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There are also a few fan stories that I recommend you read yourselves
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Seasonal_Dream_Vision/Comics

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A Beautiful Flower Blooming Violet Every Sixty Years


The wind at Muenzuka had just stopped. Even without any wind, it was a season that offered up no warmth. It would probably be warmer in about a month. The wind had stopped, but flower petals still scattered about in the air here.
They softly fell to the ground without a sound. Whatever could they be rushing towards, in falling like that? The day or two it would take for them to return into the earth after having fallen so quickly would be gone in the blink of an eye.

I haven't thought about the flower incident that has been raging about Gensokyo except to reflect that it would come to an end eventually. Besides, it's not as if an incident such as this where flowers bloom out of control is that unusual. I've seen it happen many times in the past. Or, rather, I've probably seen it. So, watching the humans who had never seen such an event in their short lives raising such a fuss over it was amusing and endearing.

>"Oh, what is it this time? If you've shown up... It's not my fault the flowers haven't gone back to normal, you know?"
>"Well, if it isn't Reimu. When did anyone blame you for this? Haven't you been spending your days piling up good deeds?"
Reimu replied,
>"Geez, even you're starting to sound like her now." and gazed at the cherry blossoms. Whoever could she be talking about?
>"It's certainly unusual for you to come this far to Muenzuka. The cherry blossoms at the shrine are much more beautiful and brilliant than the ones here, you know."
>"It's not like I came here to watch the cherry blossoms. I just wanted to see when they'd fall, and how long it'd take for them to turn back to normal."

Reimu watched the blossoms fall, and sighed when she realized that it would still take some time, even as fast as they were scattering. The violet cherry blossoms of Muenzuka are flowers of regret that are made to blossom by the leftover sins of the departed. It seems like there are more flowers falling now than there were at that time sixty years ago.
Yes, sixty years ago there was a flower incident just like this one. Well, that's not all, either. 120 years ago, 180 years ago, and so on into the past... This same thing has surely happened.
Sixty years ago is already so far into the past that most fragments of memory from that time have been swept away. I can only barely remember that incident from sixty years ago.

>"Have I always been this forgetful?"
>"What are you stumbling around mumbling on about, anyway? You're just like a crazy old lady."
>"Yes, maybe I am going crazy."
>"You know, I really didn't want you to agree with me."

Having said that, Reimu left without bothering to follow it up with anything more tactful. As I watched her go, I guessed she already realized what was behind this incident, and was put at ease somewhat.
As I watched the violet cherry blossoms fall silently, I became aware of my rapidly fading memories of the incident from sixty years ago. I knew what was happening because something like this had happened sixty years ago, too, but recalling the sensation as it happened made me uneasy. Still, it's not as if all memory of the incident would vanish. Any events left to "the record" would remain, but any other "memories" would begin to fade.
Events left to the record. In other words, history. Anything that passes the sixty-year boundary becomes mere history, and history is a collection of unusual events. Time grinds to a halt during these unusual events, and this is why time practically stops at points past more than sixty years ago. Or, to put it another way, what is "ordinary" has a normal lifespan of about sixty years. My memories of more than sixty years ago vanishing means that the death of their "ordinary" qualities is at hand.
But, why is that cycle sixty years? I thought about this sixty years ago and I have the feeling I came up with a theory, but perhaps due to the onset of a senility I can't remember what it was. Why do those lovable, ridiculous humans understand things in terms of sixty years?
I started wondering what some of the other humans were doing, so I decided to go take a look at the places where other humans were likely to be.

>"Whoa! Who's there? Why are you here? Oh, it's you."
>"Well, Marisa? It's been sixty years. Do you know what that means?"
>"What the heck? You show up in someone's house all of a sudden and start quizzin' them? Guess your mind really is as random as your appearances."

Marisa's house is deep within the Forest of Magic. There were no flowers blooming here, so it was blanketed in the same ominous aura of mystery. This is not a place where time could stop. In other words, it is an upside-down world where history does not exist.

>"Oh my, that's quite a bouquet you have there."
>"That's because it's so weird for flowers to bloom like this. I've just gone around gathering up the best flowers."
>"Yes, you'd think it's unusual, wouldn't you?" Humans would think an incident like this is unusual and rare. Sixty years is a little too long for them.
>"Somethin's odd about the way you're saying that... But whatever. Anyway, what's up with this sixty years thing?"
>"I was just wondering what you'll be doing in sixty years?"
>"In sixty years? I don't even know if I'll still be alive. I'm not a youkai like you."
>"Do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years?"
>"Once every sixty years? Are you talking about bamboo flowers? That's 'cos they're slacking off from blossoming the other fifty-nine years, right?"

Marisa didn't have anything else intelligent to say, so I went to visit the next human, feeling a bit dejected. There is only normal, everyday life in the forest - or, to put it into different words, nothing is unusual here. It's only natural that she'd have no idea about what's behind an incident such as this.

>"Oh, it's you. How did you get in?"
>"Well, Sakuya? It's been sixty years. Someone like you with power over time would know, right?"
>"What do you expect me to say to that...?"

This is the Scarlet Devil Mansion on the shores of the lake, the home of the Scarlet Devil. Its gaudy appearance clashes somewhat with the rest of Gensokyo, but there aren't many places that seem so complete by themselves, either. From the inside, you can't see anything outside, and from the outside it's almost impossible to get a glimpse of the interior of the mansion. Sakuya is a human who works here as a maid.

>"It's awfully noisy here. Is it always like this?"
>"Everyone's a little excited because the flowers are blooming so splendidly."
>"But you can't see those splendid flowers from inside this building, can you?"
>"As a matter of fact, some roses we'd trimmed a while back have started blossoming again. Anyone would get excited over something like that."
>"Even the roses are coming back to life, aren't they?"
>"Even the roses? So you mean to say something else has come back to life?"

>"Incidentally, do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years?"
>"Once every sixty years? What kind of flower does that?"
>"This flower incident right now is something that repeats itself once every sixty years."
>"Oh, really? Didn't she say something like that? Well, why is it, then?"
I wonder who "she" is. I'm starting to get a little curious, but first it's time to play with the maid here before
me.
>"That's what I'm asking you."
>"I see. It must be because whoever's the culprit behind it is beaten so badly they have to sleep for the other fifty-nine years."

Sakuya didn't give any indication of knowing about this incident, either, so dejected once again I went to call on that girl. It's hard to imagine she could understand anything complicated, but she's very straightforward, and she says amusing things. That girl lives in the land where people go after they die.

>"Hmm? It's unusual to see you here in the daytime. If you're looking for Lady Yuyuko, I'm sure she's taking a nap."
>"No. Today, I wanted to see you, Youmu, so I came all the way to the Netherworld."
>"I have a bad feeling about this..."

The Netherworld. It has a totally different feeling about it, compared to the world of the living. But at the moment, there were much more readily obvious differences.

>"There aren't nearly as many flowers blooming here on the other side... Did you know that the flowers are blooming magnificently in the world of the living now?"
>"Yes, of course I did. Lady Yuyuko hasn't said anything in particular about it, but I thought it was a little odd, so I went to investigate a bit."
>"Oh, aren't you something? But didn't you wonder why Yuyuko didn't say anything about this flower incident?"
>"Well, yes... But, she never says anything about anything, so... "
>"Hm, I wonder if I should tell Yuyuko you said that?"
>"Oh, no, no, I was just kidding!"
>"Incidentally, do you know why the flowers bloom like this every sixty years in Gensokyo?"
>"That's a strange thing to ask all of a sudden... Once every sixty years... Hmm, I think I've heard that somewhere before."

A pleasant wind blew through the Netherworld, making the bare branches of the cherry trees sway back and forth. The cherry trees were colored a faint green now that their blossoms had fallen, giving the impression of a new life beginning. I suppose it's somewhat ironic that compared to Gensokyo in its current state, the Netherworld felt much more like a place of life.

>"...But I don't know much more than that. Don't tell me something like this happens once every sixty years?"
>"Oh my, you didn't know?"
>"I haven't been alive that long, so... "
>"But you're not really alive now, are you?"
>"Well, I suppose you're right. I hadn't been born sixty years ago, so I wouldn't know anything about a flower incident that happens once every sixty years."
>"Well, then I'll ask you again. Do you know why the flowers bloom like this once every sixty years in Gensokyo?"
>"I already told you I don't know anything..."

So Youmu's no help, either...? Really, humans are so... Well, Youmu's only half human, but she hasn't lived all that long, so she's somewhat lacking in knowledge and experience. Nobody said anything interesting about the question of the moment. In my faint recollection of what happened sixty years ago, I can remember asking humans the same thing at the time. I can't remember anything about how they responded. I seem to remember being more satisfied with their answers, though.
That's probably just nostalgia coloring my recollection. Time flows much more slowly for us youkai than it does for humans. Unsurprisingly, we have much fonder memories of times past. This is probably because both humans and youkai, indeed all living beings, live out their lives in a series of harsh experiences. Living creatures who can't do this become controlled by a sense of resignation since everything that has happened in the past was so much worse than the present, so they probably tend to see everything as bad. Being able to look fondly on the past is a necessity for the long of life; those who are unable to do this and always think that what's happened in the past was bad essentially have no future to look forward to.

I left Youmu to her gardening duties, but it wouldn't be any fun to go ask Yuyuko, who probably knew the answer, so I left from the Netherworld without going to see her.
I returned to Muenzuka and gazed at the violet cherry blossoms. I had the feeling they were much more beautiful when I was here before with Reimu, but this was probably just my tendency, as a living being, to glorify the past.

>"I've finally found you. Just where did you go off to?"
>"Oh, Reimu, you're here again. I thought you went back to the shrine earlier."
>"Well, I thought I'd be able to find out more about this incident if I asked you, so I came right back. But you were already gone... Where did you go, anyway?"
>"Just out for a bit of a walk."
>"A walk? You can go anywhere you want in a flash, but I wonder if that's really convenient or if it's just troublesome..." Saying this, Reimu sat beneath one of the violet cherry trees.
>"I suppose I should commend you for your hard work, but should you be so at ease in such a dangerous place? What else did you want to ask me?"
>"Well, I don't have any specific questions, but if you know anything about this flower incident I hope you'll tell me. That is, I think I understand what causes it, but... I'm not really satisfied with my answer."
>"Yes. Why don't I tell you a little about it, then? About the outside world, and about our world."

I'm a youkai with the ability to control the boundaries between any and all things. This power allows me to remove the boundary between anything: Gensokyo and the outside world, the worlds of the living and the dead, humans and youkai, even day and night. I decided to tell Reimu about this incident because I thought I'd probably never have the chance to do so again. Sixty years is a long time for a human. Most people will only experience an event like this once in their lifetime. If I let this chance get away, I probably won't get another chance to explain this to the Hakurei shrine maiden sitting before my eyes now. This isn't something a youkai such as myself would generally do, but I thought it might be fun, and anyway, it gave me a chance to tease the shrine maiden a little bit, so I told her about the outside world, and the incident that was occurring now.

>"Hmm. I don't really understand what's going on, but it seems pretty important. Same for the people of the outside world."
>"This was a special year for the people of the outside world. Why is that? Because it's the sixtieth year, of course."
>"What do you mean? Something special happens there every sixty years?"
>"It is. Or rather, it's in the middle of happening now."
>"Somehow I just can't trust what you're saying. Is there a huge earthquake outside, or something? We can't feel it in Gensokyo. Is everything going to be destroyed by a huge tsunami? Not likely without an earthquake. What about a typhoon or a huge flood? Those are just about as common as rain here in Japan. What about a war, or some other man-made disaster? I can't imagine what other disaster could happen, but it seems unusual to think a war would happen right on schedule like that... So, it's not something the humans outside are doing now, right? But... They say that society outside has progressed far beyond us here in Gensokyo. Can't we even see that from the sorts of tools that fall into shops here?"
>"Come now, it's not like that. They aren't fallen, they've simply been dropped."
Reimu didn't seem to take it seriously though. Does she really trust me that little...?

>"So then, why does the flower incident happen once every sixty years?"
Blast. I was careless. Maybe I was distracted by the sinful violet spectacle of the cherry blossoms. I can't believe that Reimu had asked me the question I'd been looking forward to asking her.
>"W-Well... It's not as if the flowers are slacking off or asleep for the other fifty-nine years..."
>"Of course not, that's silly."
>"Yes, you see..."

>"Oh. A rendezvous in a place like this? Or is this some sort of secret meeting?"

I immediately recognized the voice that had suddenly interrupted us by its gentle demeanor.

"We're playing imaginary shogi. Still, it's so unusual for you to come here alone to the graveyard of the living, Yuyuko."
Reimu asked,
>"What's imaginary shogi?",
her concern that someone who's really trouble had shown up clearly written on her face as she sat down again beneath the violet cherry trees.
>"In shogi, you try to imagine what moves your opponent will make and pick the very best one, right? So, why not just play the entire game in your head? You don't have to worry about losing pieces, and if you can imagine any move your opponent will make, it gives you a lot of self-confidence."
>"What are you talking about? If you just play it all out in your head, of course you're going to win."

Reimu lost all of her fighting spirit and began to face the next battle. And here I'd thought I'd be able to tell her why this flower incident happens every sixty years.

>"By the way, you. Gensokyo's all full of flowers now. Why is that?"
>"You're not seriously asking me that, are you, Yuyuko?"
>"No. Only a little."
>"Oh my, you're quite serious, aren't you? Do you remember sixty years ago?"
>"I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday."
>"There's not that much difference between yesterday and sixty years ago, is there? Well, if you can't remember yesterday, I guess it doesn't matter."

>"Well, what happened sixty years ago?"
>"Essentially the same thing happened sixty years ago that's happening now."
>"Oh, really? I can't remember at all."
Of course. I was aware of my own memories of sixty years ago fading away even as we spoke.

>"Why does the flower incident repeat itself once every sixty years..."
As I said that, I gave everything I could to remembering what had happened. Why was it? Just what had happened sixty years ago? I wracked my brain for my faint memories of sixty years past. Once every sixty years...
>"Sixty years ago... Oh, I remember! It was terrible. The Netherworld was full of spirits, thousands and thousands more than usual. And the flowers were blooming then too, I think? I can only vaguely remember it... Hm, it seems like there are lots of spirits here this year, too."

That's right... I've finally remembered. Why the flower incident happens every sixty years! And why I'd keep forgetting.
>"Sixty years. That's the time it takes for the natural cycles of Gensokyo to run their course one full time. I don't know if there's any point to explaining it to someone who can't even remember what she had for breakfast yesterday, though."
I was speaking quickly and excitedly. I wanted to say it before I forgot again.
You can't remember anything uninteresting. That's why you forget. Any knowledge that doesn't distinguish itself from what's normal isn't something you'd hang on to. There's no way you'd remember something so uninteresting after sixty years.
I looked at Reimu. She'd already seemed to lose interest in our high-level conversation, and was looking on in a daze beneath the cherry trees. These violet cherry blossoms weren't normal cherry blossoms, but were made to bloom by their awareness of sin. I was a little concerned about her spacing out in such a dangerous place, but it would be her own fault if something happened to her, so I left it alone.

>"There are three classes of attributes in the natural order of Gensokyo that absolutely can't be interfered with. All natural things can be explained in terms of these three classes."
>"Really? And what are those? Cherry blossoms, cherry blossom rice cakes, and oak leaf rice cakes?"
>"Good guess. The first of these classes is made up by the sun, the moon, and the stars. The sun hopelessly fascinates everyone to it, and has so much pride that its presence makes the moon and stars disappear. The way the moon changes its shape throughout its phases indicates a cooperative, indecisive personality. And the stars show a very uncooperative nature with all their different forms, from the unmoving north star, to the wandering planets, to comets that disappear in the blink of an eye. Together, the sun, the moon, and the stars are known as the three lights, and they indicate general disposition."
>"Hmmm. It looks like this might take a while, so do you mind if we sit?"
>"We can't. If I don't say this quickly, I feel like I'll forget it."
>"That's too bad, I'm already sitting. Please continue. What are the other two?"
>"After the three lights come the well known 'four seasons'. These are Spring, which symbolizes birth, Summer, which symbolizes growth, Autumn, which symbolizes maturity and decline, and finally Winter, which symbolizes death. The four seasons symbolize the flow of life. Even you should know that much, Yuyuko."
>"Ta-da, cherry blossom rice cakes! They were placed in a cupboard at home, so I snuck some out with me."
>"Yes and the final class of attributes are material attributes. Fire, shapeless and passionate. Water, returning everything to nothingness. Wood, strong yet gentle. Metal, cold and silent. And finally, the earth, to which all things must eventually return. These five are the third class of attributes."
>"Oh no, I forgot to bring the tea."
>"So, these three classes of attributes represent personality, life, and material, and you can represent all of nature in terms of combinations of them. And, when you take the number of combinations of the three lights, the four seasons, and the five phases, it comes to sixty."
>"Ah, that's just like you. You're so good at math."
>"Anyone could do simple arithmetic like that, right? Or are you saying it's hard for you, Yuyuko?"
>"Yes, it is~."
>"Well, that's not the end of the story. Nature maintains its balance by alternating through each sequence separately. In other words, each year we go from sun, to moon, to stars, to sun, to moon, and so on. At the same time, we go from spring, to summer, to fall, to winter... From fire, to water, to wood... Each class changes its attribute. What do you think happens then? You see the same combination once every sixty years."
>"So why do the flowers bloom like this every sixty years?"
>"This year represents the combination of the sun, spring, and earth. That only happens once every sixty years. And together, they represent the rebirth of all living things."

As I finished my explanation, I could feel the activity of a very strong presence. The violet cherry blossoms scattered before my eyes almost as if they were frightened of something. Reimu stood, having probably not listened to any of my explanation at all, but she could probably feel that presence too, and was looking around.

>"Yuyuko. This atmosphere... It's that person, isn't it?" I whispered to Yuyuko.
>"That person? Umm... Who do you mean? I think I know who you mean, though, somehow."
>"They must have come to watch the sinful violet cherry blossoms. You can't oppose them, so we'd better retreat, okay?"
>"I've been thinking this for a while, but I think the violet cherry blossoms seem like they're your flower. I wonder what that says about the sinfulness of your character, Yukari?"
>"My, how rude. I haven't done anything as bad as [the sinfulness of] those violet cherry blossoms."
And so, casting a sideways glance at Reimu, who was still surveying the area, I gathered my wisdom and left Muenzuka with Yuyuko.


(To be continued in Phantasmagoria of Flower View's Extra stage, perhaps.)

>>50995717
What happened in 2005? Hurricane Katrina? Wuxing seems like some wack bullshit Chinese courtiers used to hand-wave their way into the emperor's good graces. The coolest thing happening here is Yukari pissing herself over Eiki. I'm trying not to grass-is-greener myself into wanting more Underworld exploration instead of all this moonie shit.

