wind god→climate→air=sky. She has been seen altering the terrain with Suwako's help, opening holes to the underground, and even creating large structures. She helped build the Myouren Temple, as well.

Occupation

Kanako is currently the deity of the Moriya Shrine, and lives with Suwako Moriya, the de facto ruler of the shrine, and Sanae Kochiya, a wind priestess. She generally seems to spend her time implementing new ways to gain faith from those who live outside the Youkai Mountain.

Possessions

Kanako's shimenawa represents the figure of an entwined snake, which in turn represents resurrection, rebirth, and eternity through the repeated shedding of its own skin. She also possesses onbashira, which she apparently uses in traditional festivals to toss off of cliffs.

Backstory

Illustration of Kanako from Grimoire of Marisa

One of the gods of Yamato (the precursor of the modern Japanese state), Kanako took over the kingdom ruled by the native goddess Suwako Moriya by holding out a thin vine that immediately rusted all of Suwako's iron weaponry. However, the inhabitants of Suwako's kingdom found it difficult to accept their new deity. In order to consolidate her newfound realm, she borrowed Suwako's powers. In reality, Suwako still ruled, while Kanako was their deity in name only.

However, as time went on humans eventually began to disbelieve in the concept of eternity, which Kanako in part represented. They grew stronger and invented ways of getting around the agricultural problems posed by harsh rain and wind. As their belief in science and information grew, their faith in gods like Kanako waned, and thus did her power.

In order to solve this problem, Kanako decided that the most appropriate course of action would be to abandon the human world and gather faith in Gensokyo. It ended up working out quite well, and she started to be worshipped as the deity of the Youkai Mountain. She then realized that, after observing the Hakurei Shrine which, though low on faith, was frequently visited by youkai was the main reason she had been accepted so quickly.

Kanako, however, did not forsee the power of those who lived on the mountain, such as the kappa and tengu, growing greater through their worship of her. Worried about the power balance in Gensokyo, she resolved to rein in more believers from elsewhere, and thus decided to utilize the Hakurei Shrine for her own ends.

Character Design

Kanako, as she appears in Symposium of Post-mysticism‎.

Origin

Kanako is based off both Takeminakata-no-Mikoto (建御名方命) and Yasakatome-no-Mikoto (八坂刀売命),[2] gods of the Suwa Grand Shrine, which, on the other hand, Suwako Moriya is named after.

Takeminakata

Takeminakata, also known as Suwa Daimyōjin (諏訪大明神) or Suwa Myōjin (諏訪明神), is the god of wind, water, hunting, agriculture, and warfare worshiped in the Upper Shrine of Suwa (上社 Kamisha), one of two sites that make up the Grand Shrine of Suwa.

In the Kojiki, Takeminakata was a son of Ōkuninushi, ruler of the land of Izumo, who was defeated by the god of thunder, Takemikazuchi, acting as the messenger of the gods of heaven, and forced into exile in the "sea of Suwa in the land of Shinano." (Curiously, Takeminakata only appears in the Kojiki; he is absent in other sources that tell the same myth, such as the Nihon Shoki; it is thus speculated that Takeminakata was not originally associated with Izumo and was only artificially grafted into this myth.)

In Suwa, however, Takeminakata, as Suwa Myōjin, is instead considered to be a deity who defeated a local god named Moreya (a.k.a. Moriya, the god Suwako is based off) using only a branch or vine of wisteria. After his defeat, Moreya swore fealty to Takeminakata, the new ruler of the Suwa region, and became the ancestor of the Moriya clan (守矢氏), one of the priestly families of the Upper Shrine of Suwa who served the shrine's high priest, the Ōhōri (大祝), a young boy of the Suwa clan (諏訪氏) considered to be a living god and an incarnation of Suwa Myōjin himself. The Suwa clan itself as a whole claimed Takeminakata to be their divine ancestor. These families served in Suwa Shrine until hereditary priesthood was abolished in the wake of the formation of State Shinto during the Meiji period.

