Due to vocalist Sayuri's poor health, Silver Forest is disbanding.
Saigyou Ayakashi
Note: This article is about both a Bestiary entry and a Character.
Saigyou Ayakashi | |
|---|---|
 Sprite of Saigyou Ayakashi in every game it's been in | |
| Species | Youkai cherry blossom |
| Abilities | Charming people into resting in peace under its blossoms, then draining souls out of them |
| Age | Unknown, but is known to be older than Yuyuko Saigyouji. |
| Occupation | Being a tree, collecting souls |
| Location | Gardens of Hakugyokurou |
Appearances | |
| Official Games | |
| Show Official Game appearances | |
The Saigyou Ayakashi (西行妖 Saigyou Ayakashi) is a youkai cherry blossom tree, and is the largest cherry blossom in the gardens of Hakugyokurou. It has existed in the Netherworld longer than the Ghost Princess, Yuyuko Saigyouji herself. Some of the spirits in the Netherworld remember the Saigyou Ayakashi having the most beautiful blossoms they had ever seen, but the cherry tree has not bloomed for ages. There currently seems to be a powerful seal within the Saigyou Ayakashi which drains most of its energy away, leaving it unable to blossom at all during spring. Whether the tree is sealing something, or whether the tree itself is being sealed, remains a mystery to most outsiders.
Contents |
Concept
Name
The poet referred in the Saigyou Ayakashi's story is likely Saigyou, an ancient Buddhist poet who often sung of his love of cherry blossoms and his desire to die beneath flowers. Ayakashi is a general term for supernatural beings, very similar to youkai. The tree's name would mean something like "Youkai (Tree) of Saigyou".
Appearance
Shown on it's sprite, Saigyou Ayakashi is simply a very large cherry blossom tree which never fully blooms. It has no leaves in it.
Story
During the events of Perfect Cherry Blossom, Yuyuko Saigyouji, the ghost of the human Yuyuko, attempted to overpower the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi in order to both see the legendary blossoms, and to resurrect the soul that was sealed within. However, Yuyuko was unaware that the sealed soul was in fact her own, and thus all of Yuyuko's attempts to unseal the soul failed due to her unconscious self-preservation.
Backstory
A long time ago, there lived a divinely talented poet who traveled around Gensokyo. When the poet became aware that the hour of his death drew near, he chose to begin his eternal rest under the most beautiful cherry tree he could find. After the poet's death, word of the beauty of the cherry tree began to spread across the land. That cherry tree has grown even more beautiful since then, charming many people into resting in peace beneath its blossoms. The tree with the mortuary charm became known as Saigyou Ayakashi, and developed the powers of a youkai after a while.
As a youkai, the Saigyou Ayakashi's beauty and charm increased even further, driving everyone who approached it insane with deadly peacefulness. The cherry tree had drained too many human souls and had become a danger to everyone. Eventually, the beautiful blossoms of the Saigyou Ayakashi were sealed away by some unknown heroes, using Yuyuko's human soul as the main component. The seal would freeze both the blossoms and the soul in place together for eternity.
Relationships
- Yuyuko Saigyouji (Sealed soul)
- Youmu Konpaku (Gardener)
Additional Information
Trivia
- Currently, this tree is canonically the only truly evil entity in the whole series so far, being a real danger to anyone who attempts to go near it.
- It's unknown if the tree can still drain souls out of people while it's not in full bloom.
- It appears in Yuyuko's spell card background in Perfect Cherry Blossom, Imperishable Night, Shoot the Bullet and Ten Desires.
Fanon
- Saigyou has occasionally been depicted with a shimenawa around the trunk. This could be due to one of the many other tree's such as one's seen in Immaterial and Missing Power and the illustration of the Netherworld in Perfect Memento in Strict Sense.
Official Sources
Show sources
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