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Nicovideo Encyclopedia/Yuyuko Saigyouji

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Note: This is a translation of the Nicovideo article on Yuyuko Saigyouji as of its 19 March 2012 version.

Yuyuko Saigyouji (西行寺 幽々子 Saigyouji Yuyuko)

General Information

She has lived for at least a thousand years in Hakugyokurou. She is the lady of the Saigyouji family.

There are always small phantoms that float around her, as depicted in her official game arts as well as in print works such as Sangetsusei and Silent Sinner in Blue. It is unknown if they are tactile like Youmu Konpaku's half-ghost.

Since she is aloof from the world, it is difficult to grasp her true intentions. In Bougetsushou, she toyed with Youmu as a daily occurrence even with Ran Yakumo present. Furthermore, in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, her spirit was "snow," but it seemed like she was able to control her own spirit. She was also the quickest one who identified the culprit as Tenshi Hinanawi when the incident was in the omen stage (Yukari Yakumo spoke of the dwindling of phantoms as Komachi Onozuka's negligence, but Yuyuko guessed correctly). Additionally, in Ten Desires, she obliquely hints to the playable character about the location of the incident regarding the divine spirits.

Ability

Ability to the extent of manipulating death

This is the ability to, without exception and without permitting any resistance, end the life of any living being, whether it be human or youkai. Clearly and simply, it is an unusually and dreadfully powerful ability. Although this ability is what drove her to commit suicide and become a Ghost, it seems that she has not forgotten this ability since then, and it seems that she can use this ability in a carefree manner (though she does not act carelessly in the usage of this ability). However, one might say whether she is able to end life only to the extent of fainting or she invites one to death gently is unclear. During her lifetime, the latter was true.

Ability to the extent of manipulating departed souls

It is the ability that enables her to manipulate ghosts and spirits, an ability she possessed even while she was alive. Although it is unclear what one is exactly able to accomplish with this ability, it seems to place Yuyuko on the role of the manager of the ghosts who stay for a while in the Netherworld. Because of this ability, she is able to let those from Hell stay eternally in the Netherworld.

Phantoms and Ghosts

In the world of Gensokyo, phantoms (幽霊) and bourei (亡霊) are different things, even though normally the two words are very similar and have very little distinction, since both mean "ghost."

Yuurei are not merely human, but any living or nonliving thing, in which there dwells a certain soul called "ki" (), or spirit, and since they have no specific form, one is not able to discern how they were previously, regardless of how much one talks with or or assails it - completely impossible.

Bourei are the after-forms of humans who died and become yuurei and have lingering attachments that strongly attach them to life too strongly. Since, other than humans, there are no living things that die in this manner, there are no bourei of anything other than humans. From the strength of that attachment, they preserve the form that they had while they were alive, as well as their body temperature, and since they are even able to touch living humans, one might not be able to tell that they are departed spirits if one is an outsider. Also related to their materialization, different from yuurei, they are pretty much not able to pass through objects.

Generally, the weakness of bourei are their own dead bodies. For the type of bourei who did not know that they died to see their own dead bodies and notice that they are dead, they stop being bourei and return to becoming yuurei. Although for the bourei who already know that they are dead to discover their own dead body would not result in returning to being yuurei, for the sake of preventing their bodies from being given a memorial service and achieving nirvana (as in Buddhism) and to remain as is, it is common for many bourei to hide their dead bodies.

Since the driving force for the existence of bourei are their attachment, it is common for them to exert a negative influence to the living humans around them just by their existence. To say anything of the case when this attachment is due to a grudge against someone, if it is an ordinary person they possess the influencing ability to haunt them to death.

Yuyuko is a bourei, but different from yuurei, bourei are the after-forms of humans who died to become yuurei and have lingering attachments that give them a strong attachment to life. Since, there are no living things that die in this manner other than humans, there are no bourei of any other living being other than humans. From the strength of that attachment, they preserve the form that they had while they were alive, as well as their body temperature, and since they are even able to touch living humans, humans from the outside world are not able to tell that they are departed souls. Also, different from yuurei, they are not able to pass through objects.