The story of Takeminakata's defeat of Moreya is thought to be a mythicization of a historical event in which a group of outsiders settled in the Suwa region and came into conflict with the local inhabitants, who they eventually defeated and placed under their control. One theory places this event around the end of the Jōmon period (c. 14,000–300 BCE), claiming that the myth is based on indigenous Jōmon hunter-gatherers opposing the arrival of agricultural Yayoi tribes into Suwa. Another theory claims that the story may be inspired by an event during the end of the Kofun period (late 6th century) in which a clan affiliated with the expanding Yamato kingdom (the future Suwa clan) invaded Suwa and subjugated a local clan of priest-chieftains who controlled the area, what would become known as the Moriya clan. (Kanako's characterization as one of the "gods of Yamato" may be based on this latter theory.)

While the myth of Suwa Myōjin's entry into Suwa is the inspiration behind Kanako's backstory, Silent Sinner in Blue suggests that a god named 'Takeminakata', a son of Lord Daikoku (modeled after the Kojiki's portrayal of Takeminakata as Ōkuninushi's son) exists as a separate figure from Kanako.

Yasakatome

Yasakatome is the goddess of the Lower Shrine of Suwa (下社 Shimosha) considered to be Takeminakata's spouse, and likely the basis for Kanako's last name. Unlike Takeminakata, very little myth or legend survives of her.

In one story involving the goddess, when Yasakatome left her husband's place and moved north of Lake Suwa, where the two shrines that make up the Lower Shrine currently stand, she took with her a wad of cotton soaked in hot water. Upon arriving in her new home, she dropped the cotton ball on the ground; hot spring water gushed out at the spot where the cotton fell. This is considered to be the mythical origin of the hot springs of the town of Shimosuwa. (Yasakatome's association with hot springs could be an inspiration for Kanako's involvement in the events of Subterranean Animism.)

Another legend claims that the pressure ridge that forms on the frozen surface of Lake Suwa during cold winters, the Omiwatari (御神渡り, 'the god's crossing'), is caused by Takeminakata crossing the lake to visit his wife on the other shore.

Association with snakes

Kanako's association with snakes comes from the fact that the god of Suwa Shrine was often associated with and even portrayed as taking the form of a snake or a dragon in many legends and folktales. For instance, during the Mongol invasions of Japan in the 13th century, Suwa Myōjin is said to have appeared as a giant snake in the sky who flew westward to assist the Japanese troops. In another well-known medieval tale, the god of Suwa Shrine's true identity is claimed to be that of a warrior named Kōga Saburō, who was transformed into a snake/dragon after a journey into the underworld.

The association of Suwa Myōjin with serpents is due to his nature as a god of water, snakes and dragons being associated with the element. One theory regarding the name 'Takeminakata' is that it is derived from Minakata (水潟, 水方 or 水県), a term denoting a body of water.

Kanako's mirror

Kanako's mirror may be a reference to the Masumi no Kagami (真澄の鏡 'clear mirror'), a mirror said to have been owned by Suwa Myōjin himself. Other items supposedly brought by the god during his entry into Suwa include a bell called the Yasaka no Suzu (八栄の鈴 - the characters for yasaka are not the same as those in 'Yasakatome' or in Kanako's surname) and horse riding gear. Out of these, the Yasaka no Suzu is currently on display in the Upper Shrine's Treasury.

Name

Her full name is Yasaka Kanako (八坂 神奈子). The ya () in her surname means "eight" and Saka () mean "hill". Literally translated, yasaka means "eight hills," but can also figuratively mean "countless hills." It's referenced that because of her name, she might be seen as a mountain god; but she is really a god of wind and rain.

The 神 (kami, ka(n)) in her first name means "god", while the final character ko (), "child" is a common suffix for Japanese female names. Her name as a whole may be inspired by the Japanese word for a sacred mountain, kannabi (神奈備).

In the character introduction image of Mountain of Faith (just when her theme starts, and her name and title is revealed), her name was incorrectly spelled as Yasama Kanako, which the "sama" isn't a correct romaji for .

Design

Kanako has an elaborate red shirt with long white sleeves and a round mirror over the center of her chest. She wears a long black skirt with a red flower print hem. Has poofy intense blue hair and dark red eyes. Behind her is a large twisting rope circle shimenawa with shide.

Appearances

Games

Mountain of Faith
Kanako's sprite in MoF

In the main events of Mountain of Faith, Kanako plots to take over the Hakurei Shrine and use it to collect more faith, to gain more power.