>>50995698
Nice to read you again Anon!
I'm still over at the BAiJR archived thread.
How foul of you to skip the illusionary music bits but I digress!
Hope I can make it to the end this time.
Cheers!

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To start off PMiSS, we will be going through Memorizable Gensokyo. It released a month before PMiSS and was drawn by Aki Eda, also written by ZUN
You can read it here: https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Perfect_Memento_in_Strict_Sense/Memorizable_Gensokyo

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>>50998461
whoops i missed a page before this

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Comic Edition
Remarks on "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense"

Greetings, it's ZUN.
This time, the comic was released through Ichijinsha Publishing and is an introductory comic to "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense".

"Gensokyo Chronicles" is something that came about from and is included as a part of the "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense". Or maybe I should say that the contents of "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense" just about all comes from the "Gensokyo Chronicles".
And so, "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense", Touhou's first information compilation, does not include information concerning the author of the "Gensokyo Chronicles", Hieda Akyuu. This is a case of "can`t see the forest for the trees".
Well, with regards to the introduction of Akyuu, I'm relieved that it happened with this comic. To be honest, while working on "Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red", I thought about including a comic like that book, but because this time the "Gensokyo Chronicles" was supposed to perfectly render an actual book from the world of Gensokyo, I once again avoided including a comic with the work itself.

This time, AkiEda was satisfied to draw Akyuu in a cute and lovely child-like style. So delightful!
Finally, with regards to the release of "Perfect Memento in the Strict Sense", I offer my sincerest apologies for all the dallying and delays. Well, the delays themselves are like leisurely sipping poison so...
Team Shanghai Alice, ZUN (Hakurei Kannushi)

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To pay a visit
Oni and youkai
Fearful dread
Is it a tsurube-otoshi monster?
IS IT A TSURUBE-OTOSHI MONSTER?


Hi there, it's ZUN.
It's quickly becoming the case that youkai aren't so scary or dreadful anymore. Like an autumn sunset, so goes the tsurube-otoshi monster.
But the tsurube-otoshi monster does still exist in Gensokyo, and it as simple as that.
Speaking of which, just as a picture of Akyuu is finally complete, something like Akyuu composing a poem has now also been included, what's going on?! Well, it's kind of like an autumn sunset.
2006/11, ZUN (Hakurei Kannushi)

With regards to this cherished work of mine and its illustrations, all possible effort was made to remain faithful to the original work.
Lady Yukari is becoming so aware of everything relating to youkai that it's kind of becoming not so frightening anymore... (Bitter Smile)
There's color, there's two-paged illustrations, and all kinds of other extremely difficult to produce qualities in this work which I illustrated.
It was fun and enjoyable to put together, and to hold it in my hands is simply happiness.
2006 November, AkiEda

>>50997694
I wanted to do the music corner as well but the sheer amount of it as well as people's lack of interest in it detered me, it's always there for people to read
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Music_Columns
It's kinda like extra ZUN comments on existing songs.
I did forget to do the Notable Locations but its 4 short reads so I can just lead people to read them themselves.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Scarlet_Devil_Mansion
There's also an Interview with ZUN on the last few pages on "Game Design" that's a good read.
https://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Bohemian_Archive_in_Japanese_Red/Interview

>>50998500
It's weird to see him complain about Circus Reverie being too dark for Touhou when he went on to compose other boss theme with a similar dark feeling like Reminiscence of the Hunt in newer entries.
Guess it's worth mentioning the og Seihou track's comment had ZUN saying it felt like a really touhou-esque theme so it's probably just ZUN changing opinion since he was referring to the PC98 games back then and he's referring to early windows in the BAiJR column.

Foreword:
A closed world, without any humans to create history.
Youkai remember distorted versions of past events, and Gensokyo is not facing the fact.
Because of that, the humans could not know the reality of the youkai, and only could cower in fear of them.
You might be thinking that if humans knew more about the abilities and the countermeasures of the youkai, if we knew beforehand what parts of Gensokyo were dangerous, if we knew more about those humans who specialize in defeating youkai, then we wouldn't have to live in fear.

We, the Hieda family, decided to collect information about Gensokyo's most prominent youkai every one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty years in order to ensure humans live in safety.
The result is this. The "Gensokyo Chronicles".
It started more than a thousand years ago, in Aichi's age. And with me, this is already the ninth generation.
The Gensokyo Chronicles are divided into a youkai encyclopedia, heroic legends, a guide to dangerous areas, various unresolved matters and a monologue, thus painting a picture of contemporary Gensokyo.

The youkai encyclopedia describes each type of youkai's characteristics and countermeasures to take against them; furthermore, youkai that are known to be active today are each treated separately in detail.
This encyclopedia should serve as a guide to avoid fearing youkai more than necessary, or the opposite, to prevent provoking particularly strong youkai.
It starts with commonly encountered youkai, such as fairies and phantoms, proceeding to powerful youkai such as vampires and tengu, providing a list of abilities, threat levels, the places and times at which they most commonly appear, and how often they're seen.
All of them are illustrated.
It should be a most useful item to the human villagers.

The heroic legends are introductions to humans not living in the Human Village who engage in youkai extermination and incident resolution.
They are essentially allies of humans, so if you're being harassed by youkai, you may be well served by consulting with one of the humans described here.
There are many mysteries about most of these humans, but I have tried to shed some light on the mysterious points as well.

The dangerous areas guide is a list of key locations in Gensokyo, describing each and giving a sense of how dangerous they are.
If you want to know what kind of preparations are needed in order to go to one of those places, please read this guide beforehand.
When an occasion asks for you to leave the Human Village, please read it carefully.

The unresolved matters are articles with incomplete information, articles that appear incompatible with Gensokyo, newspaper articles, and other inserts.
I intend to start gathering material and finish writing those.

The monologue consists of thoughts that I, Akyuu of the ninth generation, had when compiling this book, as well as my written thoughts about Gensokyo.
It is fine either if you read it or not, but I would be glad if you did.

With this book, the Gensokyo Chronicles have reached their ninth volume.
A new wind of change has swept through Gensokyo since the previous volumes of the Gensokyo Chronicles; I believe that the new volume has been greatly redesigned in the contemporary style, and is much easier to read.
I wanted people who find it difficult to read handwriting by brush like classic literature, or who wouldn't read the Chronicles because of all the abstruse sentences, to read it, too.
Now, please read these Gensokyo Chronicles, and may the wonderful you have a safe life in Gensokyo.
Hieda no Akyuu, the Ninth Maiden of Are

>Embodiments of Mother Nature
Fairies

Usual threat level: Low
Frequency of encounter: Very high
Variety: High
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
The true identity of natural phenomena themselves.
Fairies live in such phenomena where it gets cold and hot, rain falls and wind blows, grass grows and flowers bloom.
They come in various shapes, but many of them are humanoid with wings like those of insects like butterflies and dragonflies.
Their height is uniformly small, from the degree where they can fit in the palm of one's hand, up to the size of a child below ten years of age. There is hardly any fairy outside of this scope.

They live wherever there is nature.
You can confirm their existence anywhere in Gensokyo.
They especially prefer active places, so when humans and youkai gather you can probably spot lots of them.
On the other hand, in gloomy places their numbers decrease.
They are a kind of youkai you frequently can see even in human villages.
Fairies are active at all hours, so you can probably encounter them both at daytime and in the night.
They don't seem to follow any manner of law or code.

Also, an individual fairy is short-lived(*1), but they immediately resurrect in the same shape.
Even if they suffer large injuries so that their bodies are in pieces, they heal immediately.
In a stricter sense, fairies can't die.
Therefore they take reckless action, without fearing death.
Since their concept of death appears to differ from that of humans, it is also said that they are simply foolish.

Fairies don't actually need to eat, but they see the way humans enjoy their meals and copy them, eating the same things.
They eat anything which humans do.
They especially like to sneak away that which humans are planning to eat.

Potential Harm:
>Pranks on a Whim
They all like pranks.
If they catch sight of a human walking somewhere, they make them lose their way.
When you´re cleaning, they´ll raise the wind to send all your gathered dust flying.
When you are not looking, they put salt in your tea.
Without thinking of the consequences, they disturb the actions of whomever they see.
There are also occasionally pranks that go too far, such as when you get pushed off a cliff, or when your back is set on fire, so it is necessary to be cautious.

Countermeasures:
When you walk down the road while thinking about something else, you lose your way.
When you´re absorbed in conversation with a friend, your bags are carried away when you're not looking.
Things like these are sometimes thought to be caused by fairies.
The people that most easily get pulled into pranks are those that are uncautious and prone to being preoccupied with other things.
Fairies won't go near cautious people.
Therefore, if you usually pay attention to your surroundings, you should be fine.

But if you were to be subjected to a prank, what should you do?
The truth is that while fairies are reckless, they don't like fighting much at all.
When a human notices the prank, the fairies will probably run away as fast as they can.
If you were to be successful in catching one, you can freely vent your anger on it since they're not very strong.
A grown human should win easily.

However, there are also the occasional exceptions where without doing any pranks, they just suddenly attack.
At such times you must be careful.
That is because there is a possibility that it is a warning for something.
Especially when fairies aggregate in large numbers or start clamoring, there is a possibility that there is an unbelievably powerful youkai lurking about nearby(*2). Therefore, you must be careful.
At such times, I think it's best if you just quietly head back home.


(*1) Fairies lives differs from that of humans, so it is a mistake to say that they are short-lived.
(*2) The number and ferocity of fairies expresses the threat level of the surrounding area.

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>Fairy of the Ice
Cirno

Ability: Manipulation of the cold
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: The Misty Lake

Close to the lake, there are times when the temperature lowers drastically even in summer.
A fairy you are likely to encounter at such times is this ice fairy.
Among the fairies around the lake she has a leader-like presence, and is stronger than the other fairies.
She belongs to the more belligerent variety of fairies, and so it is necessary to be careful.

She is quite short and dressed in blue with wings of ice.
Being able to freeze small objects instantly, she is a bit more dangerous than regular fairies.
She emits cold air constantly, so her vicinity is always chilly.
Since where she lives is totally unknown, there is no way of telling how she spends her everyday life.
Not just Cirno's, but all fairies' homes blend into nature, preventing them from being seen by humans.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw her freezing a part of the Misty Lake's surface and sleeping defenselessly(*1) on the ice."
(Hikozaemon)
>"I saw her sleeping sloppily(*2) next to the lake. The surrounding flowers were frozen."
(Anonymous)

Since there are many other sightings near the Misty Lake as well, it is presumed that is where her home is located.
It is possible that she has a house underwater.

>"I saw frozen frogs in the rice fields. I think this is the work of fairies."
(Anonymous)

An ominous prank. There's little direct harm, but still...

>"When I pulled in some fish from the Misty Lake, it was already frozen. That was a real surprise, but the fish kept a long time, and was delicious."
(Angler with a big appetite)

And here I thought that no humans fished at the Misty Lake...
There is the danger of other youkai appearing in that area, so inexperienced people would do best in not copying this example.

Countermeasures:
If it suddenly gets cold, there is a possibility that the ice fairy is nearby.
At such times you should be obedient and flee, or look for the shape of the fairy.
Fairies usually do nothing and keep their distance when they understand that they are noticed.
Since Cirno is easily noticed, I assume that as long as one is not very careless there is little risk of being injured.

Still, if you are to pass through place where she seems to be around, what's the best way of doing it?
She's weak against fire from torches and other objects too hot to touch.
Since she can freeze things she touches instantly, refrain from touching her even if she is asleep.
There is a risk of frostbite.

If by any chance Cirno should attack, just start calmly talking about anything, and ask her a riddle when she shows interest.
When you do that, she will start to think of the answer, giving you an opportunity to escape.
No matter how simple the question, she can certainly not answer it.

(*1) Really defenselessly.
(*2) Really sloppily.

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>Fairy Herald of Spring
Lilywhite

Ability: Announcing the arrival of spring
Threat level: Very low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Varies

When it is spring, humans, youkai and ghosts suddenly become more active. In fact, there are few who do not.
The fairy who symbolizes this activity is the fairy who bears spring, Lily White.
Lily White notices the trivial changes that normal humans don't notice, and tells all living things(*1) that have been in deep hibernation during the winter that the season of awakening has come.
After the passing of this fairy, everything becomes wrapped in the joy of spring.

Her height is quite low, and she has many thin wings(*2).
She is not aggressive, and even if you come across her, her threat level is low.
However, disturbing her while she is conveying her message would not be wise.
This is when this fairy is at her strongest

Like other fairies, where she lives is unknown.
And she has rarely been seen during any season other than spring.
Because of that, Lily has become synonymous with the season of spring.

>The snow falls
>Is she here yet?
>The white mountain
>Searching for signs of
>The Fairy Herald of Spring

The Fairy Herald of Spring referred to in this poem is Lily White.

>She always appears from the west and disappears toward the mountain(*3), but there is no instance in which she has been seen going back the other way. Where in the world does she live?
(Reported by many sources)

Perhaps the reason that she's never seen returning from the mountain is that, each year, she's eaten by the mountain youkai and stops announcing spring.

>My child caught her. Perhaps because she immediately said "Let me go!" and my child promptly let her go, there fortunately wasn't any damage.
(Anonymous Parent)

This fairy isn't the sort that would usually injure humans, but it's generally safer not to get involved with non-humans.

Countermeasures:
If you don't do anything to her, there's no real danger.
In fact, catching sight of her is a good omen.
She simply wants to celebrate the fact that spring has come.

If she happens to attack, it's possible that she's just excited, so the best course of action is to leave the area.
This fairy won't be able to leave any place that is turning to spring.
If you get away from her, there's no need to worry that she might chase after you.

In fact, it could be interesting to set out bait in order to tame her.
If you prepare some flower seeds for her, she'll gladly make any nearby flowers bloom.
Because of this, she's a fairy who's very popular with florists.


(*1) Including phantoms and ghosts.
(*2) It may appear that she has a great number of thin, bird-like wings, but in fact, she has two large wings.
(*3) Youkai Mountain. Mentioned later

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>Mischievous Sunlight
Sunnymilk

Ability: Ability to refract light
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

There are times when you get lost even on roads that are not particularly long.
And in some severe cases, you return back to where you came from.
When this happens, eight or nine times out of ten, you would be right to think that it is the work of a fairy. (*1)

Sunny Milk, in particular, is a fairy whose specialty is making people lose their way.
Since it is possible to change how the environment looks from reality through refracting light, it can fool humans.
Also, as she can hide herself behind this diffraction, it can be difficult to capture her.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses thin, insect-like wings.
She's the type of fairy who plays terrible pranks on humans but gets away at full speed when they notice her.
Fairies like this won't approach humans that are highly cautious.
If you don't want to get involved with them, you must behave as if always thinking of the possibility that a fairy is lurking nearby.
Also, she rarely acts alone. She usually moves with a group of three. (*2)

It's said that she lives inside a huge tree in the Forest of Magic, but the precise location is unknown.
Basically, a fairy's dwelling area can't be spotted by humans.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw her basking in the sun on top of my roof. When I poked her, she ran away in a hurry."
(Yumeta)
>"She was sleeping at the side of the road. She looked like she was hurt, but when I poked her, she ran away in a hurry."
(Anonymous)

She has been seen basking in the sun a great number of times.
And, as at many of these times she looked injured, it can be thought that, for a fairy of sunlight, exposure to the sun is the equivalent of medical treatment for injuries.

>"I was walking, when suddenly the ground disappeared, and I fell off a cliff. I thought I was going to die."
(Bamboo-shoot-hunter)

Occasionally, the pranks become dangerous. Be careful.

>"I saw the rain bending in front of me as it fell."
(Anonymous)

It can become easier to spot the light diffraction when it's raining.
It's less likely for you to lose your way when it's raining than when it's sunny.

Countermeasures:
In any case, you have to be careful when you walk.
There is the danger of the road in front of you suddenly turning into a river.
Fairies will avoid attentive humans, and dogs with acute senses.
If you are in a hurry, you should bring a dog with you.

There is no danger in confronting her, as she will immediately run away. However, even if you want to punish her, it's almost impossible to catch her.
If you fall victim of a prank, you can only curse your carelessness.(*3)

She's extremely curious (*4), so an experienced person may be able to successfully set a trap for her.
She's also apparently very fond of delicious foods, and she frequently tries to slip into feasts by hiding herself with optical illusions.
If you happen to spot her when she's distracted by the food, you have a chance to vent your anger on her.


(*1) You can avoid being humiliated if you blame fairies.
(*2) The other two are Luna Child and Star Sapphire.
(*3) It would be best to ignore them, because it would feel awful to think that fairies are laughing somewhere.
(*4) A general trait of fairies.

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>Silent Moonlight
Lunarchild

Ability: Ability to muffle sound
Threat level: Extremely low
Human friendship level: Average
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

I believe you might have had an experience in which, during a windy day, the wind's sound suddenly vanished, even though the wind hadn't stopped, and then soon after the sound came back again.
When this happens, eight or nine times out of ten, you would be right to think that it is the work of a fairy(*1).

Fairies are beings that can't harm nor benefit humans.
Their pranks don't necessarily cause direct harm to people.
Luna Child has the ability to silence the sounds around herself.
This in itself can't cause much harm, but she often joins up with other fairies, particularly Sunny Milk and Star Sapphire, carrying out their pranks as a trio.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses thin, insect-like wings.
Out of the red, white and blue trio of fairies, the white one (*2) is Luna Child.
Out of the three fairies, she might be the dumbest one, or maybe she just relies too much in her ability to make sound vanish that she's often the only one who fails to escape.
It seems that when her ability is used along with Sunny Milk's light diffraction, it can hide both form and sound, producing a truly fearsome stealthiness. But even so, they are still fairies, after all.
They are not very smart.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I often see her tripping while walking down the road. She's kinda dull."
(West side woodcutter.)
>"Even though she could walk without a sound, she was tip-toeing."
(Anonymous)

One of the characteristics of stupidity.
Frankly, you might not even feel like punishing her any more.

>"I saw her flying around by herself in the middle of the night."
(Star-watching poet)

She's more active at night, so that's when she's most frequently sighted.
On top of that, she will begin to move independently of the others.
Maybe she's in a particularly unusual class of fairies.

>"She steals a lot of coffee beans (*3). I wonder what I could do about it."
(Teahouse owner)

With no sounds to expose them, it's difficult to guard your belongings from sneaking thieves.
But a countermeasure will be mentioned ahead.

Countermeasures:
Even though she can cause little real damage, she basically acts with the other two, so the same countermeasures mentioned for Sunny Milk can be employed.
Also, out of her solitary pranks, sneak thievery is often reported.

