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Great Hakurei Barrier

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博麗大結界 ()
Great Hakurei Barrier
Location

All around every edge of Gensokyo, the boundary between Gensokyo and the Outside World

Residents
Appearances

The Great Hakurei Barrier (博麗大結界 Hakurei Dai-Kekkai) is the border between Gensokyo and the Outside World, which allows youkai to survive within Gensokyo even when outside humans no longer believe in them. It is known that the Hakurei Shrine is located on the border and believed that Yukari Yakumo lives somewhere along the border as well (though not near the shrine).

History

The barrier was first created by humans in Meiji 18 (CE 1885), and later reinforced by youkai. While the idea was at first highly controversial among youkai, and led to much infighting between them, it is now almost universally accepted. Yukari Yakumo is widely acknowledged as the architect of the barrier, and is said to have first motioned for it around 400 years before its actual creation[1], though Yuyuko Saigyouji has speculated that not even Yukari could create a barrier of this level by herself.

So important is the barrier to Gensokyo that its creation marks year 0 of the Gensokyo Calendar.

Passage

A tear in the barrier, from Strange and Bright Nature Deity chapter 25.

As a "boundary of common sense" the barrier is designed to affect only living things and their creations, while allowing natural forces to pass through (hence the barrier is permeable to sunlight, and Gensokyo's rivers are connected to those of the Outside World). The space on the edges of the barrier is non-Euclidean - humans who attempt to leave the barrier will find themselves encountering the same landmarks over and over, without ever getting any further from where they started.[2]

The Hakurei Shrine, which exists on both sides of the border, is supposed to be its only gateway. However, the phenomenon of "spiriting away" can also cause objects and even living beings to slip through the border at random, particularly if they have started to be forgotten by the outside world. For instance the crested ibis started to become more common in Gensokyo after the Japanese variety were recognised as extinct, and paper started showing up more frequently with the rise of digital storage. Outside humans are not protected by the Spell Card rules and thus can be freely preyed on by youkai, but they may choose to become citizens of the Human Village or request for the Hakurei shrine maiden to send them home.

Even in modern times, it is still possible for youkai, gods and even entire locations (such as the Ruined Western Mansion, Scarlet Devil Mansion and Moriya Shrine) to pass through the border and enter Gensokyo.

While some youkai (most notably Yukari Yakumo, Nue Houjuu and the zashiki-warashi) have shown the ability to exit Gensokyo and travel to the outside world, it appears that this requires uncommon knowledge, abilities and/or conditions, as other characters (including Rinnosuke Morichika and Kasen Ibaraki) seem to think of it as nigh-impossible. It is believed that youkai go on "hunting trips" through the border to gather humans from the outside world as food, disguising the kidnappings as stories of people running away from home,[3] but it is unclear how and when these are performed.

As shown in Touhou Bougetsushou, the similarity of the Great Hakurei Barrier to the barrier which surrounds the Lunar Capital means that it is possible to travel between them with a Lunar Veil, or even a specially-constructed rocket, without ever passing through the Outside World.

References