Kanako offers to take Reimu and her shrine under her wing so that both would increase in followers and faith. Reimu refuses, on the grounds that she does not want Kanako interfering. Kanako then decides that Reimu is going to accept her help by force and a battle ensues. After she is defeated, she, Sanae, and a few other youkai visit the Hakurei Shrine, where Reimu vouches for them, telling Aya that they're not bad gods.

Kanako gets called out by Marisa for causing strife among the residents of the mountain and the Hakurei Shrine. Kanako scoffs and tells Marisa that she has no need for people who will not give her faith. After Marisa defeats her, the magician creates a little shrine out in the middle of nowhere and, in passing, notes that she should put Kanako in it. It immediately becomes a branch shrine for Kanako, though when she appears, she isn't too happy about it.

Subterranean Animism

Before the events of Subterranean Animism, it is hinted that she was the one who granted Utsuho Reiuji her powers (by telling her that she could swallow a god, Yatagarasu) and inadvertently caused the events of the game.

While Kanako was out on a shopping trip, Suwako explains to the pair about Kanako's quest to find a new energy source as part of their Mountain Industrial Revolution project. Suwako had reservations about the project (such as safety concerns for the kappa they employed). Koishi also hoped to be granted power just as Kanako did for Utsuho in the form of love, but was rebuked by Reimu.

Kanako was out with Suwako and during that time Sanae explains to the duo why Kanako gave Utsuho her powers as a means to produce a new kind of energy in order to bring more followers to the shrine. Reimu realizes that her entire presence during the events of the game helped to advance Kanako's project.

Reimu realizes all the fighting she's done was the cause of Kanako and asks Suwako what she was up to. Suwako explains that Kanako was looking for a high temperature for their kappa workers and decided that the Temple of the High Spirits was a suitable location and gave Utsuho her power.

Kanako catches Marisa going through her house and gave her a scolding.

Sanae tells Marisa of Kanako's plans of a kappa industrial revolution to give her followers a higher standard of living.

Koishi wanted to receive powers from Kanako for her pets as she did for Utsuho, but Marisa informs her that she will only do things that aid in her plans.

Undefined Fantastic Object

Kanako is indirectly involved in the incident for Undefined Fantastic Object, where because she gave Utsuho her nuclear powers, this caused geysers. however, this also caused the Palanquin Ship to pop out of the ground, thus creating the scenario of the game.

Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom

Kanako appears in both Sanae's Pointdevice/No-Death Clear ending and Sanae's Legacy Mode ending, making her the only character the protagonist meets in both of her endings in Legacy of Lunatic Kingdom. In Sanae's Pointdevice/No Death Clear ending, Kanako reads a report written by Sanae about what happened on her trip (the report only being 80% true). Afterwards, Kanako started talking about Sagume Kishin. Kanako thought that if she was the sagume, then the lunarians are akin to gods. Kanako did some deep thinking for a while before realizing that Sanae has basically prevented the second coming of the Divine Emperor and deserves to be praised. In Sanae's Legacy Mode ending, Kanako can be seen training Sanae to become more skilled at dodging danmaku by throwing various balls of different types at her.

Unconnected Marketeers

Kanako appears in both Sanae's Good ending and Sanae's Blank Card/Good ending. In the former, Kanako seals some kind of a deal with Megumu Iizunamaru and the Moriya Shrine begins to endorse ability cards as good luck charms. In the latter, Kanako agrees to Chimata Tenkyuu's request to hold the next market during a festival at the Moriya Shrine (as seen in 100th Black Market).

Spin-offs

Touhou Hisoutensoku

In Touhou Hisoutensoku, Kanako was aiding Sanae Kochiya to attack her opponents. During Sanae's story, Suwako goes behind Kanako's back and helps the kappa build the Hisoutensoku. Afterwards, Kanako suggests that nuclear power is too much for it, and proposes heat or electricity as an alternative power source, but is assured that it only runs on steam. She immediately turns it into an advertising tool to gather more faith.

Double Spoiler

In Double Spoiler, Kanako appeared as a stage 11 target, where she uses a few spell cards and had Aya Shameimaru and Hatate Himekaidou take photos of her and her danmaku.