To counteract this, the most reliable method is to be always making sound.
When this fairy gets close to anywhere there is noise, you will know she is there because it will become silent.
That means she won't get caught if she doesn't use her ability, but being a fairy, she will be unable to realize this.
She has associated silencing her surroundings with her thefts. She won't think of doing it any other way.


(*1) You can avoid worrying about your hearing if you blame fairies.
(*2) Sunny Milk is red, and Star Sapphire is blue. These are the colors of their clothes.
(*3) Fairies who love coffee are rare. The preferences of fairies are often the same as that of human children.

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>Showering Starlight
Starsaphire

Ability: Ability to detect movement
Threat level: Extremely low
Human friendship level: Average
Main place of activity: Around the Forest of Magic

When looking at the stars covering the night sky, it may sometimes seem that one is surrounded by the eyes of countless beasts or youkai.
And there is a fairy with eyes that can survey as far as the light that falls down from the stars.
That is the starlight fairy, Star Sapphire.
She rarely attacks or disturbs humans, but she mostly causes trouble by helping with other fairies' (*1) pranks.

Her stature is quite short, and she possesses large, butterfly-like wings.
As this fairy is very attentive to movements, you will soon be found if you try to approach her.

Capturing her is extremely difficult, and she is rarely sighted alone.
Normally, she is seen in the company of Sunny Milk and Luna Child.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I caught this huge butterfly in the bird-warding nets."
(Vegetable farmer)

She probably can't notice things that don't move.
Since she has butterfly wings, you could imagine her looking as if caught in a spider's web.

>"I saw the ice fairy and the light fairies having a fight.(*2) The blue one was just looking and laughing from below."
(Anonymous)

Fairies are very self-centered, so they easily come into conflict with each other.
In this case, as the ice fairy is used to fighting, she would likely win by herself even against 3.
In addition, Star Sapphire always keeps calm and avoids fighting so much it can be hard to tell what side she is on.

Countermeasures:
Even though she cannot do a great amount of direct damage, she basically acts with the other two fairies, so the same counter-measure mentioned for Sunny Milk can be employed.
However, when she is on observation duty for the other fairies, she can be a threat.
Because even if you try, you can't elude her ability.

The best and most reliable counter-measure against it is to use a separate creature.
Star Sapphire's ability can't distinguish between a human and a similarly-sized animal.
So, if you slip into a herd of animals and move along with them, she might not even notice you.

In fact, this could be an interesting game as well.
By using animals as decoys, you can lure out Star Sapphire and the others, and catch them at that time.
In other words, this would be fairy-fishing(*3).


(*1) The sunlight and the moonlight ones. The three troublesome Fairies of Light.
(*2) When fairies start something, they can't think of anything else. If they start to fight, they won't pay any attention to their surroundings. So, if you find them in the middle of a fight, you can place bets on which one will win if you wish.
(*3) Catch-and-release is good manners.

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>>51001418

>The Embodiments of Spirits
Phantoms

Usual threat level: Low
Frequency of encounter: High
Variety: High
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
They are the very spirits of animals or plants.
Able to convert what they see, hear, touch or taste into thoughts, it can be said that they're like sense converters.
Having no physical body nor specific form, they're similar to air.
They can pass through any obstacle, and they can change their shape at will.
They're often confused with ghosts, which are always the embodiments of deceased, but phantoms are not necessarily always the spirits of the deceased.
Some are even born as phantoms, and remain so until they dissipate into nothing.
Also unlike ghosts, a single corpse may spawn several phantoms.
Their characteristics are closer to those of fairies; like how fairies are the embodiment of nature, phantoms are the embodiment of spirits.

They can live (*1) anywhere in Gensokyo.
Phantoms that prefer noisy places gather in noisy places, ones that prefer gloomy places gather in gloomy places, and there are even those that prefer hot springs.

They are usually active at night.
It's assumed that because many of them have their existences on the verge of dissipating, it makes it difficult for them to act under sunlight.
Also, their body temperature is very low (*2).
Improper handling may even result in frostbite.
However, this chill can be utilized for one's benefit; for example, during tests of courage.
Passing through a place, as a test of courage, where many phantoms seem likely to gather is a good way to feel a chill on a hot summer night (*3).

Potential Harm:
The most threatening feature a phantom possesses is the ability to affect the minds of people around it.
If one is surrounded by cheerful phantoms, they'll eventually feel pleasant.
For gloomy phantoms, vice versa.
For example, the places famous for suicides are often the places inhabited by gloomy phantoms.
Those without enough mental fortitude might even lose their mind, if they happen to face a powerful phantom.
Also, due to their low temperature, sustained contact may cause frostbite.

Countermeasures:
Avoiding encounters with phantoms is next to impossible, so all you can do is attempt to remain unaffected upon contact.
Generally, phantoms have transient and fragile existences.
Even average humans should be fine if there are only a few of them.

However, it's a different story if that person is mentally weakened (*4).
Keeping confidence in yourself and having no fear is the only way to deal with them.
However, it would be a wise idea not to, out of curiosity, go to places where phantoms gather (*5) .
It may result in your mind being shattered.
If that happens, there's no other way but to seek an exorcism from a professional (*6).

On the other hand, there's currently research about the possibility of correcting one's personality by means of deliberate phantom possession.
This technique is expected to dissuade someone from committing suicide or helping someone overcome their dislike of vegetables.
It's almost ready to be put into practical use, once a method of capturing phantoms is established.
It's not far-fetched to say that the future of human mentality rests on phantom shoulders.


(*1) If it can be said they are "living."
(*2) Their hearts tend to be cold.
(*3) Thus phantoms are despised in winter.
(*4) Like when one has just been tricked by fairies.
(*5) Places such as graveyards. Phantoms often hold live concerts there.
(*6) But the shrine maiden is not really dependable...

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>Half-Human Half-Phantom Gardener
Youmu Konpaku

Ability: The ability to use sword techniques
Threat Level: Medium
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Netherworld

Since phantoms are formless, most people are unable to distinguish between normal ones.
The Konpaku family are not simple phantoms, but are a lineage of mixed race between humans and phantoms.

Her appearance does not differ from that of normal humans.
Youmu's thought patterns are similar to a normal human's for the most part, but it's said her body temperature is a bit lower.
Her lifespan is far longer than that of normal humans.
This is probably because she is half phantom, which do not have distinct lifespans.

A large phantom accompanies her human form.
This phantom is the characteristic of half-human half-phantoms, and is one of the ways to distinguish her from normal humans.
The largish phantom acts on the will of the half-human half-phantoms.
Also, unlike normal phantoms, its body is not particularly cold to the touch.

Youmu serves as the gardener for Hakugyokurou(*1) in the Netherworld, and is also a live-in sword instructor, but lately she can frequently be seen in this world(*2).
Though, it is likely because lately(*3) the barrier between this world and the next has weakened.
Many theories have been put forth to explain the weakening of this barrier, but its true cause is the whim of the youkai who manipulates boundaries.

Weapons and Abilities:
She possesses superior swordsmanship, and is a master of the two-handed technique.
The two swords she uses are called Hakurouken and Roukanken.

The longer sword is Roukanken.
It's believed that Roukanken was forged by youkai, and it's too long to be used by normal humans.
It's said that it has the power to kill ten phantoms in one stroke, but as one cannot actually kill phantoms(*4), it's unknown if this is true(*5).

The other sword, Hakurouken, is the ancestral sword of the Konpaku family, and it's said to have the power to dispel the confusion of those it cuts.
That is, using it on phantoms will send them to nirvana, and using it on humans will cause them discomfort and a bit of pain.
The exact details of its function are unclear, but it can only be handled by the Konpaku family.

Daily Life:
She lives in the Netherworld in Hakugyokurou.
She wakes up early in the morning before the mistress of the estate to patrol the gardens.
During the day she tends to the gardens and trains her sword technique, and will go out on errands if called.
At night, she patrols once again, and supposedly goes to bed only after confirming that the mistress has done so.
If she were to discover an intruder at this time, she would surely cut them down at once whether they were human or youkai.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"When I go to visit the Netherworld, she always swings those swords at me. It'd be nice if she'd actually check who was coming."
(Reimu Hakurei)

It's questionable why living humans would go to the Netherworld to visit.

>"She comes shopping here a lot. It's like someone is coming to take you to the next world, and it feels pretty weird."
(Anonymous)

It would be nice if you'd be more tolerant if she's just coming to shop...

>"I thought a dangerous, sword-wielding youkai had come, but she looks sort of powerless, and I can't help feeling sorry for her, somehow."
(Anonymous)

Her appearance is that of a young girl.

Countermeasures:
Although she is a phantom, half of her is human.
It's possible to come to mutual understanding with her, so conflict can be avoided through discussion.
Unlike other youkai, she doesn't assault humans without a purpose, such as food or boredom.

If you don't challenge, provoke or put her in a blatantly disadvantageous situation, she will likely not attack you.
Even if the situation looks threatening, she will not fight anyone lacking in training, so that will at least make her go easy on you.
If you've done nothing wrong, you can probably talk your way out of a battle.
Even if you've clearly done something wrong, things might work out somehow if you offer a proper apology.

Now, what should one do in the unlikely event of being attacked by her?
All normal humans can hope to do in such a circumstance is offer a prayer to Buddha(*6).


(*1) This word is read Hakugyokurou, not Shiratamarou.
(*2) This world, as opposed to the next world.
(*3) In the era of the 9th child of Miare, Akyuu.
(*4) Normally they are sent to nirvana or disappear.
(*5) Supposedly the things it cannot cut are next to none.
(*6) Namo amithaba Buddhaya

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>Poltergeist Violinist
Lunasa Prismriver

Ability: The ability to play instruments without using her hands
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Festival grounds, etc.

Technically speaking, poltergeists are not phantoms, but there are no other appropriate classifications for them so they are described here.
The Prismriver Ensemble is a so-called phantom ensemble(*1) that are often called to perform at events such as youkai parties.
They're famous for playing vigorous songs with a strong rhythm, so they are the most well-known band in Gensokyo.

The ensemble is composed of three poltergeist sisters; Lunasa is the oldest of the three and excels at the violin.
She appears to be the leader of the Prismriver Ensemble.
Her height is around that of a teenaged human girl.
Her appearance does not differ significantly from a human's.
Her violin is said to be the phantom of an instrument that would outclass even a Stradivarius(*2), but it's unknown whether this is true or not.
In any case, it's a phantom.

Another word for poltergeists are noisy spirits(*3), as they are spirits which are able to make sounds.
The noises that poltergeists make are actually the phantoms of notes.
Since they're perceived by the spirit and not the ears, even beings without bodies can enjoy them.

At the same time, humans should be careful that its effect doesn't overwhelm them.
She is a very collected person, but she is reticent and glum.
The sounds she creates calm the spirit.
People who are overly influenced by her sounds will lose all motivation and become depressed.

She's said to live in a ruined Western mansion a bit farther from the lake than the Scarlet Devil Manor.
You won't see the sisters there even if you set foot inside.
However, it's said that you will hear the sounds of their practicing.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"Sometimes I happen to come across a youkai party, but I'll end up joining in against my better judgment once I hear the Prismrivers' music playing."
(Anonymous)

Humans should be able to join as well, as long as the youkai are still in the middle of their party.

>"How can we call the Prismriver Ensemble to perform at an event?"
(Fan club member no. 5)

You might have luck by going to the Ruined Western Mansion and making a request.

>"The lead girl's pretty gloomy, so I don't really like her."

She isn't human, so something horrible might happen to you if you say things like that too often.

Countermeasures:
She's very friendly to both humans and youkai, so you have nothing to fear from her.
It should be noted that the Prismrivers do not manage ticket sales for their live performances. Their clients do, so it is inadvisable complaining to the Prismrivers if you can't acquire a ticket.
Their performances contain many notes that have a great effect on the spirit, so one should not attend unless one is in perfect mental condition.

Children should not be allowed to listen.
The notes of phantoms are a privilege for adults.


(*1) This is not meant to mean that its members are always absent.
(*2) They say this at the beginning of their live performances.
(*3) This may not be true. Poltergeists are said to be one form of magic used by young maidens.

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>Poltergeist Trumpeter
Merlin Prismriver

Ability: The ability to play instruments without using her hands
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Festival grounds, etc.

Technically speaking, poltergeists are not phantoms, but there are no other appropriate classifications for them so they are described here.

Merlin Prismriver is the middle sister of the Prismriver Ensemble(*1), and her forte is the trumpet.
She is the star of their performances, standing out the most.
She has many fans.
She looks just like a human.
Of the three sisters, she is the tallest and her hair is the brightest, and she often takes center stage at live events.
The trumpet she holds is said to be the phantom of a fearful trumpet that's taken the blood of many jazz trumpeters(*2), but it's unknown if this is true or not.
It is unclear how a trumpet would suck the blood of the living.

She has an incredibly cheerful personality and is never seen depressed.
She's known to sometimes blurt out incomprehensible words.
The sounds she creates are sounds that uplift the spirit.
People who are overly influenced by her sounds will do things such as break out into dancing, or become unable to hold a coherent conversation.
It might be perfect for those suffering from depression.

Usually the Prismriver Sisters perform as a group, but Merlin can also be seen acting independently.
It seems she holds solo concerts, but going to see such a performance may be dangerous for the reasons outlined above.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"On my way to the lake, I could hear the sound of brass instruments from far off."
(Anonymous)

It was thought to be the sounds of Merlin practicing.
It may also have been a call for a tengu assembly.

>"I went to see one of her solo performances, but it was a brass ensemble. Most of the time, it wouldn't be possible for one person..."
(Cheerful earthbound spirit)

The instrument she uses is symbolic, so you shouldn't think that sound actually comes out of it.
It's not well understood where the notes actually come from, but since they seem to actually be the phantoms of notes, they probably come from close by.

>"What? Merlin isn't the leader?"
(Anonymous)

She isn't human, so something horrible might happen to you if you say things like that too often.

Countermeasures:
She is very friendly to both humans and youkai, so you have nothing to fear from her.
However, it's hard to hold a conversation with her alone, so refrain from talking to her if you see her alone.
As a phantom, her behavioral principles are different from those of humans, so while it's not impossible, mutual understanding is very difficult.
It would be unfortunate to say the wrong thing and have her misunderstand you as spoiling for a fight(*3).

The Prismriver sisters themselves are fairly powerful, and the Prismriver Ensemble has many fans, so there is little hope of winning if you cross them.
In addition, the sound of a trumpet can carry quite far, so if you happen to hear it from far off, take care not to listen too closely.
It can affect your spirit.


(*1) See the article on Lunasa Prismriver
(*2) They say this at the beginning of their live performances.
(*3) Such misunderstandings are common due to difficulty in communication. Even praise can be dangerous.

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>Poltergeist Keyboardist
Lyrica Prismriver

Ability: The ability to play instruments without using her hands
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Festival grounds, etc.

Technically speaking, poltergeists are not phantoms, but there are no other appropriate classifications for them so they are described here.

The youngest sister of the Prismriver Ensemble(*1), Lyrica Prismriver plays the keyboard and percussion.
Her body(*2) is the smallest of the three, but her music is dynamic.
Her appearance is no different from that of a human.
She is the shortest of her sisters, and thrashes about during live performances.
The keyboard she plays is said to be the phantom of a synthesizer used by a famous artist that created sounds that were too peculiar so it never sold and faded into obscurity(*3), but it's unknown if this is true or not.
Her personality is the most human-like among the sisters, so she's easy to converse with.

However, she does have a sly, worldly side to her.
The sounds she creates are sounds that don't exist in the present world.
Her sounds are the sort of sounds one can't imagine where they came from or how they were created.
Rather than the phantoms of notes, one might say they're illlusionary notes.
Compared to her sisters' sounds, they are unlike anything heard before, but they don't resonate with the mind and spirit, and are heard normally with the ears.
Since they have no effect on the mind and spirit, you can listen to them without worry.
She normally performs together with her other two sisters.
If she ever acts on her own, she is probably quarreling with her sisters or has some ulterior purpose in mind.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"She's so small it's hard to see her at performances, but hang in there, Lyrica!"
(Anonymous)

She's small but her instruments are large, so she really doesn't stand out.
Hang in there.

>"Is Lyrica ever going to hold a solo concert?"
(Lyrica fan club member No. 1)

I can't answer that.
But I have never heard of her doing so.

>"The other sisters are fine, but that Lyrica's a cheat. Her instrument can't be doing that."
(Anonymous)

That keyboard somehow creates strange noises.
Nobody understands how it works, but that's how phantoms are.

Countermeasures:
She is very friendly to both humans and youkai, so you have nothing to fear from her.
You will probably never come across her on her own, but mutual understanding shouldn't be difficult, so you can avoid any danger by talking to her.
Also, poltergeists can't just sit still quietly.
So, even if they're carrying on or talking incessantly, they're not necessarily angry; just settle down and cope with it.
If you happen to cross her through some off chance, the best thing to do is retreat and run as if death itself were after you.


(*1) See the article on Lunasa Prismriver.
(*2) Phantom or not, a body is a body.
(*3) They say this at the beginning of their live performances.

>Uncontrollable and Reckless Mystical Power
Youkai

Usual threat level: Varies
Frequency of encounter: Varies
Variety: Very high
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
There are many types of youkai with extremely varied powers. Some races have a great number that are all categorized under a certain name, while others can be as few as a single member.
These unique youkai are not called by whatever individual species they may be, but simply "youkai."
Many of the youkai in Gensokyo fall into this "youkai (*1)" section.
Rarely if ever is there any commonality in their appearance, ability, character, danger level, or times and places of activity.
There are definitely exceptions, but many fall towards these trends:
*Youkai have longer lifespans than humans.
*Youkai have stronger bodies than humans, so even if they're torn limb from limb, they heal right away.
*Youkai generally do not act in groups.
*Youkai only think of themselves.
Youkai are the most dangerous enemies to humans.
However, since they are rather varied, one must be informed of each of their traits before heading out to exterminate them.

Potential Harm:
>Kidnapping, Predation, Livestock Theft, Crop Theft
Humans have no greater enemy than youkai.
Youkai attack humans for food.
However, most do not attack when they are full and satisfied.
If the human population drops, youkai will face trouble as well.
They do not eat only humans, but animals, birds, fish, vegetables, fruits, alcohol and other things humans normally eat.
Apart from humans, they steal crops and livestock as well.
These are also serious problems.

Countermeasures:
Unless one thoroughly trains in fighting against them, youkai extermination is difficult.
Youkai have a history of being physically stronger than humans, and trying to fight them may quickly end up as feeding them.
However, the reason most youkai attack humans is because they need prey.
That's why, if one cannot exterminate them, one should offer something else to eat in place of themselves.
Offering a cow will save you from being attacked for a while.
There are many that have a strong sense of honor, and will act in a friendly manner towards those who do not act against them.