For Yuyuko, though, she did not die while possessing an attachment to life - rather, she became a bourei due to the power of the seal on the Saigyou Ayakashi. Since Yuyuko herself does not have any attachment or resentment, it can be said that she is a unique bourei for doing no harm even when nearby humans. Although bourei would at any rate return to being a yuurei, receive judgement from the yama and be sent to Heaven or Hell, or be reincarnated, Yuyuko is an exception. Since she became a bourei due to an outside power, she will not return to being a yuurei except if the seal is broken by some bad intention, and additionally, due to her ability of allowing those from Hell to live eternally in the Netherworld, she will never progress to the next stage.

Saigyou Ayakashi

Currently the Saigyou Ayakashi is a big cherry tree that grows in the garden of the Hakugyokurou, but it does not bloom no matter how many times spring comes.

According to Perfect Cherry Blossom, from reading an old book that a certain someone is sealed beneath the cherry tree, she knew that the reason the Saigyou Ayakashi does not bloom is due to the seal. She conceived that she would be able to make the Saigyou Ayakashi bloom by gathering the spring of Gensokyo (forcibly), thereby reviving this certain someone, and then went about to implement it.

Far in the past, when Yuyuko was a human, her father was a famous poet. He exceedingly loved the cherry blossoms, and considered that when he dies he wanted to die in a splendid manner below the cherry tree, and his life came to an end below the cherry blossoms in the splendid manner that he wished. However, since many of those who adored him continued to die in the cherry blossoms in this manner, the cherry tree drained the life energy of the people and became a youkai, and each time it bloomed, it invited people to their death.

The daughter of the poet who died beneath the cherry blossom tree, Yuyuko Saigyouji, originally possessed the "ability to the extent of manipulating departed souls (死霊)". From this influence, she then possessed the "ability to the extent of manipulating death ()," and, just like the cherry tree, she became an existence inviting people to their death. Yuyuko's father's beloved cherry blossom tree became a youkai only to kill people, and she herself became an existence only to kill people, and, in lamenting alienation, she killed herself under the cherry tree when it was in full bloom.

Within the bounds of her power, she believed that even after reincarnation she would taste the same anguish, so her body was used to seal the cherry tree. Since then, the Saigyou Ayakashi no longer bloomed to kill humans, and Yuyuko never reincarnated. The Yuyuko that became a bourei abandoned all memories of her lifetime and, without anything to be troubled with, lived in the Netherworld.

As suggested, the "certain someone" whom Yuyuko attempted to revive was Yuyuko herself. If the Saigyou Ayakashi were to reach full blossom, the seal would have broken and Yuyuko's dead body would have been released, thereby destroying Yuyuko's power and leading to the annhilation of her own existence.

Even after the failure of this plan due to the obstruction of Reimu and the gang, she did not know the true identity of this "certain someone."

Considerations

Nicovideo Encyclopedia/Yuyuko Saigyouji is a character that holds a few mysteries. These are theories among the fanbase about the Touhou Project that may or may not be true in most cases. This section concerns well-known mysteries in relation to Nicovideo Encyclopedia/Yuyuko Saigyouji. These are to be noted to only use official material, and a caveat can be suggested to be conjectures in most parts.

Her Father

There is a theory that the impetus for the Saigyou Ayakashi becoming a youkai, Yuyuko's father, is actually the Buddhist priest Saigyou Houshi.

Other than sharing the same surname "Saigyou," the tanka poem that appeared within the game (refer to below) contains verses actually composed by the Saigyou Houshi, and it is said that the Saigyou Houshi, just as Yuyuko's father, desired eternal sleep under the cherry blossom tree, and upon his death his wish came true. Furthermore, the Saigyou Houshi actually did have one daughter.

Like Fujiwara no Mokou's father, there has not been an official allusion to that Yuyuko's father is that person.