Hopeless Masquerade
Kanako in HM

Kanako made a background cameo appearance in Hopeless Masquerade on the Genbu Ravine stage. She is seen sitting on a rock making some sort of laugh.

Impossible Spell Card

After apparently reading the newspaper by the tengu about a mischief-making amanojaku, she becomes one of the many strong youkai and humans to try and stop Seija Kijin on day 9. She uses spell cards that are considered impossible to dodge.

Kanako's sprite in GI
Touhou Gouyoku Ibun

Kanako came to the fusion reactor to check on the odd state of the fusion reactor and found crude oil flowing into it. She then investigates the source of the oil and met Yuuma Toutetsu. After the battle with Yuuma, she discusses about the oil eruption together with Suwako. Kanako figures that the oil eruptions are the result of the former Hell of Blood Pools being reawakened, but is unsure whether Yuuma was directly responsible for reawakening it, or merely came to take advantage of its reawakening. She then decides to create a dark contract with Yuuma to stop the oil eruptions by having her keep the oil from bubbling up to the surface, while any future leakages are incinerated in the reactor's furnace or personally dealt with by Kanako.

Literature

Wild and Horned Hermit

Kanako and Suwako's "experiment" to produce nuclear energy using Utsuho Reiuji has only been creating energy inefficiently, so Sanae asks Reimu to help them out; the shrine maiden produces some palladium alloy, and Kanako hosts a public experiment, which ends in great success. Later on, Kanako orders the kappa to create a dam on a river on the Youkai Mountain for the purpose of gathering more faith.

Symposium of Post-mysticism

Kanako is one of the main speakers at the symposium, along with Byakuren Hijiri and Toyosatomimi no Miko. During it, she explains the details of why she moved the Moriya Shrine into Gensokyo.

Lotus Eaters

Kanako harshly criticized Geidontei's sake as "third rate swill". As such, she brought in sake from the outside world to impress the residents of Gensokyo whom she views as having poor taste in sake. When she returned to Geidontei (pop up stall at the Hakurei Shrine), she was impressed by Suika's special sake and later experienced a nightmare infused by Miyoi.

Relationships

Sanae Kochiya

Sanae is a wind priestess that worships Kanako, and was part of the shrine's move to Gensokyo. Kanako mentioned in Symposium of Post-mysticism that Sanae herself can be referred to as one of the "gods" of the Moriya Shrine.

Suwako Moriya

Kanako and Suwako are the opposing gods of Moriya Shrine, but their profiles state that they share quite a few common interests and are actually pretty good friends. They do argue a lot, though, and Kanako still wears the snake-representing shimenawa to boast about the fact that she beat her.

Utsuho Reiuji

Kanako is the one who originally gave Utsuho her powers for her own end. At the moment it seems she is keeping Utsuho working to produce nuclear energy underground in Former Hell.