But exterminating youkai is a different story.
Humans regularly perform exterminations, but this is a custom passed down from ancestors.
In Gensokyo, humans must exterminate youkai (*2).
For example, the Hakurei shrine maiden is the most well-known specialist.
In extermination, one does not use weapons that cause physical damage. Weapons with an "origin" are more preferable.
Youkai are weak to spiritual attacks such as names or legends.


(*1) It might be confusing, but youkai as a race is similar to the "Others" section of a graph. I suspect there are quite a few graphs where "Others" is the largest category.
(*2) It is said that the balance of Gensokyo will crumble if they do not.

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>Youkai of the Dusk
Rumia

Ability: Manipulation of darkness
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Low
Main place of activity: Unknown

Rumia falls into the weaker category of youkai, but she possesses an ability that makes her surroundings dark whether it is night or day.
The darkness this youkai emits is a magical darkness that renders even torchlight useless, and humans that wander into this darkness have their field of vision reduce to almost nothing.
It is simple to drag people into the darkness and attack them, but she does not move with a group of other youkai, which is a relief.

Her appearance is that of a young girl with red eyes and a red ribbon in her blond hair. It is said that she wears dark clothes to blend in with the darkness, but since it is always dark around her this is difficult to confirm.
Perhaps because she is known as a monster of darkness and is normally feared, people who have directly seen her form and discover her young appearance and are overcome with relief.
It is possible that she covers herself in darkness to hide her appearance.
Also, it is said that her ability to manipulate darkness is only a supporting ability, and that she uses pure power to attack humans.

Since she looks like what she looks like you cannot tell if she is really strong or not, but it isn't possible to fight against her in the darkness.
Not being able to see a way out is frightening.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw a large blob of darkness heading towards the forest. It was scary."
(Hikozaemon)

The large blob of darkness is believed to be this youkai.
You must not approach it.

>"Then the large clump of darkness bumped into a tree and looked like it stopped moving for a bit, but it came towards me so I ran away."
(Hikozaemon)

She most likely bumped into a tree.
Perhaps she cannot see outside the darkness either (*1).

>"I was too slow in escaping and got caught in the darkness, but I didn't encounter the youkai and slipped right through."
(Anonymous)

Even if a human enters the darkness, the youkai inside might not notice.
If that is the case, she most likely cannot see in the darkness she produces (*2).

Countermeasures:
Since a human's power can't compare to a youkai's in the first place, it would be impossible to put up a fight within darkness that renders even torchlight useless.
The best way to deal with this would be to not enter the darkness unless you are very confident in your abilities.

You should also avoid visiting places where the moonlight doesn't shine at night.
Rarely, there are cases of people who have run into Rumia while she was not emitting darkness.
This was on the night of the new moon.
This seems to be the most common time when Rumia for some reason does not use her powers, and witness reports flood in.

There aren't many who have exchanged words with her, but it is doubtful you will be able to talk with her.
It's probably dangerous to attempt a conversation(*3).


(*1) Imagining that, the blob of darkness suddenly becomes amusing.
(*2) Perhaps she really is stupid.
(*3) Even though she looks young, she eats humans.

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>Youkai of Winter
Letty Whiterock

Ability: Manipulation of chill
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Low
Main place of activity: Unknown (Winter only)

There is a youkai that has only been seen during winter.
A youkai that prefers cold places, Letty Whiterock is feared for ensnaring humans and freezing them, rendering them powerless to fight back.
To keep it simple, she is a type of Yuki-onna.

This youkai appears as a woman wearing light clothing that doesn't seem like it would protect her from the cold.
She appears during unusually chilly days, though it is unknown whether the chilliness is due to her appearance instead.

The extreme chill might make you lose any will to fight(*1).
If caught by her tricks, it isn't an exaggeration to say that the fight is over before it even began.
It does not mean that she directly makes the wind blow and snow fall, but since she can enhance the winter that exists within nature, she can exhibit ridiculous powers which seem impossible for one youkai.
Despite being controlled by nature, her power is extremely strong.
After causing a thorough riot during winter, she suddenly disappears when spring comes.
It seems she hides somewhere until the next winter.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I only see her on cold days."
(Anonymous)

Probably because of such reasons, this youkai does not leave a good impression.

>"When there is a snowstorm outside, I can't go outside because I'm afraid she might appear. However, my house is safe because it has good heating."
(Owner of Kourindou)

I would advise that people go out only on clear days during winter, if possible.
However, if you shut yourself up in your house for a long time, the snow piled up on the roof will cause your house to collapse, so beware.

Countermeasures:
The thing called chill is very troublesome. It is not a physically thrown cold object (*2), but something that lowers the temperature of the whole area.
Even healthy people can become sick. Even active people become inactive. They lose their fighting spirit.
There may be no way to completely avoid it.

First and foremost, wear warm clothes.
This is the most important thing.
It is enough if your body can move while you flee.
In particular, if the extremities of your body become cold, your circulation might worsen, so you should take care to eat well.

If you are careless and happen to see her while wearing light clothes, it is hopelessly difficult to escape, because the chill extends for a wide range.
If you are not resistant to the chill, it is unlikely you will survive for long.
However, even though this youkai is fearsome, she only appears during winter.
If you find this youkai during summer, it might be your best chance to strike (*3).


(*1) An example would be being unable to get out of bed in the morning.
(*2) Like from that of a certain fairy.
(*3) However, there has been no report of seeing her when it is not winter.

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>A Bug of Light Wriggling in the Dark
Wriggle Nightbug

Ability: Manipulation of insects
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Bushes, clumps of grass, etc.

When it comes to youkai humans find unpleasant, Wriggle Nightbug is a good example.
As to why she's considered unpleasant, she always appears with a large number of bugs and can control them at will.
Just imagine being simultaneously attacked by centipedes, caterpillars, moths, spiders, and cave crickets.
It makes your hair stand on end.

This youkai appears similar as a human child.
Fortunately, she doesn't look completely like a bug. She only has antennae and wings but other than that, she doesn't look any different from a human (*1).
Wriggle is a bug youkai, but to be exact, she's a firefly youkai.
Fireflies, unlike most bugs, are popular with humans.
Since this type of bug can avoid being exterminated by humans, it's easy for them to mature into youkai.
In addition, butterflies are similarly quite popular with humans, so it's easy for them to become youkai.

Long ago, bug youkai were equal to oni and tengu in terms of inspiring fear, but lately they've lost that prestige.
The fact that this bug youkai, who could be called the bugs' leader, has the appearance of a young girl could be considered a symbol of this.
The reason why the bugs' power has radically declined needs to be investigated.

Eyewitness Reports:
>I lifted up a big stone and there were a whole bunch of bugs under it. It was gross."
(Anonymous)

This may not have much to do with this youkai, but it's technically a report regarding bugs.

>"There were a clump of centipedes under the overhang of my roof. I wish they'd go away."
(Anonymous)

This may not have much to do with this youkai.

>"There was a cave cricket at my back door. I hate those things."
(Anonymous)

This has nothing to do with this youkai.

Countermeasures:
The thing that makes bugs frightening is their numbers.
Individually they don't have much power, but when they come in large groups they're hard to deal with.
This is particularly true for bugs such as hornets; while killing one or two means nothing, if they land one sting it can kill a human.
The most effective countermeasure is building a fire and using fumigation in order to keep bugs away from a large area (*2).
Also, they're generally weak to the cold.
They're active from spring through fall, but they almost never show up during winter.

Although her control of bugs is frightening, there isn't much that is dreadful about facing Wriggle Nightbug herself.
If you're trying to exterminate youkai, your best bet is to go after this youkai during winter when she's alone.

Also, among the bugs that this youkai uses, the ones you need to be most careful of are the harvest mites.
Harvest mites are devil bugs that can't be seen by the human eye, and you don't even notice that you've been bitten.
Later, small black bite marks will appear, but by then it's too late; you'll get a high fever and collapse, and there is a high probability of death.
There is no effective treatment.
If Wriggle doesn't seem to have any bugs with her and yet looks highly confident, that is when she is the most dangerous.
She could have harvest mites lurking around her (*3).


(*1) She likely needs to take on a human shape in order to make it more difficult for humans to exterminate her.
(*2) Recently, there's also a convenient chemical known as insecticide.
(*3) Or maybe fleas.

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>Night Sparrow Youkai
Mystia Lorelei

Ability: Causing bewilderment with her song
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Poor
Main place of activity: Roads at night

There are relatively many youkai who use songs or cries to bewilder humans on dark roads or in deserted forests at night.
Mystia Lorelei is one of them.
It is said a singing voice can be heard from nowhere in particular, without a visible source, and while one is taken by that song they lose their way and are attacked by youkai.
She is not often seen during the day and there are few eyewitness reports, but it is said that she is a humanoid youkai with large wings (*1).

Mystia's songs are unexpectedly vibrant, and have an energy that would not normally be expected from youkai.
Because of this, she is popular amongst young people (*2).
On the other hand, amongst the elder song youkai, they say, "Today's young youkai are just loud and annoying, and their songs make no sense. It's nothing but noise."
Additionally, she also possesses an ability to make humans night-blind with her song, allowing her to not only lure them in but also make them blind to their surroundings.
If one continues to follow the faint light and song on a night road, they will most likely be attacked by this youkai.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I thought that the Prismriver Ensemble hired a vocalist, but when I went closer nothing good came of it."
(Anonymous)

Unlike the Prismrivers, her level of friendliness towards humans is rather low.
Even if you hear a singing voice, you should not approach out of curiosity.

>"While walking along an animal trail, I saw a single food cart decorated with red lanterns. Wondering what it was I went closer, and it turned out it was the night sparrow's stand."
(Boozer Rokusuke)

There are rumors that she has started a food stand.
Perhaps youkai can also become bored.

>"That's definitely not a night sparrow!"
(Anonymous)

Countermeasures:
The only time anyone is affected by this song is when they are walking alone.
If walking in pairs, the person who becomes bewildered by the song can be brought back to reality by the other person who is yet to be affected, so attacks in those situations are very rare.
Thus, the countermeasure would be to not walk alone at night.
This is not just limited to this youkai, but is also the most basic form of protection against other youkai as well.

So, how does one deal with becoming night-blind?
Eating lamprey is good for that.
If you eat some every day, your eyesight will gradually improve.

What must one do to exterminate this youkai?
Since there is little chance of defeating her at night, you must resort to doing it during the day, but since she hides during the day that is not a simple task.
The most effective extermination method is to set up a trap (*3) in the evening, and if you find that she is caught in the trap by morning, extermination follows from there.
If you do not regularly exterminate this kind of youkai, they are liable to get carried away and eventually appear in the human village, so make sure to exterminate them once in a while.


(*1) If she would have been sighted in this form first, she might have not been called a night sparrow.
(*2) It would be better if she weren't, though.
(*3) Birdlime is effective.

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>Chinese Girl
Hoan Meirin

Ability: Using qi
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Scarlet Devil Mansion

Hong Meiling is one of the youkai that lives in the Scarlet Devil Mansion (*1).
She works as the gatekeeper, and thus meets humans more than the other residents of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
She is skilled in martial arts, and doesn't have many unusual youkai-like powers.
Her appearance is no different than a human's. She wears a Chinese-style outfit and has a lightness to her movement.

Unlike many other youkai who specialize in a single ability, she is well-rounded.
Because of that, she's not particularly strong compared to other youkai, but she has no blind spots when facing humans.
Nor has she any particular weak point.
It can be assumed that she was given the job of gatekeeper because of this.

She is unusually human-like for a youkai, and if you talk to her while she is on the job, she will make idle chatter or complain about whatever is on her mind.
She may threaten you with words, but as long as you don't try to break through the gate, she will rarely attack.
You would even think that the person you're talking to might be a human.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"The Scarlet Devil Mansion is terrifying, but thanks to that gatekeeper, it feels friendly."
(Tofu shop owner)

Even so, the fact that terrifying youkai live inside doesn't change.

>"In the morning, when I looked towards the Scarlet Devil Mansion, I saw the gatekeeper dancing a strange, slow dance."
(Anonymous)

It is most likely Tai Chi Chuan.
You must not disturb her.

>"When I passed the Scarlet Devil Mansion at noon, I saw that the gatekeeper was sleeping."
(Anonymous)

She's most likely having a siesta.
You must not disturb her.

Countermeasures:
Perhaps since her meals are provided by the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she isn't a youkai to be feared at all.
As long as you don't provoke her, she isn't dangerous.
You should refrain from breaking through the gate, or sneaking through while she's sleeping.
If you do, she will attack you without mercy.
But even if that happens, if you immediately apologize and retreat, she won't pursue you.

However, when it comes to extermination, things become extremely difficult.
As a master of martial arts, she is highly proficient in battle, and doesn't have any apparent weak points.
Also, since she seldom moves from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, other youkai may come and support her (*2).
In order to exterminate her, the only way is to request a one on one battle with a time limit (*3), and win by overpowering her through a direct attack.
In other words, she may be a good opponent to test your skills (*4).


(*1) The mansion where the devil lives. Explained later.
(*2) In reality, youkai helping other youkai is rare. Most just snicker while watching the battle.
(*3) Humans are at a physical disadvantage against youkai, so a formal match is important.
(*4) In fact, there is a constant stream of such challengers. It is said that the mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion enjoys watching these matches, too.

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>Little Sweet Poison
Medicin Melancory

Ability: Manipulation of poison
Threat level: High
Human friendship level: Poor
Main place of activity: Hill of the Nameless

Even though youkai have long lifespans, naturally, new ones come into being as well.
Medicine Melancholy is one of these newborn youkai.
She was a discarded doll that over time changed into a youkai.
Her form is that of a large doll used in ventriloquism.
It is believed that the original doll from which she came was roughly that size.
Even after becoming a youkai, her body is still that of a doll.

It is believed that the ability to manipulate poison was naturally attained by being left on the Hill of the Nameless (*1), where numerous lilies-of-the-valley bloom, for a long time.
She puts poison in food.
She uses poison to manipulate humans.
She's a threat to humans that are easily affected by poison (*2).

Being a young youkai, her experience and knowledge is overwhelmingly shallow.
She possesses even less knowledge than humans.
Because of this, whether she's dealing with a human or youkai, she doesn't know the meaning of holding back.
She also can't judge how strong her opponent is.
Therefore, she is fearsome.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I thought it was a doll, but when I touched it my skin became inflamed."
(Anonymous)

Merely touching her will have a negative effect on your body.
Terrifying.

>"The other day, this small youkai dropped by the village, but immediately ran away. Was that really a youkai?"
(Anonymous)

It is thought that she has not seen a large number of humans.
However, you must never chase after her.
She may return to spread a poisonous fog over the village.

>"I saw a small doll hopping happily at the Hill of the Nameless. I wonder if the poison from the flowers there got to her."
(Yumetsugu)

She gives the impression that she's defenseless, but that's just a result of her overly shallow experience as a youkai.
Until she matures, it's best to avoid carelessly provoking her.

Countermeasures:
The type of poison is completely unknown.
There are many types of poison: flower's poison, snake's poison, bee's poison, spider's poison, poison that causes inflammation just by touching it and poison that knocks you unconscious just by whiffing it.
Because of that, if one is affected by poison there is no definite treatment method.
You will probably understand the true terror of poison when you confront this youkai.
Just being near her can mean being showered in a poison strong enough to intimidate even youkai.
At this point, it's not the time to be thinking about fighting.
Until this youkai develops mentally, refrain from exterminating her.

Her current weak point is her shallow experience.
She hates humans, but if you skillfully manage your words, you can deceive her easily.
You could pretend to be a human that hates humans.
The strength of her poison is fearsome, and can leave aftereffects.
Poisons that remain latent for a long time and cause delayed effects (*3) are also dangerous.
You must avoid fighting her at all costs.


(*1) It is a hill that has no name. Mentioned later.
(*2) Drinking too much alcohol is poison for the body. If you are pressured to over-imbibe alcohol, you need the courage to refuse.
(*3) Such as alcohol and nicotine.

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>Flower Master of the Four Seasons
Yuka Kazami

Ability: Manipulation of flowers
Threat level: Very high
Human friendship level: Worst
Main place of activity: Garden of the Sun

She lives surrounded by flowers all year round, and if anyone disturbs her, be they youkai or human, she eliminates them with tremendous power no matter what.
She's more like a manifestation of nature rather than a flower youkai, but unlike fairies, she is far more dangerous than any of the youkai introduced so far.
She is usually active in places surrounded by flowers, and seems peaceful at first glance but is merciless towards other creatures.
She wears bright clothes, and her appearance is no different from a human.

The ability to manipulate flowers is something to the extent of being able to make flowers bloom, shift sunflowers to face towards the sun, or restore withered flowers.
This ability is more of an extra; she possesses extremely high magical power and physical abilities. A youkai-like youkai.
She doesn't feel an atom of fear when fighting humans or youkai, and loves rubbing people the wrong way.

As youkai live longer, they become less active.
There are few that take the initiative to attack humans.
It is said that this youkai hasn't moved far from the flowers very often lately.

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Combat Ability:
Completely unrelated to her abilities, she uses her umbrella and scatters flower petals to perform graceful attacks.
It is said that her umbrella is a special parasol that can largely cut ultraviolet rays (*1) and block rain as well.
It can even block danmaku.
Rather than relying on youkai abilities or magic to perform spiritual attacks, she often performs overwhelming physical attacks.
This class of youkai is not interested in us average humans, only paying attention to equally strong youkai or humans with special abilities.

However, it is well known that when those with great power clash, the consequences may be serious for both sides.
To counter this, rules will often be decided beforehand and a formal battle will take place.
When fighting under such rules, even if one could continue after losing, they must recognize their defeat.
Once that is done, the other side will not pursue them further.
That is the wisdom of youkai who have lived long.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"She came to the village to shop. She gave proper greetings, and she didn't seem like she was that strong, but..."
(Flower Shop)

The stronger the youkai, the more polite they normally are.
But you must not cross her.

>"I see her at the shrine a lot. I wonder if that shrine maiden will exterminate her..."
(Anonymous)

The shrine maiden there is infamous for not doing her job.
However, it's said that she's exterminated this youkai several times (*2).

>"I saw her at the Garden of the Sun. Her smile was terrifying, so I immediately ran away."
(Anonymous)

Strong ones are usually smiling (*3).

Countermeasures:
There are no countermeasures; it's impossible for ordinary humans to exterminate her. They can only be vigilant.
Luckily, she isn't interested in boring battles, so as long as you don't attack, set up a trap, or set her field of flowers on fire, you should be fine.
If you come across this youkai battling with someone else, do not get involved.
However, these fights are based on certain rules, so as long as you do not disturb the fight, she'll be polite.
If you can keep your distance, it's also a good idea to watch.
Battles between non-humans are full of breathtaking beauty.