ほとけには 桜の花を たてまつれ Please offer cherry blossoms to my deceased body
我が後の世を 人とぶらはば If someone is willing to mourn my death

This is the poem at the beginning of stage 6. Other than this, of the Saigyou Houshi, there were also lines such as "I pray/I might die/beneath cherry blossoms in spring/under Kisaragi's full moon" (願はくは 花の下にて 春死なむ そのきさらぎの 望月のころ), leaving behind his word of meeting with death beneath the cherry tree. "Kisaragi's full moon" is, as the fifteenth of the second moon, the anniversary of Buddha's death. Saigyou Houshi, on 16th of the second moon and thus late one day, roughly according to his wishes, passed away at a close time. Incidentally, during that era the Tang lunar calendar (宣明暦) was used for dating, and according to the Gregorian calendar, it was in March 23rd at the height of spring.

身のうさを 思ひしらでや やみなまし It might have been ended without knowing my enlightenment circumstances,
そむくならひの なき世なりせば If it were a world without priest's custom.

This is the poem before the activation of the last spell. The meaning of this is, "if the custom of entering priesthood did not exist in this world, I would have died without knowing of my karma."

This poem is actually a derivative from the following poem: 身のうさを 思ひしらでや やみなまし 逢ひみぬ先の つらさなりせば meaning "even in the time before meeting, I had a harsh feeling that that person was unfeeling, but if it is only that, the difficulty of love that causes endless worry would end without awareness."


The Ink-black Cherry Blossom

Ink-black Cherry Blossoms (墨染桜, Sumizome-zakura) ("cherry blossom dyed in ink") is an existent type of cherry blossom, and as its names states, when it falls, the petals of its cherry blossoms become dyed in pale ink black.

The Saigyou Houshi, upon visiting the Bokusenji (墨染寺) in the Kii District (紀伊郡) of Yamashiro Province (山城国) (presently Fukakusa Station, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto Prefecture), prayed upon a branch of the grounds of the tree of the cherry blossom, and made it into a staff. Afterwards, in the Kakusa Province (presently the middle eastern section of Chiba Prefecture), he stuck the staff into the roadside, and chanted the poem:

深草の 野辺の桜木 心あらば 亦この里に すみぞめに咲け
The cherry blossom tree of the field in Fukakusa, if there be a heart, let it again in this town, bloom in ink-black.

And upon chanting this, it is said that from the staff sprouted a splendid cherry blossom tree. Especially when speaking of the "Cherry Blossom Dyed in Ink," it is not referring generally to the type of cherry blossoms called "ink-black cherry blossoms" but this cherry blossom of the legend of Saigyou Houshi.

The Bokusenji of Fukakusa Station, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto Prefecture and the ink-black cherry blossom of Saigyou Houshi in Tougane, Chiba Prefecture both exist, and both have become tourist attractions (however, the current ink-black cherry blossom in Chiba is a descendant tree).

Furthermore, in Yuyuko's theme and in the spell card Cherry Blossom Sign "The Perfect Ink-black Cherry Blossom" the name "The Ink-black Cherry Blossom" appeared, but this is not a declaration that the Saigyou Ayakashi is the Ink-black Cherry Blossom. Also, for "The Perfect Ink-Black Cherry Blossom," since there is the progression of "Seal," "Getting Lost," "Deep Sleep", and "Bloom," it is very common to interpret that to mean the releasing of the seal of Saigyou Ayakashi. However, since Saigyou Houshi did not pass away underneath the Ink-black Cherry Blossom, but rather at the temple Hirokawadera in Kanan, Minamikawachi District, Osaka Prefecture, if Yuyuko's father really was the Saigyou Houshi, then it would be a contradiction at this point. (Incidentally, as Yuyuko's spell card Repository of Hirokawa means "Hirokawa's gravesite," which is namely related to the Hirokawadera where the Saigyou Houshi passed away.)

There also exists a cherry blossom called "Saigyou-zakura" (西行桜, "Saigyou Cherry Blossom") in the temple Hourinji (法輪寺) in Otawara, Tochigi Prefecture. However, as this is where the Saigyou Houshi stopped by, and is related to the anecdote of the poem that he chanted and left behind while looking at the cherry blossom, it especially has no relation to the Saigyou Ayakashi and Saigyou Houshi's last years.