Gallery

Covers

Artwork

Sprites

Illustrations

Screenshots

Others

Spell Cards

Spell Cards
Name Translated Comments Games Stage
Total: 29
神祭「エクスパンデッド・オンバシラ」 Divine Festival "Expanded Onbashira" MoF
GoM
St. 6: E/N
奇祭「目処梃子乱舞」 Weird Festival "Medoteko Boisterous Dance" MoF St. 6: H/L
筒粥「神の粥」 Rice Porridge in Tube "God's Rice Porridge" MoF St. 6: E/N
忘殻「アンリメンバードクロップ」 Forgotten Husk "Unremembered Crop" MoF
GoM
St. 6: H
神殻「ディバイニングクロップ」 Divine Husk "Divining Crop" MoF St. 6: L
贄符「御射山御狩神事」 Sacrifice Sign "Misayama Hunting Shrine Ritual" MoF St. 6: E/N
神秘「葛井の清水」 Mystery "Kuzui Clear Water" MoF St. 6: H
神秘「ヤマトトーラス」 Mystery "Yamato Torus" MoF
GoM
St. 6: L
天流「お天水の奇跡」 Heaven's Stream "Miracle of Otensui" MoF St. 6: E/N
天竜「雨の源泉」 Heaven's Dragon "Source of Rains" MoF
GoM
St. 6: H/L
「マウンテン・オブ・フェイス」 "Mountain of Faith" MoF St. 6: E/N
「風神様の神徳」 "Divine Virtues of Wind God" MoF St. 6: H/L
神符「水眼の如き美しき源泉」 God Sign "Beautiful Spring like Suiga" MoF St. Ex
神符「杉で結ぶ古き縁」 God Sign "Ancient Fate Linked by Cedars" MoF St. Ex
神符「神が歩かれた御神渡り」 God Sign "Omiwatari that God Walked" MoF
GoM
St. Ex
蛇符「グラウンドサーペント」 Snake Sign "Ground Serpent" DS
GoU
St. 11
御柱「メテオリックオンバシラ」 Divine Pillar "Meteoric Onbashira" DS St. 11
儚道「御神渡りクロス」 Fleeting Path "Omiwatari Cross" DS St. 11
御柱「ライジングオンバシラ」 Onbashira "Rising Onbashira" ISC
GoU
St. 9
「神の御威光」 "Sacred Authority of the Gods" ISC St. 9
風神符「ミシャバシラ」 Wind God Sign "Mishabashira" Co-owner with Suwako VD Nightmare Monday - 2
風妖符「死蝶オンバシラ」 Wind Ghostly Sign "Dead Butterfly Onbashira" Co-owner with Yuyuko VD Nightmare Monday - 3
風花符「オンバシラ裁判」 Wind Flower Sign "Onbashira Trial" Co-owner with Eiki VD Nightmare Monday - 6
風符「神地嵐」 Wind Sign "Sacred Land Storm" SFW
御柱「オンバシラ揺曳弾」 Onbashira "Onbashira Trailing Shots" SFW
御柱「オンバシラバンカーバスター」 Onbashira "Onbashira Bunker Buster" SFW
風符「船上水神嵐」 Wind Sign "On-Deck Water God Storm" SFW
御柱「船上オンバシラ揺曳弾」 Onbashira "On-Deck Onbashira Trailing Shots" SFW
御柱「オンバシラトーピドゥ」 Onbashira "Onbashira Torpedo" SFW

Additional Information

The Akimiya's kagura hall in Shimosuwa, Nagano Prefecture.
  • The silhouette of Kanako occupies the front of Mountain of Faith's jewel case.
  • It is revealed in chapter 19 of Silent Sinner in Blue that the Lunarians created and use shimenawa to seal away those that are a threat to them. Kanako's shimenawa at her back is confirmed to be the actual shimenawa in her Mountain of Faith profile. In addition, in Suwako's profile, it is stated that Kanako was one of several gods fighting to unify Japan, and it was implied in Silent Sinner in Blue that it was the Lunarians who were behind those wars (assuming taking away Lord Daikoku's (Ōkuninushi) lands referred to the actual time that happened in Shinto mythology by Amaterasu's family, whom are implied to be the Lunar Capital's founders). The Lunarians are even said to have used shimenawa to seal another god - Ōkuninushi's son Takeminakata - at the Moriya Shrine. However, it is unknown if Kanako was connected to, in league with, or aware of any of this.
  • The shrine pictured in the background image of Kanako's spell cards is the kagura hall of the Autumn Court (秋宮 Akimiya) of the Lower Shrine (下社 Shimosha), one of the four shrines that make up the Suwa Grand Shrine.
  • Oddly, Kanako's sprite changes colors in rainbow order during the time between when her theme begins and when she starts to battle. It also happens to Yumeko in the PC-98 era and Seiga Kaku.
  • Variants of Kanako's theme Suwa Foughten Field have been used as the game over theme in every main Touhou game since Mountain of Faith.