(*1) As explained by the owner of Kourindou.
(*2) Probably bogus.
(*3) Established theory.

>Youkai of Boundaries
Yukari Yakumo

Ability: Manipulation of boundaries
Threat level: Unknown
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Anywhere and everywhere

When talking about youkai-like youkai, the first name that comes to mind is probably Yukari Yakumo.
To start with, she is a youkai that you do not want to deal with. Even besides the fundamental issue of the danger of her ability, this youkai will appear anywhere unexpectedly, her character is lacking in human compassion, and her behavioral principles are completely different from those of humans, to name a few of her issues.
Her appearance is not especially different from that of a human.
She prefers gaudy clothes, and is often seen with a large parasol.
Her main time of activity being at night, she sleeps in the daytime.
All in all, she is a typical youkai (*1).

Though she claims to hibernate through the winter, we have only her word on it and it's unknown where she lives, so this is unconfirmed.
There is an article in the Youkai Encyclopedia from Aichi's (*2) Gensokyo Chronicle from long ago that seems to describe her.
It appears she existed back then as well.

Ability:
The ability to manipulate boundaries is a terrifying ability capable of fundamentally undermining reality.
It goes without saying, but everything is built upon the existence of boundaries.
If there was no water surface, there could be no lake.
If there was no sky line, neither mountain nor sky could exist.
Were it not for the Great Barrier, even Gensokyo itself wouldn't exist.
If there were no boundaries, everything would probably exist as a single enormous object.
Thus, the ability to manipulate boundaries is logically an ability of creation and destruction.
It logically creates a new existence, or conversely negates some existence.
Among the abilities youkai are known to possess, this is one of the most dangerous, comparable even to the power of gods.

She is also capable of moving to an entirely separate location between gaps in space, whether it be her entire body or only a part of her.
It's said that this ability is not limited to physical space, but also applies to the inside of pictures, others' dreams, and even stories.
In addition, she possesses superhuman (*3) intellect, especially concerning mathematics.
Furthermore, due to her long lifespan, she has a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Daily Life:
She is surprisingly talkative, and will gladly tell you all sorts of things about herself or Gensokyo.
However, all of her stories are impossible to confirm, so no one can say how many of them are true.
Her house is said to be located at the boundary between Gensokyo and the outside world like the Hakurei Shrine, but no one has ever actually seen it.
This is because she moves through gaps in space, so she seems to appear out of nowhere and disappear right back into it.
No one can follow her through the gaps, so it's not known if it's true or not (*4).

In addition, she rarely does things herself, leaving all of her day-to-day work to a beast youkai she controls as a shikigami instead.
This shikigami acts in her place while she is sleeping, particularly during the day or in winter.
Also, she has friendships with many similarly long-lived youkai.
Most of her friends are youkai of the strongest class, like Yuyuko Saigyouji of the Netherworld and the oni Suika Ibuki (both described later).

Connection to Gensokyo:
Gensokyo is isolated from the outside by a large magical barrier.
This barrier could be seen as the boundary separating the inside and outside.
However, the outside world and Gensokyo are still physically contiguous, so logically it could be said that the boundary that the barrier forms is what creates the place that we call Gensokyo.
In other words, one could say that with the mere existence of the youkai of boundaries, it's possible for places like Gensokyo to be created and destroyed.
It could be claimed that the fact that a youkai of boundaries lives somewhere unknown in Gensokyo, a land surrounded by an enormous boundary, implies that she must have some deep, vital connection to its formation.

Strangely, this youkai rarely attacks humans.
A youkai that never attacks humans is not a youkai, so she must do so somewhere.
As she can freely visit the outside world, it's speculated that she attacks humans in the outside world (*5).

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Anecdotes About This Youkai:

>Genso-Lunar War
This is a story from over 1000 years ago.
It is said that she once invaded the moon by modifying the boundary between truth and falsehood and plunging into the moon's reflection on the lake's surface.
Although she went in with an army of impudent youkai, they were crushed by the Moon's advanced weaponry.
It is believed because of that incident, youkai usually do not choose to invade beyond the bounds of their territory.
The stories of this event are also what made her powers widely known among humans.

>Youkai Expansion Project
A story from over 500 years ago.
The project refers to a plan designed and implemented by Yukari in order to restore power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who felt pressured by the increase in the human population.
Until then Gensokyo was merely a spot deep in the mountains in the middle of nowhere, but she planned to create a boundary of illusion and reality around Gensokyo, logically creating a new world.
By establishing Gensokyo as an illusionary world, and the outside as the real world, the youkai weakened by the outside world would naturally flock to Gensokyo; this was a truly unprecedented event.
With this, it became the case that even youkai from outside of Japan immigrated to Gensokyo.
The effects of the boundary continue even now.
A clever aspect of the plan was that as youkai disappeared from the outside world, the youkai in Gensokyo became stronger in turn.
As long as the outside world remains in the hands of the humans, Gensokyo will remain in the hands of the youkai.

>The Great Barrier Commotion
This, of course, refers to the existence of the Great Hakurei Barrier (*6).
It is said that this youkai was one of the sages who proposed the creation of the Great Barrier and created what is now Gensokyo.
However, it appears that in the beginning there was some opposition to this plan from a number of youkai, and there was open conflict between them.
As this conflict distracted youkai from their normal attacks against humans, the Great Barrier was widely acclaimed among the humans of Gensokyo.
Eventually, word of the usefulness of the Great Barrier circulated among the youkai, and there are scarcely any that oppose its existence now.

>The Phantom Commotion
The Phantom Commotion refers to the weakening of the boundary between the Netherworld and the world of the living, which has made it easy for the respective denizens of each to cross through it.
It is obvious it was the doings of this youkai.
Since this was the act of a wise youkai, it's possible there was some extraordinary benefit to youkai society in doing this. (*7)
As this is an ongoing incident, the matter remains unresolved.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"Sometimes my food disappears right out from under my nose. I wish she'd stop."
(Reimu Hakurei)

When you're not looking she can slip her hand through a gap in space and take things from far away.

>"She keeps poppin' into my house and I wish she'd cut it out. Can't she at least use the door like a normal person?"
(Marisa Kirisame)

Her elusiveness can go too far.

Countermeasures:
She seldom appears in the human village.
Barring unusual circumstances, she is unlikely to attack normal humans.
No matter how confident one is in their abilities, it would be wise not to attempt to exterminate this youkai.
Though as long as the fighting is not too vicious, she would likely make allowances for the strength of her opponent.

In any case, there is neither any sort of defense against nor weak point in the ability to manipulate boundaries.
Her intellect far surpasses those of humans, and her physical strength is what you would expect from a youkai.
You probably don't even have a one in a million chance of winning against her.
Excepting, of course, the countermeasure of approaching her in a polite manner.


(*1) Recently, as the number of nocturnal humans increases, so has the number of diurnal youkai.
(*2) The Gensokyo Chronicle written by the first member of the Hieda line, more than 1200 years ago.
(*3) She's a youkai, so it's natural that she is superhuman.
(*4) There are rumors her house is located in the outside world.
(*5) There are rumors that she is a youkai from the outside world who simply comes to Gensokyo for amusement. Indeed, she may spend the winters and the daytime, when she claims to be sleeping, in the outside world, and some even say that the world in Yukari's dreams IS the outside world
(*6) The boundary separating Gensokyo and the outside world. It's a boundary of logic, but it is said to have become extremely difficult for humans and youkai alike to pass through it, so it's clearly a strong boundary.
(*7) I have been unable to confirm this in my lifetime.

>Otherworldly Magical Beings
Magicians

Usual threat level: Normal
Frequency of encounter: Low
Variety: Low
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
One who has become possessed by magic, such that one's body itself is powered by magic; this type of youkai is known as a magician.
Their livelihood revolves around magical research, spending their days thinking about new spells.
Among youkai, they are the most similar to humans.

There are two types of magicians: those who were born as magicians and humans who became magicians.
At the point when they completely become magicians, their growth (aging) stops (*1).
Those who were born as magicians, from the start, are only able to use magic, and just like humans, they grow, age, and have a limited lifespan.
Then, when they learn "abandon worms" magic (*2), they become long-lived, complete magicians.
In the case of those who were originally human, in continuing their study of magic, it is when they learn "abandon food" magic (*3) that they become magicians.
After that, it's the same as for normal magicians.
In any case, becoming a member of the magician race takes quite a bit of time.

Since they continue to grow old like humans up until that point, in general there are many aged wizards and witches.
However, in Gensokyo, magical research is more advanced and learning magic is simple.
Thus, there are more than a few young (childish) magicians in Gensokyo.
There's no way to tell them apart from humans by their appearance.
Their bodies are nearly the same as humans', so they are frail in comparison to other youkai.
They're generally intelligent, studious people with a lot of knowledge, but they tend to be hikikomori and not leave their homes.

Potential Harm:
>Sacrifice, Theft, Abduction, Fraud
The most likely cause of harm is theft of livestock.
Living livestock is necessary for large-scale magic, and it seems there is a serious livestock shortage among magicians.
In addition, they often steal food and drink (especially liquor), and curios such as moon rocks.
At worst, they might even steal children (*4).

Also, they can use magic which is similar to sleight of hand and commit fraud.
Perhaps performing magic requires money, but they will take any means necessary to raise funds.
Be particularly cautious if you see someone selling shady magic props on the roadside.

Countermeasures:
The most important thing is to not trust magicians.
Fortunately, their bodies are only about as strong as that of an ordinary human, so running away is simple.
A magician who is properly prepared is so strong that they can take on any kind of youkai.
However, they are weak to surprise attacks, and are not good at close combat or lengthy conflicts.
The most fundamental thing is to be careful not to fall into a magician's trap, which will not happen without entering their territory.
If you happen to do so, your best options are either to immediately run away or to boldly approach them.


(*1) There are those who repeatedly cast magic to restore their youth, but...
(*2) Magic to stop one's growth. It can only be used on oneself.
(*3) Magic that allows you to compensate for not eating food via magic power. It can only be used on oneself.
(*4) Sometimes the children become the magicians' apprentices.

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>Seven-Colored Puppeteer
Alice Margatroid

Ability: Manipulation of dolls
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Any kind of place

The magician that appears in front of crowds during festivals and displays her performances with her dolls would be Alice Margatroid.
She is an artistic magician who manipulates dolls with magic and makes it appear as if they were alive.
She has blond hair and pale skin, looking very much like a doll herself.

She is the type of magician that was originally human and became one through training.
Because of this, she is very understanding of humans.
However, her history as a magician is short, and she is a novice.
She still eats and sleeps and does everything a human would, despite not needing to do so.

She usually lives in a cozy western house in the Forest of Magic.
If you happen to wander into the Forest of Magic, lose your way and end up at her house, it is said that she will cheerfully allow you to stay the night.
However, while she says that, all she does is research magic and control her dolls without really conversing, which is unsettling, so it seems one would want to run away as soon as possible (*1).

Ability:
Doll manipulation magic is magic that makes it seem as if the dolls were alive.
The magic does not give life to the dolls, but rather allows the user to control them with magical strings, so long distance manipulation is very difficult.
However, dolls cannot defy orders or harm their user.

It is not the case that all her dolls are specially made; rather, many of them are simply normal dolls.
Most of them were handmade by her.
By attaching magical threads to her handmade dolls, she manipulates them freely (*2).

Daily Life:
It is said that cooking, laundry, cleaning and other household chores are mostly done by her dolls.
It seems convenient at first, but the dolls are not moving by themselves, so she always has her hands full concentrating.
It is said that she can make her dolls move in nearly any way a human can.
She can even have her dolls control other dolls.

However, there is one thing she does not have her dolls do.
That is creating dolls.
It seems to be the only thing she does by her own hands.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"She said that she controls all the dolls herself, but that sounds like a whopper."
(Marisa Kirisame)

I believe people who have seen her would understand, but she controls several dolls and makes each one perform separate actions, at times makes them cooperate, and other times moving them completely asynchronously.
It really does not seem like she is controlling them, but...

>"There were a large number of dolls floating down the river. Wasn't that the work of a doll youkai?"
(Anonymous)

That might be nagashi-bina(*3).

>"A while ago, I saw a weird doll with another doll inside it. Isn't that the work of a doll youkai?"
(Reimu Hakurei)

That's a matryoshka doll.

Countermeasures:
Since she was originally human, she most likely rarely attacks humans.
However, she unexpectedly enjoys battles, and if you challenge her she will gladly accept.
Since she is accompanied by her dolls, if you challenge her, you will find yourself highly outnumbered.
Since she is accompanied by her dolls, if you challenge her, you will find yourself highly outnumbered.
Unless you are very confident in your abilities, a difficult battle is inevitable.

Even if you defeat a few of her dolls, it will be as meaningless as pouring water over a hot stone.
Besides, she even makes her dolls explode.
You must not attack the dolls.

She may seem like a youkai that is difficult to deal with, but she has a weak point.
That is Alice herself.
She has her hands full manipulating the dolls, so her movements are sluggish and her fighting ability is low.
If you are ever in a match with her, aim for her directly.


(*1) However, running into the Forest of Magic at night is also scary, so you would have no choice but to bear with it.
(*2) She is very dexterous. However, magical threads are not controlled by hands, but by magic.
(*3) The act of transferring misfortune and impurity onto dolls and floating them down a river. Lately, it is believed to cause pollution so this practice has waned.

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>The Unmoving Great Library
Patchouli Knowledge

Ability: Use of magic (mainly elemental)
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Scarlet Devil Mansion

Said to be the brains of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, the manor where devils live, is a magician known as Patchouli Knowledge.
It is her role to resolve problems that occur there (*1).
She has long hair, but otherwise her appearance is indistinguishable from a human's.
She is a natural-born magician, and it is said she has lived for over a hundred years.
Astonishingly, it is also said she has spent most of those hundred years reading books.

She is proficient in various types of magic and earnestly researches new spells.
Whenever she devises a new spell, she inscribes it into a magic book, expanding the library.
It's unknown when exactly she settled into the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but judging by the size of the library, it must have been a considerable time ago.

Ability:
She is a magician's magician, able to cast various sorts of magic.
She mainly uses elemental magic.
Elemental magic borrows on the power of fairies and spirits to result in an output greatly exceeding the small input.
Elemental magic is comprised of seven varieties: "wood," for life and awakening; "fire," for change and movement; "earth," for foundation and immobility; "metal," for wealth and abundance; "water," for silence and purification; "sun," for activity and offense; "moon," for passivity and defense.
While being able to use magic from all these elements, the surprising part is that it seems she is able to cast spells that combine two or more elements.
Moreover, her variations are extraordinarily abundant. She can combine fire and wood to increase her power, or combine fire and earth to cover her weaknesses, and much more.

Grimoires and the Great Library:
Grimoires, or magic books, are not simply books, but are magical items with magic power sealed inside.
Their contents are not simply directions on how to cast magic, but also the secret keys to the use of that magic itself.
In theory, anyone could cast a spell if they had the appropriate magic book, but without finding the key inside, it's said it would not be possible to even discern the words written within.
One cannot find the key if they do not possess equal or greater skill than the person who wrote the grimoire.
The letters written in the book are not the system used by humans, but are said to be divine-era hiragana, or perhaps the original Japanese writing system.

Also, there is a great library beneath the Scarlet Devil Mansion filled with veritable mountains of magic books.
There are many magic books that she has written, as well as many that no one has been able to read.
The library holds a great many books besides magic books, as well.
Most of this material consists of books from the outside world (*2).

Eyewitness Reports:
>"That library reeks of mold."
(Marisa Kirisame)

Since Japan is quite humid, archives are typically built in well-ventilated areas.
Since the Scarlet Devil Mansion is a Western-style building, it may not have been made with Japanese climates in mind.

>"I find a readable book mixed in occasionally."
(Reimu Hakurei)

One can read a book from the outside world just like any other book.
I would also like to try reading one.

Countermeasures:
The characteristic of elemental magic is to create great effects from a small amount of power, but it has drawbacks as well.
Specifically, each element has its own weak point.
This applies to her magic as well.
If by some chance you end up in a battle with her, you must stay alert to which element of magic she is using while fighting her.
But since she seldom leaves the Scarlet Devil Mansion, battles with her are extremely rare.
As long as you do not break into the Mansion, you won't end up fighting her.

In addition, her physical abilities are poorer than that of a human's.
Since she is asthmatic (*3), she can't exert herself too much, lest it becomes difficult to breathe.
This places her in an unusual category among youkai.


(*1) At the same time, it is her role to cause problems as well.
(*2) Gensokyo's books are primarily handwritten. There are few properly bound and published books.
(*3) As is characteristic for a magician, she can speak extremely quickly in a low voice. It feels suffocating just to watch her speak so quickly even with asthma.

>Animals with Exceptional Power and Wisdom
Beast Youkai

Usual threat level: High
Frequency of encounters: Medium
Variety: High
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
Though at first glance they seem to be regular animals, these creatures are intelligent enough to understand human speech and have extraordinary physical abilities. Some of them can also use sorcery.
This kind of creature is termed a beast youkai.
Many of them act as leaders for ordinary animals.
A defining feature of beast youkai is that they are very corporeally inclined.
Their physical prowess is outstanding (*1), but should their bodies be destroyed, they will have great difficulty regenerating.
Unlike normal youkai, they're resistant against mental attacks (*2).

Ordinarily, their appearance, dispostion, and abilities are heavily influenced by the animal from which they originated.
They feel a strong sense of solidarity with the rest of their respective species, and will tolerate no harm to any of their kin.
Their diets tend to be omnivorous with a preference for meat, especially human flesh.

It is said that an animal that has eaten enough virtuous humans becomes a beast youkai (*3).
Many of them are very ferocious, and since the frequency of encountering one is somewhat high, you must be careful of this type of youkai.
Also, more tails generally means higher youkai power, so you can use this to estimate their strength.

Potential Harm:
>Injury, Predation
Most of their danger comes from direct attacks.
Even if they can only scratch with their sharp claws or bite with their teeth, they are a threat to humans.
It's possible to be injured even if you don't directly get involved with beast youkai. For example, if you catch a rabbit, a youkai rabbit may take revenge on you if it notices.
Also, you must be even more careful of beast youkai that can use sorcery.

Countermeasures:
Because of the difference in physical abilities, humans are at an overwhelming disadvantage in a frontal attack.
However, because they tend to lack intelligence, they often fall into traps set by humans.
Sometimes they'll get caught in rabbit traps.
If one of them is threatening to fight you, it's probably because it's hungry.
If you have food on hand, there's a good chance you can escape by offering it to them and running.
In the worst case, if you don't have any food on hand, or you meet them one after another and you've just given away your food, all you can do is pray.


(*1) Swift feet, the ability to jump high, having great strength, being able to see even in the dark, to see and hear things from afar, having delicious meat, etc.
(*2) They're airheads.
(*3) Monks who've done a lot of training would be suitable targets.