Fandom

Official Profiles

Mountain of Faith - キャラ設定.txt
Kanako Yasaka MOF  ○6面ボス 山坂と湖の権化

  八坂 神奈子(やさか かなこ)
  Yasaka Kanako


  種族:神様
  能力:乾を創造する程度の能力

  最近、妖怪の山に神社ごと引っ越してきた神様である。


  八坂(無数の坂)という名前の通り、山の神様と言われているが、実際は風雨の神様であった。
  雨や風を司るという事は、つまり農業の神として祀られていた。


  山の神様として祀られる事になった経緯は非常に複雑であり、その真意を知っているのは神奈子と諏訪子の二人だけである。


  神奈子のトレードマークである『しめ縄』は、蛇が絡まっている姿を表現している。脱皮を繰り返す蛇は、復活と再生、永遠を意味していた。


  だが、人間は寿命を知り、永遠を信じなくなった。
  農業も風雨に対抗する術を手に入れつつあった。
  山は火山や地殻変動で出来る事を知った。山を越える危険も失われた。


  そう、人間は科学と情報を信仰し始めたのだ。
  それと共に、彼女ら神々に対する信仰心は失われつつあった。


  彼女は、信仰心を取り戻す方法を模索していた。
  そして大きな賭に出る事にした。
  それは
   『神社を人間の世界から幻想の物とし、幻想郷で信仰を集める事』
  だった。


  現在残された信仰が全て失われ一時的に力を失うが、可能性はその方がある。滅び行く過去の栄光より、可能性ある未来を選んだのだ。


  ――そして、彼女の企みは成功したように見えた。
  予想以上スムースに幻想郷で神社は受け入れられ、早くも妖怪の山の神様として祀られ始めている。


  余りのスムースさに何度か疑問を持つ事もあったが、幻想郷の仕組みを見ていると、その理由が何となく判る気がする。


  幻想郷には博麗神社という神社が存在していた。
  そこの神社は、信仰心こそ殆ど失われていたが、妖怪達に人気がありいつも誰か入り浸っている妖怪がいると言われていた。


  妖怪にとって神社は、恰好の遊び場となっていたのだろう。


  神奈子は信仰の対象と共に、妖怪の遊び相手としても受け入れられた。
  宴会も毎晩のように開かれた。


  実は、神様は一緒に遊んでくれる事を望んでいるのである。お祭りとは人間と神が一緒に遊ぶ事だ。日常を忘れて一緒になって遊ぶ事で、神と人間や、人間同士の共同体としての連帯感を持たせる。人間が妖怪に置き換わっても一緒である。


  まさしくそれは、神奈子が望んだ『信仰』の形であった。



  しかし、神奈子が持つ幻想郷の知識は乏しい。


  幻想郷の妖怪には幾つもの勢力がある事を知らない。にもかかわらず、山の妖怪達の信仰を集め、その代わりに大いなる神徳を与えた。
  その事が、山の妖怪、つまり天狗や河童達の力が強くなり過ぎる事に気付いていなかったのだ。
  その事で、平穏な幻想郷のパワーバランスを崩す恐れがあった。


  神奈子は、幻想郷のバランスを取る為にこれから麓の妖怪や人間の信仰も得る必要があるだろう。


  その為には、博麗神社を利用しなければ上手く事が進まない。
  幻想郷で外の世界と同等の信仰を取り戻すには、まだまだ課題は残されたままである。

Stage 6 Boss The Avatar of Mountains and Lakes

Kanako Yasaka

Species: God
Ability: Creating the heavenliness (Qian ())

The goddess who, together with her shrine, recently moved to the Youkai Mountain.

Because of her name 'Yasaka' (countless hills), she has been called a god of the mountains, but in reality, she is a god of the wind and rain. As such, she has been worshiped as a goddess of agriculture.

The particulars of how she came to be worshiped as a god of the mountains are highly complicated. Only Kanako and Suwako know the truth of the matter.

Kanako's trademark shimenawa rope represents a coiling snake. The snake's continual cycle of molting represents resurrection, rebirth and eternity.

However, as humans have come to grips with their mortality, they have come to no longer believe in eternity.
In agriculture, too have they gained the means to defy the wind and the rain.
They learned that mountains were created from volcanoes and changes in the earth's crust. They became able to cross mountains easily and without danger.

Indeed, humans had begun to believe in science and information, and their faith in gods like Kanako continued to wane.

Kanako searched for a way to regain faith.
And she came up with a big gamble.
And that was, "to make the shrine into a thing of fantasy in the world of humans, and collect faith in Gensokyo".

Although it would mean that she would lose all the faith she still had left currently and thus lose her power temporarily, this way held more potential. She chose a future with potential rather over the crumbling glories of the past.