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>Black Cat of Bad Omens
Chen

Ability: Use of sorcery
Threat level: Medium
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Animal trails, Youkai Mountain

A bakeneko whose appearance and threat level are the most standard of the youkai beasts.
Even so, Chen is also a shikigami (*1) in service to Ran Yakumo (explained later).
She is a classic bakeneko with long claws and two long tails (*2).
While possessed in a shikigami state, she can use various kinds of sorcery and is extremely dangerous, but is weak to water.

If she is doused in water, she will cease to be a shikigami and become a normal bakeneko.
As a normal bakeneko, she'll become more feral and resort to more physical means such as biting and clawing, but she still hates water.
If you douse her again, her movements will further falter.

She looks the same as a shikigami and as a bakeneko.
She appears smart because she is capable of understanding human speech and uses various kinds of sorcery when possessed, but in reality she possesses the intellect of a human child about the age she appears.
She spends most of her time on Youkai Mountain and occasionally comes down to the human village to attack people.
However, it's said she follows the will of Ran Yakumo and Yukari Yakumo when she is serving as a shikigami.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"There was a huge cat lying inside the kotatsu. It was about as big as a person. No, really."
(Anonymous)

Cats curl up under the kotatsu in winter.

>"A bunch of cats had gathered behind our house. We splashed them with water and they ran off."
(Anonymous)

It seems the cats assemble regularly when people aren't watching.
It appears that the leader of these gatherings is this bakeneko.

>"Sometimes the pillars on our house are all scratched up. I bet it's because of this bakeneko."
(Anonymous)

She might be sharpening her claws, but one among the class of bakeneko would probably just use nail clippers or scissors.

Countermeasures:
Bakeneko are very nimble, and they're also quite strong.
If she is serious in a fight, even running away would be difficult.
However, she has many weaknesses.

First, she hates water.
She won't go out if it's raining, and if you run out to the middle of a river, she probably wouldn't pursue.
She's also weak against catnip
If you sprinkle some dried catnip around, she'll quickly lose all interest in fighting.

The types of sorcery she uses focus on using speed and tricky movements to confuse her opponents.
For example, if you think you see her dash off to the left, she'll attack from the right.
This is a technique that relies on speed and precise movement, so it's very similar to sleight of hand (*3).


(*1) Shikigami aren't a particular class of youkai, but is more like a software that are put on them. When this software runs, we write that here as being "possessed".
(*2) It's unknown whether she has paws.
(*3) When she starts moving to the left, and then returns to the right at high speed, she moves so quickly humans lose sight of her, which makes it appear to be instant teleportation.

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>Scheming Nine-Tailed Fox
Ran Yakumo

Ability: Use of shikigami
Threat level: High
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Anywhere

It is said that the more tails a beast has, the more powerful it is, and the longer they are, the more clever it becomes.
The widely regarded authority among beasts is this nine-tailed fox youkai, Ran Yakumo (*1).
A fox with nine large tails, her prestigious pedigree displays her divinity.
The one who has enslaved this strongest of the beasts and uses her for various mundane tasks is the strongest youkai, Yukari Yakumo (*2).

Ran is Yukari's shikigami
As a shikigami, Ran must do whatever Yukari commands, but she is also capable of using shikigami of her own.
Ran's shikigami is Chen.
However, Chen is too unreliable for Ran to depend on.

Ran is incredibly intelligent and especially good at mathematics.
It is said that she is capable of doing complex calculations far above anything a human can attempt in an instant.
However, her forte is the analysis of existing phenomena, rather than that of new concepts (*3).
She lives in the same house as Yukari Yakumo, and appears in Gensokyo in her place.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"That fox came here a while ago to buy some fried tofu. She properly paid for it and everything, even though she's an animal."
(Tofu shop owner)

Once you reach a certain level of intelligence, you feel ashamed at acts such as theft.
This is true for both humans and youkai.

>"Lately, a nine-tailed fox has been wandering around the edge of the village like it's been sizing up something. I wonder what the youkai are planning; it's scary."
(Anonymous)

There's no need for concern.
This fox is merely making sure no untoward changes occur in Gensokyo, that the border experiences no degradation and performing other such checks.
These duties were originally performed by Yukari Yakumo, but it seems that Yukari grew tired of them and Ran now performs them in her stead.

>"Her tails look so warm."
(Reimu Hakurei)

Of course they're warm.
She's the strongest beast, after all.

Countermeasures:
She's intelligent, powerful and very fast.
You should not challenge her unless you are extremely confident in your skills.
Fortunately, she has a gentle personality and she takes no pleasure in self-aggrandizing combat, so one is unlikely to be attacked beyond reason.
However, you must be prepared to do battle if you disrupt her work.

She has no particular weaknesses, but she is extremely fond of fried tofu, so you may be able to avoid combat by offering her some.
It's probably wise to carry fried tofu with you as a good-luck charm when walking animal trails.
She appears in the human village from time to time, but there's no need to fear her then.
She has only come to shop.


(*1) This name is one given by her master, Yukari. Her real name is unknown.
(*2) Therefore, they're an unbeatable pair.
(*3) Shikigami on the outside world are called computers, and are said to be used for similar purposes.

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>Lunatic Red Eyes
Reisen Udongein Inaba

Ability: Manipulation of insanity
Threat level: Unknown
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Bamboo Forest of the Lost

Reisen Udongein Inaba, the youkai rabbit whose dissimilitude with other beasts makes her all the more unusual.
In contrast to most beasts' feral nature, she has an upright posture.
Her movement is rather slow for a beast as well.
Furthermore, she does not attack humans.
In fact, she tends to avoid them.

She has extremely long ears and hair.
She is certainly one-of-a-kind among the youkai rabbits in all respects.
Tewi Inaba acts as leader of the rabbits, but she gives orders to Tewi (*1).
This makes her the de facto leader of the rabbits.

It's said you'll go mad if you look directly into her red eyes.
In addition, her voice is said to have unusual effects as well. For example, you may be unable to perceive what she's saying even if you hear her perfectly, or you may hear her as if she were whispering into your ears, even though she's far away.
Thanks to phenomena such as these, it's hard to have a proper conversation with her.

She can usually be found where she lives, at Eientei in the Bamboo Forest.
Her routine there is unknown, but occasionally she can be seen in the human village selling medicine.
She's well known for walking about with a large supply of dubious drugs(*2).

Lunatic Ability:
The ability to manipulate insanity is essentially the power to make you go mad, that is, controlling the waves that reside in all things.
Increasing the wavelengths, that is, making the subject carefree, results in an apathetic lethargy.
Decreasing the wavelengths, that is, bringing madness to the subject, results in emotional instability and leaves the subject unable to converse with others.
Increasing the amplitude results in an excess of existence, which allows her to transmit thoughts no matter how far.
Synchronizing the waves' phases causes interference to vanish, which makes it impossible to touch anything.
Offsetting the phases negates existence and completely hides the subject's form.
By using various effects such as these, she can induce madness.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"It was early in the morning and I'd gone to cut bamboo in the forest. Suddenly, it felt as if all the bamboo was lookin' down on me. My back started achin', so I had to stand up. Then, I saw a strange youkai rabbit. She was lookin' at the sky and mutterin' under her breath. It looked like she was talkin' to someone, but there was nothin' there but the fallin' moon ... I decided to leave because it was gettin' creepy, but then she turned around and realized I was there. I wonder if it was just a dream..."
(The Old Woodcutter)

Maybe it was, perhaps (*3).
As this youkai rabbit acts in such a mysterious fashion, there is so much that is unknown about her.

Countermeasures:
There are no reports of this youkai attacking humans.
However, she can't exactly be considered friendly, either. For example, whenever she comes to the human village to sell medicines, she disappears back into the forest as soon as her work has ended.
She seems to prefer the same sorts of foods that humans eat.
Even in this fashion she differs from most youkai.
However, one must make certain not to look directly into her red eyes.
They have an effect of the same sort as the full moon, and will certainly make you go mad.


(*1) An as-yet unfounded rumor is that Tewi seems to listen to little of what she says.
(*2) Probably bitter medicine or the like.
(*3) Or perhaps it was an old man being... that.

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>Bare White Rabbit of Good Fortune
Tei Inaba

Ability: Can bring fortune to humans
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Bamboo Forest of the Lost

Tewi Inaba is the youkai rabbit that acts as the leader of the wild rabbits.
She is a rabbit who has managed to live a long life by taking good care of her health.
She can assume human form and understand human speech.

This youkai rabbit is also known as the Rabbit of Good Fortune, and it's said that those who see her will be blessed with good luck.
However, not only is she very fleet-footed, but she spends much of her time in the Bamboo Forest, so it isn't very easy to find her.

Her personality is quite mischievous, but has cowardly and cunning sides as well.
She is extremely emotional, to the point that her personality is not unlike a fairy's.
It is said she spends most of her time in the Bamboo Forest and lives at Eientei.
In fact, she has lived in the Bamboo Forest since before Eientei was built, and is said to be one of the longest-lived youkai in Gensokyo (*1).

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I finally found that rabbit in the bamboo forest just now! I'm sure Lady Luck will be visiting me from now on..."
(Anonymous)

Good fortune does not last very long, so you may have exhausted your share merely by making it back safely from the forest.

>"Ah, rabbit meat is plain so it goes well with any other side dish."
(Owner of Kourindou)

Rabbit meat is just one kind of popular cuisine in Gensokyo (*2).

>"Even if I catch rabbits in my traps, there are never any youkai rabbits inside."
(Anonymous)

Of course, youkai rabbits are pretty intelligent.

Countermeasures:
Due to her reputation as a bringer of good fortune, she is unusually popular among humans for a youkai, but finding her is not a simple matter.
Her tendency to stay in the Bamboo Forest only compounds the problem.
Entering the forest to find this rabbit would certainly be reckless.
The dense fog and monotonous scenery in the bamboo forest confuses your sense of direction, not to mention the many youkai living there, so it's unwise to enter it unprepared.

One might say that it would be good fortune enough merely to find her at all.
It may be that good fortune only visits those who were fortunate to begin with (*3).
Incidentally, compared to a four-leaf clover, her good fortune is that of a forty-leaf clover.


(*1) Her presence had already been confirmed at the time the Gensokyo Chronicle was first compiled.
(*2) It's a favorite of mine, as well.
(*3) Of course.

>Warped Were-Youkai
Lycaony

Usual threat level: Low
Frequency of encounters: Medium
Variety: Normal
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
Therianthropes are those who normally live as humans, but become youkai under certain circumstances.
When they are living as humans, this does not mean they are pretending to be human. Rather, they are practically no different from humans. (*1)
When they become animals, though, their physical abilities abruptly increase, and they become as powerful as beasts.
However, many of them retain their memories from being human, so they are often more intelligent than beasts.
While they rarely attack humans, their habitat range is nearly exact to that of humans, so caution is necessary.

Therianthropy can be hereditary or acquired. In contrast to the hereditary type, which is decided by lineage, acquired therianthropy occurs by being cursed or enchanted or having a magic spell cast upon them.
Numerous hereditary therianthropes assume a completely animal form when they change, but acquired ones often retain their human shape as an animal. (*2)
Also, the conditions that cause the transformation vary, but the major ones include looking at a full moon, drinking wine, becoming genuinely angry and being doused with water. (*3)

Potential Harm:
>Destructive Activity, Sinus Inflammation
Damage is basically on the low side.
There are times when agitated therianthropes lay waste to a village, but by large, most therianthropes coexist peaceably with humans, helping with tasks involving manual labor or using their abilities to drive away youkai.
Befriending them, even as humans, has many advantages, so they are popular youkai.
However, some people may experience sinus inflammation from their animal hair.

Countermeasures:
Do not show surprise or fear if a neighbor suddenly turns into an animal.
If one shows more fear than necessary, even a therianthrope will become agitated, putting one in danger.
At such times, stay calm and attempt to engage in natural conversation, such as "My, your fur looks even better than usual today," or "Say, who did your magnificent horns? Not THE Jinbei Echigoya?" (*4)
There is absolutely no disadvantage to being friendly with a therianthrope.
If you suffer from sinus inflammation, tea is moderately effective, so drink it daily.


(*1) Some mature late in life and have protracted life spans.
(*2) Save for having horns, fangs, and/or tails.
(*3) The resulting animals are often dogs, wolves, cats, pandas or piglets.
(*4) Whatever is appropriate for the situation.

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>History-Eating Half-Beast
Keine Kamishirasawa

Ability: Power to consume history (human form)
Power to create history (beast form)
Threat level: Low
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Human Village

Rich in knowledge, the wisest of the therianthrope is Keine Kamishirasawa.
Upon seeing the full moon, she will transform into a hakutaku (*1).
A hakutaku is a youkai which appears to virtuous rulers at the beginning of their reign, warning them of future calamities and guiding them on the path of righteousness.

She can erase history when human, and when she becomes a hakutaku, she can create history.
Gensokyo's history is one created by her (*2).
Regarding history, things do not become history merely by happening.
Things do not become history unless someone records it as history.
She can fabricate history that didn't happen, or conversely, erase from history incidents which actually did happen.
History is reality, seen from a single point of view.
It would not be too much to say the power of the hakutaku is used to create favorable histories for those virtuous rulers.

She lives in the human village, where she runs a temple school and records history there every day (*3).
Such is her profession.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"The temple school lessons are difficult to understand, tedious, and really boring. Can't you do something?"
(Leader's son)

She is not good at entertaining others.

>"So why don't you come to the temple school, Akyuu?"
(Florist's daughter)

If I were the one teaching, it would certainly be more interesting.
But a lesson is meaningless if it's merely interesting.

>"No, that's not what I meant. As a student!"
(Florist's daughter)

Well, I already know everything she teaches...
Most of the lessons are a summary of my records, anyway...

Countermeasures:
Although she's a little stubborn, since she has no ill will towards humans, there's no need to be afraid.
However, if you forget your homework, a fearful punishment is waiting (*4).
She is often seen, since she normally lives in the human village.
At that time, you should greet her.
It seems that she dislikes people who are discourteous.

Also, she becomes a hakutaku on the night of the full moon.
As she has a month of work on which to catch up at this time, she is often on edge.
Therefore, refrain from visiting her on the night of the full moon (*5).


(*1) Incidentally, it's an acquired characteristic.
(*2) The Hieda family's Gensokyo Chronicles is beyond her powers. Thus, it is not her history but ours.
(*3) She also has close relations with the Hieda family. The vast quantity of information the Hieda family has collected over a thousand years is useful for her lessons.
(*4) Such as a headbutt.
(*5) When she has grown horns, her headbutts are painful.

>>51016629
on nights with a moon patchouli transforms into a piglet

>>50995706
Pretty funny how Yukari is intended to be the mysterious mystery character yet here's an entire short story written entirely from her POV with her thoughts
>>50998450
Feels kinda underappreciated imo peak Akyuute content
>>51001408
ah with a single line the birth of the flying onahole
To be fair the strange emphasis / encouragement Akyuu places on capturing the other fairies to "vent your anger out on them" isn't helping

>The Embodiments of Charisma
Vampires

Usual threat level: Very high
Variety: Very low
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Night

Characteristics:
Of the newer youkai that have emerged only within the last few centuries, vampires are among the strongest of them, strong enough to take part in the power-balance of Gensokyo (*1) by now.
During the day they spend their time in their mansion, and once night comes they become active; they are the Lords of the Night.
Their main diet consists of the blood of humans. Those whose blood has been sucked by one will neither die nor become a ghost. They will turn into a zombie for a while before evaporating under the sunlight.
They went on a rampage when they first appeared in Gensokyo, lost against powerful youkai, and settled down after agreeing to a contract (*2).
The details of this contract are that the youkai will offer them humans from which to feed (*3); in return, the vampires will not attack humans living in Gensokyo.
Of course, the contract remains in effect to this day.
Vampires have tremendous physical abilities and magical power: they are able to uproot a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly, to run through the human village within the blink of an eye, to summon many devils with a single word, to turn into bats or even mist to intrude anywhere they please, and they can recover within a single night even when their body is blown away, so long as their head is intact.
Some youkai have abilities to this level of power, but only vampires are known to possess all of them.
Because of this, they have charisma of the highest class.

However, perhaps due to their extraordinary abilities, they have many weaknesses.
First, they are weak against sunlight, so they are docile during the day.
Neither can they move through flowing water, so they are docile on rainy days. They also cannot cross rivers.
They can't approach a sardine head or a broken holly branch.
Their skin will be burnt if someone throws roasted basedbeans at them (*4).

Potential Harm:
>Disaster
Those as powerful as vampires are usually forbidden to directly assault humans.
So, they aren't so dangerous even if you happen to meet one.
Instead, they cause many disasters that affect the whole of Gensokyo.
They can create abnormalities in everything including natural phenomena with no warning, for selfish reasons, which will always lead to endangering human life no matter what is affected.
Most of these reasons are out of mere curiosity, and they will cease once they tire of it.

Countermeasures:
Once a disaster has occurred, there is no choice but to seek help from a specialist who has the power to resolve it.
The only thing an average human can do is find a way to survive.
Aside from these times, vampires are relatively polite.
They are usually not a threat.
But that doesn't mean you should anger them.
You shouldn't do something that strikes one of their weaknesses, even by accident.
A halfhearted attack will only result in enraging them.


(*1) The others consist of individual youkai, youkai living in the mountains (tengu, kappa and such), humans and animals.
(*2) A devil's contract is absolute, thus one can never betray it.
(*3) It is said these are humans from the outside world or those whose deaths are of no consequence (suicidal, etc.).
(*4) However, they seem to like natto (fermented basedbeans).

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>The Scarlet Devil
Remilia Scarlet

Ability: Manipulation of fate
Threat level: Very high
Human friendship level: Very low
Main place of activity: Around the Scarlet Devil Mansion

If one refers to vampires that are known to exist in Gensokyo, they must be the Scarlet family living in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Its mistress is the Scarlet Devil (*1), Remilia Scarlet.
Her appearance and behavior might seem childish, but she has actually lived for more than 500 years and possesses amazing physical powers, as vampires do.
She's short and looks as a little girl under the age of ten, but she has wings with a span wider than her height, and by looking at her silhouette, she may seem quite large.
Her ego is large as well.
Her actions are similarly childlike, and combined with her amazing strength and inexhaustible curiosity make her a fearsome devil that may explode at any time.

She sleeps during the day in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. At night, she takes walks or hosts a party and has as much fun as she can before becoming tired and returning to her slumber.
It is not sure whether or not she is using her ability to manipulate fate consciously, but it is said misfortune will befall those who are merely in her vicinity, and she can cause great change in the state of the daily lives of others with but a word.
For example, becoming more likely to encounter rare things (*2).