--And so, her plans seemed to be successful.
The shrine was accepted into Gensokyo more smoothly than she had expected, and she quickly began to be worshiped as the deity of the Youkai Mountain.

Although she had her doubts now and again at the excessive smoothness, once she saw how Gensokyo worked, she believed she understood why things went so well.

In Gensokyo there was a shrine called the Hakurei Shrine.
Although that shrine had almost completely lost all its faith, it was popular with youkai and it was said there was always some youkai frequenting it.

For the youkai, the shrine seemed to have become a suitable playground.

Along with becoming an object of worship, Kanako was also accepted as a playmate of the youkai.
Feasts were held almost every night.

Actually, to play together was what gods wished for. Festivals were venues for humans and gods to play together. By forgetting about everyday life and coming together to play, gods and humans gained the feeling of solidarity within a community. Even if the humans were exchanged for youkai, it was the same.

This was exactly the kind of faith Kanako was wishing for.


However, the knowledge Kanako held of Gensokyo was limited.

She didn't know that among the youkai of Gensokyo, there existed a number of powers. Nevertheless, she collected the faith of the mountain youkai, and attained great divine virtue. She did not realize that this meant that the power of the mountain youkai, in other words the tengu and the kappa, were becoming too great.

With that, there was the fear that the power balance of tranquil Gensokyo would collapse.

Kanako thought that to keep Gensokyo's balance, she must now acquire the faith of the youkai and humans beneath the mountain.

To achieve that, she must utilize the Hakurei Shrine else things won't proceed smoothly. Much remained before she would be able to regain the same amount of faith she'd had in the outside world.

Subterranean Animism - キャラ設定.txt
  ○はた迷惑な謎の神様

  八坂神奈子と洩矢諏訪子。
  新しく妖怪の山の上に神社ごと引っ越してきたという神様である。


  今回の事件の発端は彼女達にあった。


  ――河童のエネルギー産業革命


  そう銘打った計画は無事に第一段階を終え、実用化への道を走り
  始めていた。


  その計画とは、使われなくなった灼熱地獄を超高温な炉として再
  利用し、外の世界ではまだ実用まで百年はかかると言われている
  核融合エネルギーを取り出すこと。


  その第一段階として、優秀な地獄鴉の選定。
  太陽の化身、八咫烏の付与。
  灼熱地獄跡の再燃。
  そして鴉の飼い慣らしである。


  間欠泉はその計画の成功の証であった。


  核融合は核分裂とは異なり反応が暴走しにくい。また、高レベル
  な産廃も生まれない。
  その為安全性が高くエネルギーも極めて高い為、夢のようなエネ
  ルギーであった。


  神奈子は神社の営業の一環として行動したようである。


  特に危険は感じられなかったので、真相が判った後も地上の妖怪
  は計画を潰すような事はしなかった。



  ただ、地底に行かされた霊夢達は
  『そういう事はみんなに言ってからやれ』
  とカンカンだったそうな。

The Troublesome Mysterious Gods

Kanako Yasaka and Suwako Moriya.
They are the gods that recently moved their shrine to the top of the Youkai Mountain.

They are the start of this story.

——The Kappas' Energy Revolution

The plan by this name has safely concluded its first phase and is on its way towards practical implementation.

The plan involved using the now-dormant Blazing Hell as a super-high temperature furnace in an attempt to tame a power that it is said the outside world won't attain for hundreds of years: nuclear fusion energy.

The first step was to find an exemplary hell raven.
Then, to bestow upon it the personification of the sun, Yatagarasu.
Then, to rekindle the flames of the Remains of Blazing Hell.
Then, to tame the crow.

The geyser was proof of the plan's success.

Unlike fission energy, fusion reactions are less likely to go out of control. In addition, it doesn't create such lethal waste.
So, because it is very safe and produces massive amounts of energy, it is an almost dream-like energy production method.

Kanako seems to treat this as just one part of the shrine's operations.

Because they didn't feel the plan was dangerous, the above-ground youkai did nothing to stop it even once they found out the truth.

However, Reimu, who was made to go underground,
confronted them and said angrily,
"Next time, tell everyone about it before you start!"

Official Sources

Official sources

References