Anecdotes About This Youkai:
>Scarlet Mist Incident
This incident led to many humans learning of the existence of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
There was an incident where Gensokyo was shrouded in a deep red mist so the sunlight could not reach the Earth, leading to a summer with low temperatures.
Merely inhaling the mist will make you feel sick, and this led to people being unable to leave not only the human village, but even their homes over the course of the next several days.
It was Remilia behind the appearance of this mist, with the selfish intent of blocking the sunlight so that she could remain active during the day as well.
It's said that in the end, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine punished her to bring an end this incident.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"I saw her at a cherry blossom-viewing party. She was using a parasol. If she's weak to sunlight, why doesn't she wait until night?"
(Anonymous)

She is a vampire who is often spotted in the daytime as well.
It seems that parasols are ideal in blocking ultraviolet rays.

>"I saw her at a cherry blossom-viewing party at night. I guess she does it then since she's weak to sunlight."
(Anonymous)

Rather, it is highly possible she was at viewing parties for the entire day.

>"I was wounded and could barely move, but someone from the Scarlet Devil Mansion helped me and let me lodge in. They call it the Devil's Mansion, but she was unexpectedly kind. However, there wasn't anything much to eat, and since it was very noisy during the night, I couldn't sleep, so I ran away as soon as I could."
(Anonymous)

Vampires are surprisingly polite.
Especially since they try not to eat the humans in Gensokyo.
However, it might be that your fate to 'die like an animal' had been altered (*3).

Countermeasures:
Although she is a youkai with many weak points, it is not a good idea to exploit them and agitate her.
Since she cannot be exterminated under normal circumstances, you will most likely anger her and simply be blown away.
Since she has abundant curiosity, she may choose to invite humans to her parties or play in the human villages on a whim.
However, because she is childish, you must be careful not to render her in a bad mood. Otherwise, there may be terrifying consequences.
You will have to put up with her selfishness.
She thinks that nobody is superior to her, not only among humans but among youkai as well.
Because of her haughty attitude, she is friendly to none.


(*1) She was called the Scarlet Devil before coming to Gensokyo. This came from the fact that she often spills blood and stains her white clothes.
(*2) Actual results may vary, but there are no visual indication of when her ability is in effect.
(*3) Depending on how she changed fate, you might even become a half-human, half-youkai.

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>Sister of the Devil
Frandle Scarlet

Ability: Destruction of anything and everything
Threat level: Very high
Human friendship level: Very low
Main place of activity: Scarlet Devil Mansion

There are two vampires in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
The older sister and the mansion's mistress, Remilia Scarlet, and her younger sister, Flandre Scarlet.
Flandre seldom leaves the Scarlet Devil Mansion (*1), but her existence has been confirmed by humans that enter it on occasion.
She has unusual seven-colored wings, and her hair is a light blond color, but her build and apparent age are similar to that of her older sister, Remilia.
The two wings on her back are of an irregular shape unlike those of any living creature, youkai or ghost.

She has few friends even among the youkai of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and spends most of her time in isolation.
Even her older sister Remilia is seldom seen together with her.
As a result, much about her is shrouded in mystery.
It is said she possesses the ability to destroy anything at all even without touching them.
Everything that is made for her to play with ends up broken, so she probably doesn't have many playmates.
Her method of destroying things so effortlessly involves pouring her power into the "eyes" of any material where its tension is the highest.
She can use her ability to cause these "eyes" to move into the palm of her hand.
In other words, by crushing the "eye" held within her hand (*2), she causes things to break.
It's a truly frightening ability with no real weaknesses.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"Sometimes when I sneak into the Scarlet Devil Mansion like I own it, I run into the little sister. I had to slip by without drawin' her attention, but after goin' through all that to get into the place, I was hopin' I wouldn't run into her."
(Marisa Kirisame)

What a terribly selfish report.

>"I doubt she can fly with those wings."
(Reimu Hakurei)

It is plausible she cannot (*3).

>"I saw her shadow wandering around the mansion while I was at an outdoor party at the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It was truly frightening. I knew it was her just from the silhouette, but she doesn't get to join many parties."
(Anonymous)

Almost like something from a horror story.

Countermeasures:
Since it's unlikely anyone will ever see or meet her, there isn't anything of which to be aware, but all you need to remember is that there are two vampires that live in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.
Even if her older sister Remilia is away, you should remember that there's another vampire inside the mansion, and not sneak in unprepared.
There are many mysteries to her abilities, and such simple things as the range of her ability and how to defeat her are unknown.
The one thing that can be said is that it is an extremely dangerous ability.
On top of that, she also possesses the usual superhuman strength attributed to vampires, so it would surely be impossible to put up a fight against her.

(*1) Perhaps she's locked away, but it's also rumored she's a shut-in.
(*2) When she clenches her fist, the subject breaks.
(*3) Don't worry, everyone is able to fly even without wings.

>Pure Human Spirits
Ghosts

Usual threat level: Very high
Frequency of encounters: Low
Variety: Low
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
The souls of the dead who don't realize that they have died or whose unwillingness to recognize death is too strong will be unable to achieve nirvana, becoming ghosts.
Ghosts are different from phantoms, since they keep the appearance they did while alive, can touch and speak, and can't be told apart from a normal human by a casual observer.
Their body temperature isn't low, and the only living things that can become ghosts are humans.
As a large number of ghosts are unable to traverse the river, they remain in the realms of the living, or cross over to the Netherworld or to Hell.
In any case, there is absolutely no chance of reincarnation.
If you become a ghost one day, until you accomplish your objective or your body is ceremoniously buried, you won't achieve nirvana (*1).

Ghosts can easily influence the human heart with just their voices, so it is dangerous to carelessly talk to one.
Ghosts who carry grudges are a particularly dangerous threat, so you should somehow find the body (*2) and have the burial ceremony.
Therefore, a ghost's weak point is its body (*3).
Ghosts hide their corpses and never reveal them to people.

They don't have bodies of flesh, but they aren't as insubstantial as phantoms, so they can touch things.

They don't have bodies of flesh, but they aren't as insubstantial as phantoms, so they can touch things.
On the other hand, they find it difficult to pass through objects (*4).
However, since they don't have physical bodies, even if they can touch objects, they cannot be injured.

Potential Harm:
>Madness, Getting Turned into a Phantom
The scariest thing is that they live alongside humans and can't be discerned as ghosts by the untrained eye.
Even if the ghosts don't have any ill will, if you're touched by one of the dead, before you know it you'll be beckoned by death.
Also, there are cases in which the ghost is a family member or friend, so people hesitate to hold a memorial ceremony and instead go on living together.
At first, it may seem like a happy thing to continue living together after someone dies, but the ghost is disconnected from the cycle of reincarnation, not only will they wander for eternity, but they'll soon realize that their entire family has died.
Even more frightening are ghosts who carry grudges.
They take on the form of humans and deceive the living. Until the grudge is fulfilled they will haunt people to death.

Countermeasures:
If you're targeted by a ghost, the only way to ward it off is to ask a specialist to hold a memorial ceremony.
But the truly scary thing about ghosts is that sometimes their victims accept them.
No matter how familiar the face may be, if it's the face of a person who's supposed to be dead, you must harden your heart and request a memorial ceremony.
Also, try not to create grudges.
In particular, if you accidentally killed someone, you must quickly have a memorial ceremony and repent.
Though if you intentionally murdered someone, being haunted to death is reaping what you sow...


(*1) If they haven't realized that they're dead, they sometimes vanish upon finding their bodies.
(*2) The corpse.
(*3) Since the corpse can't move.
(*4) Because many of them believe that they are still alive.

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>Ghost of Idyll
Yuyuko Saigyouzi

Ability: Manipulation of death
Threat level: Very high
Human friendship level: High
Main place of activity: Netherworld

The mistress of the Saigyouji family who resides at Hakugyokurou in the Netherworld.
It is said that she died over 1000 years ago, so she is a ghost with an abnormally long lifespan (*1).
Impressed by her unwillingness to hold grudges and her ability to control spirits, she was appointed by the Yama to manage the souls of the dead.
In return, she was permitted eternal residence in the Netherworld.

Her appearance is no different from those of humans.
It is said that the color of her skin and hair is paler than when she was alive.
As her body is sealed away within Hakugyokurou, it is said to be impossible to hold a burial ceremony for her.
Thus, she will live (*2) eternally in the form of a ghost.
Her personality is so extraordinarily carefree that it is said she doesn't remember how long she's been in the Netherworld.
It seems she doesn't even remember what she had for breakfast (*3).

Ability:
The ability to manipulate death means just as it says, the ability to kill someone with no resistance.
Once they're dead, she would be able to control their spirit as well.
Nothing good can come out of challenging her.

Anecdotes About This Youkai:
>The Cherry Tree Called Saigyou Ayakashi
Her father was a widely adored poet, and eventually fell into eternal rest beneath a cherry tree as he wished.
His adoration continued after his death and now he has ascended into heaven as a god.
Every year some grand personage would die beneath that tree when it was in full bloom, just like Yuyuko's father.
The tree continued to absorb their blood. It turned into a youkai cherry tree with the ability to lure people to their death and it came to be called the Saigyou Ayakashi.
It is said that the Saigyou Ayakashi is now kept in Hakugyokurou in the Netherworld, sealed with the bodies of countless people, including Yuyuko, who sleep beneath it.
For this reason, it never reaches full bloom.

>Phantom Emigration Project
This is a story of twenty or thirty years ago.
The number of phantoms in the Netherworld increased due to limits on ascension (*4).
Gradually, the already-vast Netherworld was becoming overcrowded, so she allowed them to inhabit various places (*5) in the world of the living as they were waiting to reincarnate.
The places she chose included closed schools and hospitals, abandoned buildings and other such places people don't usually visit, but curious humans on the outside caught sight of the phantoms, so people started flocking to these places (*6).
Eventually, the Yama became aware of this and decreed that phantoms shouldn't be made a spectacle of, so the plan was abandoned.
In the end, the Yama increased the size of the Netherworld, thereby removing the necessity for the emigration plan.
It's said that the Netherworld today is larger than Hell.

Eyewitness Reports:
>"Hmm, maybe I should check out the Netherworld for the flower-viewin' party this year, too..."
(Marisa Kirisame)

The flowers in the Netherworld are extremely popular even among the living.

>"Cleaning up a place with that much space would be awful. Still, it must be nice."
(Reimu Hakurei)

It seems the housework is left to the phantoms.

Countermeasures:
First of all, you will likely not meet her under normal circumstances.
She stays in the Netherworld most of the time, and if she has business in Gensokyo, she usually has one of the phantoms go in her stead.
However, there is one exception.
You can speak with her after your death.
Normally when you die, after you travel down the Road of Liminality, cross the Sanzu river, and receive the judgement of the ten kings at Higan, if you don't do anything wrong, you go to the Netherworld and await reincarnation or enlightenment.
You will definitely see her there.
Surely something dreadful will await you if you manage to incur her wrath.
She will command her servant Konpaku to sever the circle of transmigration with her sword, and if she sends you back to Higan, you'll surely be sent to Hell.
It's probably best to read about her before you die.


(*1) "Lifespan"?
(*2) "Live"?
(*3) Perhaps senility is setting in.
(*4) As the heavens receive all those who have broken from the circle of transmigration, they've reached their capacity.
(*5) Including the outside world.
(*6) People like mysterious places.

>>51018528
>Yukari
Indeed a weird choice even if it's mostly in "the onset of a senility "
Wonder how that 60 year memory cycle thing works exactly.
>ah with a single line the birth of the flying onahole
Fans only read the purest of interpretations!
>>51019275
Why is Remi spoiled? To shield her from sunlight?

>Mountain Gods Stirring the Wind
Tengu

Usual threat level: Very high
Frequency of encounters: Medium
Variety: Normal
Places likely to be encountered: Youkai Mountain

Characteristics:
Deified youkai who live on the mountain.
These extremely well-known youkai have existed since ancient times, predating even Gensokyo, and formed a peculiar society where they lead their reclusive lifestyles.
There are various types of tengu: the tengu boss, Tenma; the management types, Great tengu; the nimble information corps, Crow tengu; the ones who specialize in business work, Hanataka tengu; the mountain's defense force, White Wolf tengu; and the printers, Yamabushi tengu.
In general, they look the same as humans, but there are extremely large tengu such as the Great tengu, and extremely proud ones such as the Hanataka tengu, who always have their nose in the air.

As can be seen from their advanced civilization, tengu are far more intelligent than humans, and are very social.
On an individual basis, they have very strong physical and sorcerous abilities that compare favorably to any youkai in Gensokyo.
In particular, they can fly extremely fast, and there are few, if any, who can match their speed (*1).
One characteristic of tengu is that they are generally cheerful, heavy drinkers.
When they drink sake, they don't hold back in terms of quantity. It's said that as a greeting, they'll drink 18 liters of sake in one gulp.

They also have a strong sense of community, and if one of their friends are attacked, they'll certainly react with hostility.
If an intruder appears on the mountain, they'll quickly show up in force to remove them, which is a characteristic not seen in other youkai.
Usually, if there's an incident, they'll show up with their amazing speed, take a photograph and turn it into an article, then print and publish it.

Potential Harm:
>Sudden Gusts, Rumormongering, Paparazzi Photography, etc.
The wind that occurs in the wake of a tengu is strong enough to send a child flying.
It doesn't happen often, but it's said that if you anger a tengu, you'll be annihilated by a tornado.
What's even more frightening is that they'll spread half-truths and weird rumors.
There are cases where these rumors literally become the wind's rumors before they even reach human ears.
Thereby, it becomes difficult to properly notify the village otherwise.
Because this is something against which there is no complete defense, there is nothing more dreadful than this.

Countermeasures:
First, you must not go to the mountain unprepared.
Tengu strongly detest trespassers on their territory.
There's honestly no way to defend against the rumors on the wind, so even if they circulate strange rumors, all you can do is live your life assuming that other people will think "That's just a rumor."
Even if the rumors are complete lies, others will think "If it's 'that person' then maybe...", and will make you feel guilty regardless.
Also, the paparazzi photography is fearsome, but you just have to bear with it (*2).


(*1) Maybe a vampire could.
(*2) To be honest, at the moment there is no way to compete with tengu.

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>Traditional Reporter of Fantasy
Aya Syameimaru

Ability: Manipulation of wind
Threat level: High
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Youkai Mountain

Aya Shameimaru is a crow tengu who is considered to be quite fast, even among other tengu.
She flies around Gensokyo with her camera in one hand, and when she finds an interesting event, she leaves with a few photographs.
Though she is a crow tengu, she looks basically the same as any human.

She is never seen without her fan, her camera or her bunkachou.
Her fan is a tool that allows her to summon the wind. One sweep of the fan can knock down a house, two sweeps can fell a large tree, and three sweeps can cause a traveler's cloak to be blown away—it's a tengu's weapon.
Her camera is another powerful tengu weapon which can capture a moment in time and turn it into a picture (*1).
The photographs she takes are later used for her newspaper articles.
Her bunkachou is a tengu notebook where she writes down material she thinks could make interesting articles.
It is filled with innumerable photographs and handwritten notes (*2).
Her ability to manipulate the wind is a very straightforward ability that allows her to create and suddenly stop winds, as well as create tornadoes.

Bunbunmaru Newspaper:
The newspaper that she writes articles for based on the information she gathers is the Bunbunmaru Newspaper (*3).
She normally writes about the unusual events caused by the girls of Gensokyo.
Currently, even humans and non-tengu youkai can subscribe to it.
However, it has no set publication period, and even during busy periods there might five or so issues per month.
As the volume of articles in one newspaper is small, it's not very useful for gathering information.
This is rather the sort of newspaper that is more suited for a human or youkai that wishes to whittle away a lazy afternoon perusing its pages while sipping a cup of tea (*4).

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Eyewitness Reports:
>"I have so many of her papers piled up, I don't know what to do with them. Really. Even though I'm not a subscriber."
(Reimu Hakurei)

She delivers a mountain of extras.
To tell the truth, I also have a lot of extras piling up.

>"It's such a bother how the crows gather around when we throw out our garbage."
(Sakuya Izayoi)

Those aren't tengu, but normal crows.

Countermeasures:
The pen is mightier than the sword.
If they're written up in her newspaper, even the mightiest youkai are no match for her.
Every inhabitant of Gensokyo dislikes her presence, with that fearsome weapon, the "newspaper", along with her natural strength.
She will come politely asking interviews of humans and youkai alike if she sees them worth writing an article about, but will forcefully drive away any who interfere.
She is generally the sort of youkai one does not wish to oppose, but if one somehow manages to cross her, her strength is practically unrivaled.
You likely won't have anything to lose by cooperating with her news-gathering.


(*1) It also has an amazing shutter speed.
(*2) It's said her handwriting is unexpectedly cute even though she's a tengu.
(*3) There are many in tengu society who create newspapers on their own. As a result, the newspapers tend to be biased.
(*4) It is popular in cafes.

>>51028224
Has anyone read Saigyo's poetry? It's been on my list of homework for awhile but I think expecting anything more than cursory relations to Yuyuko may be a mistake. Who knows if ZUN even read more than the one about being buried under a cherry tree.

>The Strongest Kidnappers
Oni

Usual threat level: Very high
Frequency of encounters: Very low
Variety: Normal
Places likely to be encountered: Unknown
Times likely to be encountered: Unknown

Characteristics:
They are the strongest enemies of humans in Gensokyo.
Their livelihood is kidnapping humans, and with their high levels of physical and magical strength, they are the strongest beings in Gensokyo.
In antiquity, they lived on Youkai Mountain and, employing the tengu as servants, built up an oni society.(*1)
From then on at regular fixed intervals, they would kidnap humans, and thus threaten the livelihood of the villages.
However, since several hundred years ago, the number of oni has decreased little by little, and from the time the great barrier was built, they have not shown themselves anywhere in Gensokyo.
They were none too pleased with how the world of Gensokyo had become so carefree, with few humans trying to exterminate them, so they left for a different world.(*2) No one knows where this world is, and since then, contact of any kind with the oni has ceased.

Oni can have a wide variety of physiques, from huge builds all the way down to short and petite.
But all of them have horns, and some also have fangs.
They have arms slightly longer than humans, as well as slouched postures.

Their personalities are both cheerful and ferocious, and they can be quite belligerent with those they dislike. However, they will be warm hearted and considerate to those they recognize as friends and will absolutely never betray them.
What they detest the most are lies, cowardice, malice or unfairness.
Always honoring their promises, they can think of no other way to behave than to be fair and square.
There are no youkai who are as forthright as the oni.
Also, their emotional and mental discipline is considerably strong, and very few oni are not well-versed in the principles of Zen.
Also, while they have unparalleled love of and an exceedingly high tolerance for alcohol, if they drink themselves hard enough to pass out, they will not wake up no matter what.

Potential Harm:
>Abduction
Since times fairly long ago, humans have been tormented by the oni.
Occasionally descending from the mountain, kidnapping humans and making off with sake, the oni threatened their day-to-day life.
Because the humans couldn't simply stay silent and do nothing, oni extermination specialists were trained or summoned at fixed intervals to go exterminate the oni.
When that happened, marvelous tools and implements were taken from the oni society after they had been beaten.
Oni and humans, through human kidnappings and oni exterminations, may well have built up a relationship of mutual trust.

Countermeasures:
Because the oni have disappeared from Gensokyo, at the present time, there are no oni extermination specialists.
Because oni are different from regular youkai, the means of extermination and the tools necessary are particular and specialized.
The techniques to exterminate oni have already been lost by humans, thus it would appear that meeting an oni nowadays would be too much for anyone to handle.
The techniques to exterminate oni have already been lost by humans, thus it would appear that meeting an oni nowadays would be too much for anyone to handle.
In reality, the way in which things like the Tsuina ceremonies or other oni-repelling rituals are conducted are already inaccurate.
Though since the chances of meeting an oni are already close to zero, there should be no problem, but...


(*1) It is said that the present society of tengu is built upon the vestiges of the original oni society.
(*2) In Gensokyo, we call where they went the Land of the Oni. Possibly Hell.

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>Tiny Night Parade of a Hundred Demons
Suika Ibuki

Ability: Manipulation of density
Threat level: Very high
Human friendship level: Normal
Main place of activity: Youkai Mountain

A long time has passed since the oni disappeared from Gensokyo.
However, there have been recent confirmed reports of oni sightings.
Those are of Suika Ibuki.

She suddenly appeared and settled down in Gensokyo for some reason (*1).
Her body is small, and the two long horns on her head stand out in contrast to her short stature.
She may not look terribly frightening compared to other youkai, but she is an oni.
She possesses enormous strength, and boasts that if she wanted to, she could tear down the Youkai Mountain by herself (*2).
A drinker without peer, she always carries around a gourd (*3) filled with sake, from which she constantly imbibes.
As a result, there are no reports of her behavior when sober.

Ability to Manipulate Density:
This is the power to alter the density and thickness of anything.
All things become a fine mist if their density lowers. Conversely, when objects are made more dense, their temperature increases so they melt.
Because she loves the bustle of festivals and parties, she has the humans and youkai assemble and hold festivals.
This ability to cause humans and youkai to assemble is a manifestation of her power over density.

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Eyewitness Reports:
>"She can do physical work, she collects the garbage, so I guess she is useful in a sense."
(Reimu Hakurei)

Just like certain tools, oni can be very useful if skillfully handled.
If you can build a relationship of mutual trust with them, oni are not that fearsome.

>"I wonder if she could help me gather unusual things."
(Sakuya Izayoi)

It may be dangerous to be overly frank about your desires, though.

Countermeasures:
As knowledge about oni and methods of their extermination have been lost in modern times, it's best not to even attempt to destroy them.
There is absolutely no chance of succeeding
However, tentatively, there are a few methods of protecting yourself from an oni.
For example, you can run a holly branch through a sardine head and place it in front of the entrance to your house.
It's said this will prevent an oni from coming near you, but its effectiveness is unknown (*4).


(*1) This is particularly problematic given that no one knows how to exterminate oni.
(*2) This isn't entirely impossible, given that she's an oni. After all, oni don't lie.
(*3) A bottomless gourd of sake.
(*4) With faith, even the head of a sardine can be a charm.

>>51030944
I never even knew there was a poet prior to this, I just thought the Saigyou Ayakashi was just some bloodthirsty tree that Yuyuko sealed.
Reading through some of them myself though, I see one of them was used in the end of PCB

>>51031003
>it's best not to even attempt to destroy them
>>50998461
Stuff like this makes me wonder how much is meant to be taken as political positioning by Yukari e.g. maintaining the non-aggression pact with the underworld. Humans used to be able to exterminate oni but we don't really see "superhumans" outside of the fortune teller (Marisa/Sakuya-types excepted), and would those types of people be reading the Chronicle anyways?

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>>51031017
Oh, I put it off so long because I thought I'd be reading through a whole book. There aren't really that many translated on this carlsensei dot com page.

>What else / could have made me / loathe the world? / The one who was cruel to me / today I think of as kind
>Commentary: From "One Hundred and Ten Love Poems" --Could this be why Saigyô became a monk? No one knows...
He's so emo...

>Reply to other poem by a prostitute named Tae, possibly an incarnate Bosatsu.
>This poem is mentioned by Bashô in his Saga Diary.
Just some bros leaving comments on each other's blogs 900 years ago.

Nothing other than the two we've mentioned really jumped out at me other than Yuyuko's penchant for couched language at times. Maybe the moon one as a reference to SSiB?
>My mind I send / with the moon / that goes beyond / the mountain, / but what of this body / left behind in darkness?
That feels like a reach though. I'm sure there's a better one that mentions the moon that isn't translated here.

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>>51031372
fall, i love aki,
leaves and potatoes,
blow her away;
please
https://files.catbox.moe/usknw9.webm

>>51030871
https://dynasty-scans.com/chapters/until_the_water_became_wholly_red_ch20
>2024

>The Highest Gods of Fantasy
Dragons

Usual threat level: Very high
Frequency of encounters: Very low
Variety: Unknown
Places likely to be encountered: Unknown
Times likely to be encountered: Unknown

Characteristics:
The supreme gods of Gensokyo.
Humans, youkai, and all other living things worship these gods.
They are believed to live in the ocean, or the sky, or in the rain (*1), but few have been able to confirm this.
They are said to look like serpents with hands and horns, have bodies far thicker than a great tree thousands of years old, and be long enough to block out the sky.
Their cries rend the heavens and call on thunderstorms.
When they simply bend, they cause earthquakes and make mountains crumble.
Who knows what would happen to Gensokyo if something were to invoke their wrath?

With that said, despite its destructive powers, dragons are also Gensokyo's gods of creation.
It is thanks to dragons that the rain falls, the rivers flow and everything is enveloped in a verdant green.
They seldom appear, only revealing themselves in Gensokyo's greatest times of need, blocking out the sky.
Rainbows and rivers manifest in their wake as proof of their existence.

>The Dragon at the Creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier
The last time a dragon was seen was when the Great Hakurei Barrier was created.
The sky was rent with constant thunder, the land was engulfed in a flood that threatened to submerge it, and for an instant, the skies were completely dark.
The youkai sages staked their existence on pledging eternal peace to the dragon, and in an instant the waters drew back, the sky was torn asunder, and light was returned to the heavens.
Since then, at the center of the human village stands a statue depicting this dragon god, which is worshipped every day.

>Dragon God Statue
It's said that the dragon god statue in the human village is an amazing artifact that can tell you what the day's weather will be with the color of its eyes.
When its eyes are white, it will be sunny. When they're blue, it will rain. When they're grey, it will be cloudy. It's very convenient (*2).
But beware when the eyes turn red.
Since this is the color reserved for indeterminate predictions, it appears whenever something truly strange is happening in Gensokyo.
In many cases, it was due to incidents caused by youkai
Incidentally, this weather forecast is correct 70% of the time.


(*1) As an aside, dragons can travel anywhere, regardless of the Great Barrier. It is said that they can move freely between the Netherworld, Heaven, Hell, and the Outside World.
(*2) After all, if it wasn't convenient, the humans wouldn't come to worship it. It is said that the kappa who chiseled the statue thought so and sneaked a forecasting device into the statue.

>The Worker Youkai of the Water
Kappa

Usual threat level: Average
Frequency of encounters: Low
Variety: Low
Places likely to be encountered: Youkai Mountain
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
These are youkai who dwell in the river near Youkai Mountain.
They are technologically-gifted youkai that produce various tools with skillful hands.
Similar to the tengu, they have built their own society, more advanced than us humans.
Their appearance is human, but they have turtle shells covering their backs, and plates covering their heads.
Swimming is their forte, and in the water they can move faster than a fish, but on dry land there is no major difference in abilities compared to a human's.
Their fighting skills are also comparatively low, so they seldom show themselves to humans.
Furthermore, since they run away when they notice humans, their way of life is shrouded in mystery.
When they are spotted, it is just the occasional foolish kappa that has been washed down the river.

The Tools of the Kappa:
The tools created by the kappa and the tools of the outer world are treasured as the two greatest varieties in Gensokyo today.
However, it is unknown how to use most of the tools.
The photographing devices used by the tengu are a good example of this.
Even when the button is pressed, it remains silent for some reason.
Others include clocks that somehow tell time with inerrant precision and devices allowing people to hold conversations at a distance.
The mountain society is said to have become very advanced with these various devices, (*3) including ones for transmitting images to other places, as well as receiving them.

The Lifestyle of the Kappa:
Swimming may be their strong point, but it is not as if kappa actually live in water.
They usually live on land, where they also make their tools.
If an enemy approaches they dive into the water and hide.
However, while they can stay underwater longer than a human, they cannot remain there forever. They must surface for air eventually (*4).
Kappa clothing is very water-resistant, so it is possible to wear it into the water, and it won't interfere while swimming.


(*3) It is also said that they are created by copying the devices from the outside world, but their waterproofing is outstanding.
(*4) They can hold their breath for several hours.

>The Most Carefree Humans
Celestials

Usual threat level: Very low
Frequency of encounters: Very low
Variety: Normal
Places likely to be encountered: Unknown
Times likely to be encountered: Unknown

Humans that live in Heaven.
They live forever in Heaven, separated from the world of daily cares, and even from the circle of transmigration.
As they are bright and carefree, and love song, dance and fishing, they spend their days on activities such as listening to music, fishing and playing go.
Celestials are hermits who have long pursued ascetic knowledge, but they can be divided into those who have achieved immortality and ascended to heaven (*5), and those who have attained enlightenment and entered Nirvana after death.
The former have physical bodies, so they can appear on earth with ease, but the latter cannot descend from Heaven without borrowing somebody's body.
Sometimes they descend to earth, say absurd things that confound normal humans, and return to Heaven.

A celestial's body is like poison to youkai, and as a result, youkai almost never attack celestials, so they have nothing to fear on earth.
Even the most ferocious of beasts would be tamed if they only held out their hand.
They are also able to ride on clouds, and the divine appearance this gives them is almost frightening.

Conditions for Becoming a Celestial:
Celestials spend their days listening to music, fishing, and playing go, never bothered with the need to do work, and always able to eat the highest quality food.
Certainly, no small number of people would like to live their dream-like lifestyle (*6).
However, to become a celestial, humans must free themselves of worldly desires.
In other words, the first requirement is certainly to not be the sort of person who would yearn for such a life.
Likely, most people would not meet this requirement.

The World of the Celestials:
Heaven is said to exist above the clouds, but in reality this is not the case.
It actually exists in the sky far above the Netherworld.
The dead are naturally able to go there, but it's also possible for living people to visit.
This is because throwing away all desires includes freeing oneself of the desire to live, in which case one essentially becomes a living dead.
(*5) It's said one would need to pursue enlightenment for hundreds, or thousands, of years.
(*6) Of course, I'd like to, as well.

>Somewhat Peculiar Humans
Hermits

Usual threat level: Very low
Frequency of encounters: Low
Variety: Average
Places likely to be encountered: Unknown
Times likely to be encountered: Unknown

Characteristics:
Humans that have acquired superhuman abilities as a result of their religious training
However, they have not completely cast aside all of their worldly desires, rather, they are separated from the drudgeries of needing to work, and now reside in Gensokyo.
Their age and longevity may be in the hundreds or even thousands of years, but they are not immortal.
Those who neglect their training will quickly have their bodies decay into ashes and disappear.

Unlike celestials, which are poisonous to youkai, hermits are a delicacy to youkai
A youkai who consumes a hermit may be promoted to a higher rank or ascend to a higher form.
Furthermore, if an ordinary animal consumes the flesh of a hermit, they will become a beast youkai.
In other words, to be a hermit is to become the target of countless youkai.

As if that weren't enough, hermits are always beset by misfortune, the worst of which is that about once every hundred years, an assassin will come from Hell (*7).
During this time, if they are even a little careless in their training, and their powers weaken even a little, they will be unable to repel the threat and will fall into Hell.
It's difficult to continue living as a hermit, to say nothing of attempting to become a celestial.
As there are many kinds of humans that make up this group, it can be expected that most of them are a little peculiar.
Their everyday habits stand out from the norm, and people who don't understand their situation will mutter hostilities among themselves, eventually leading the hermits to leave the human village.
However, the bonds of fellowship between hermits is profound. As soon as a new candidate for hermitry appears, he is taken in as a disciple, and in a manner of speaking, will be taken care of until he can stand on his own (*8).

Everyday Life of Hermits:
Their everyday life is extremely modest and frugal, only eating the absolute minimum amount of food needed to live.
On the first day of the month, they will nibble the fruits and nuts from various trees and, in this way, survive (*9).

Everyday Life of Hermits:
Their everyday life is extremely modest and frugal, only eating the absolute minimum amount of food needed to live.
On the first day of the month, they will nibble the fruits and nuts from various trees and, in this way, survive (*9).
Furthermore, upon reaching the age of 500, food of any kind is unnecessary, and simply ingesting fog or haze will be enough.
From the moment they wake up, they turn towards the sunrise and will recite chants thousands of times (*10). Only briefly during the day will they freely go out. As the sun sets, they will once again be engaged in reciting chants.

Abilities of Hermits:
These hermits who are the most alluring of humans to youkai naturally possess comparable levels of power.
Also, there are many situations of youkai exterminators who, in the course of their work, became hermits.
Because their physical bodies are aged, they may appear to be extremely fragile or vulnerable, but there are many of them who take care of themselves with natural cures, and it is said that their bodies are tougher than steel.
Furthermore, they are able to learn various kinds of sorcery.
If they see something dangerous approaching a human, they will immediately come to the aid of the person and will display the utmost kindness.


(*7) The simple act of living is a sin. As the weight of that sin is as great as the lifespan, it is necessary to perform pious acts to compensate for them.
(*8) They are also entrusted with miscellaneous tasks.
(*9) Like squirrels.
(*10) They will use reading techniques that rotate the mantra to be recited.

>A Saturation of Gods
Yaoyorozu no Kami (The Eight Million Gods)

Usual threat level: Low
Frequency of encounters: High
Variety: High
Places likely to be encountered: Anywhere
Times likely to be encountered: Anytime

Characteristics:
These are the gods that are found everywhere and have an especially deep relationship with humans.
Here, "eight million" is taken in its sense of "myriads"; a true count would probably be much higher.
Since they're formless, you can't touch or converse with them.
As for what their true forms are, they were in the form of all things before they were given names.
Even when given a name, the gods' effects are faintly perceptible.

These gods inhabit many different objects, but don't inhabit anything without a physical form.
They run the full gamut from the fearful to the friendly, from the noble to the humble, and so on.
It's said that tools that host gods increase in utility according to the level of the inhabiting spirit (*11).

Rites for the God Inhabiting a Tool:
When you buy a new tool, you should offer a prayer to it, and examine it to make sure it's not already broken (*12).
If it breaks at this early stage, it's said to be inhabited by the curse god of early failure.
If you tell the shopkeeper about it, they may be able to exorcise it.
Try using it every day, cleaning it well and treating it carefully.
If you do this, the god's mood will improve.
If it breaks and you buy a replacement, the god will become angry, and you will become cursed.
To avoid this, you must hold a proper memorial and get rid of it.
If you neglect to do so, the god may become a tsukumogami and begin to move on its own and bring evil to its owner.

Tsukumogami:
The god of a tool that's used continuously for a long period of time may take on the thoughts of its owner, and the nature of its divinity will gradually change.
If it's cast aside without a proper memorial, the god may not be able to return to normal, but into a tsukumogami, and it may move on its own in an attempt to inflict harm on its former owner.
These spirits are more like youkai than gods, and can wreak real havoc against people, lacking a single redeeming feature.
Please remember to properly memorialize well-used tools.


(*11) It is also true that the god's grade is said to increase through use as well.
(*12) Don't forget to be respectful towards the god.

>Apparitions of the Gods
Divine Spirit

Usual threat level: Very low
Frequency of encounters: Very low
Variety: Unknown
Places likely to be encountered: Shrines
Times likely to be encountered: Unknown

Characteristics:
Among ghosts, those who are revered as gods are called divine spirits. There are those who lived as gods, and also those who, after death, ascended to godhood.
Having no connection to the 8 million gods, these will not die even after a memorial service, but will simply extinguish.
Divine spirits, not possessing a body, usually live in a Shinto shrine or in a smaller shrine, and only during festivals will emerge to ride and have a good time on a portable Shinto shrine, seeing humans in this state will put them at ease.
The powers of the divine spirits come from the power of faith. If they have many believers, they will have a greater influence on humans and youkai, and the shrine will also become greater. (*13)
Conversely, when faith decreases, their powers of influence will become weaker, and their shrine will begin to decline.
Basically this is relying on the actions of others.

Shrine Maidens:
Divine spirits are considerably rarefied ghosts, so revealing their forms to people is something that mostly never happens.
They speak so faintly that ordinary humans can't hear them.
For this reason, those who carry the duty of facilitating communication are shrine maidens.
Shrine maidens can, utilizing peculiar methods (*14), hear the words of the divine spirits and communicate this to the people.

Shrines:
Shrines are not constructed by divine spirits, but by humans.
If the shrine is built for an existing divine spirit, then that spirit will naturally take lodging in it.
However, from here on in, there is a problem.
Simply because it is a place for divine spirits, a shrine looks no different from any ordinary building.
If many people come to the shrine to worship the divine spirit, it will begin to gain power from being worshipped by so many for the first time.
As the number of visiting worshippers increases, expansions and renovations to the shrine become an important matter, and a great amount of money will become necessary.
In other words, the goal of a shrine is to expend all acquired monetary offerings from the visiting worshippers.


(*13) Because the monetary offerings will increase.
(*14) Such as dancing, drinking alcohol, dancing while drinking alcohol and various other methods.

>>51030944
I should probably but I might as well wait until I get better at Japansese (like a lot of other things)
Centuries old poetry is probably pretty hard stuff, so I should probably get serious about it (^^;;)
>>51031372
Well funny that you post that pic considering the first one in wikipedia is the one where he asks to die in spring(second month) under blossoming trees at a full moon (mochizuki) so maybe that inspired that same page.
Maybe the whole second month in old Japan being more around Spring than Winter is what inspired PCB and so on...
>That feels like a reach though
It's hard to know when inspirations really end.

Also not sure what the wikipedia article of Saigyo is quoting at the "in popular culture" section but itdoesn't seem to be PMiSS afaik

>>50995698