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Foreword

A closed world, without any humans that keep historical records.

Youkai remember distorted versions of past events, so Gensokyo could not see the truth particularly well.

Because of that, the humans, not knowing the real facts about the youkai, can on ly cower in fear of them.

I believe that if humans knew more about the strengths and weaknesses of the you kai, if they knew beforehand what parts of Gensokyo were dangerous, if they knew more about those humans who specialize in defeating youkai, then they wouldn't have to live in fear.

We, the Hieda family, decided to collect information about Gensokyo's most promi nent youkai every one hundred twenty to one hundred eighty years in order to ens ure humans' ability to 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 pai nting a picture of contemporary Gensokyo.

The youkai encyclopedia describes each type of youkai's characteristics and coun termeasures to take against them; furthermore, youkai that are known to be activ

e today are each treated separately in detail.

This encyclopedia should serve as a guide to avoid both fearing youkai that pose little threat and provoking particularly strong youkai.

It starts with commonly encountered youkai, such as fairies and phantoms, procee ding to powerful youkai such as vampires and tengu, providing a list of abilitie s, threat levels, the places and times at which they most commonly appear, and h ow 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 w ho engage in youkai extermination and incident resolution.

They are essentially allies of humans, so if you're being harassed by youkai, yo u 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 so me light on the mysterious points as well.

The dangerous areas guide is a list of key locations in Gensokyo, describing eac h 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 o f those places, please read this guide beforehand.

When an occasion asks for you to leave the Human Village, please read it careful

ly.

The unresolved matters are articles with incomplete information, articles that a ppear 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, Hieda no Akyuu, had when compiling th is 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 th e 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 classic literature, or who wouldn' t read the Chronicles because of all the difficult sentences, to read it, too.

Now, please read these Gensokyo Chronicles, and may you have a wonderful and saf e life in Gensokyo.

Hieda no Akyuu, the Ninth Maiden of Are

Youkai encyclopedia

Embodiments of Mother Nature Fairies

Usual threat level: Low

Frequency of encounters: Extremely high Variety: High

Main place of encounters: Anywhere

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

The true identity of natural phenomena themselves.

Fairies live in such phenomena where it gets cold and hot, rain falls and wind b lows, 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 p robably 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 dayt ime 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 s aid that they are simply foolish.

Fairies don't actually need to eat, but they see the way humans enjoy their meal s 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 youre cleaning, theyll 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 w ay.

When youre absorbed in conversation with a friend, your bags are carried away whe n 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 a ll.

When a human notices the prank, the fairies will probably run away as fast as th ey 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)

1: Fairies lives differs from that of humans, so it is a mistake to say that the y are short-lived. (2)

2: The number and ferocity of fairies expresses the threat level of the surround ing area.

Ice Fairy Cirno

Ability: Manipulation of cold air

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 stronge r than the other fairies.

She belongs to the more belligerent variety of fairies, and so it is necessary t o be careful.

She is quite short and dressed in blue with wings of ice.

She has the ability to manipulate the cold.

Can freeze small objects instantly, so 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 spe nds her everyday life.

Not just Cirno's, but all fairies' homes blend into nature, preventing them from being seen by humans. Eyewitness Reports (1) ()

"I saw her freezing a part of the Misty Lake's surface and sleeping defenselessl y(*1) on the ice." (Hikozaemon) (2) (

"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 in underwater. ()

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

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 wit h 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 inexperience peop le 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 fair y.

Fairies usually do nothing and keep their distance when they understand that the y 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.

If you're holding a torch to start with she probably won't go near.

Since she can freeze things she touches instantly, refrain from touching her eve n if she is asleep.

There is a risk of frostbite.

If by any chance Cirno should attack, just start to talk calmly about anything, and when she shows interest it is a good time to ask her a riddle.

When you do that, she will start to think of the answer, and that is a good oppo rtunity to escape.

No matter how simple the question, she can certainly not answer it. (1)

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

Spring-bearing Fairy

Lilywhite [sic]

Ability: Announcing the arrival of spring

Threat level: Extremely Low

Human friendship level: High

Main place of activity: Varies

When it is spring, humans, youkai and ghosts suddenly become more active. In fac t, 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 tell s all living things(*1) that have been in deep hibernation during the winter tha t 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 agressive, 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. Eyewitness Reports ()

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

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 the re 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, ea ch 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 ch ild 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 s afer 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 cou rse 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 yo u.

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 fa ct, she has two large wings.

3: Youkai Mountain. Mentioned later.

Mischievous Sunlight Sunnymilk [sic]

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 not particularly long roads.

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 t hat it is the work of a fairy. (1)

Sunny Milk, in particular, is a fairy whose specialty is making people lose thei r way.

Since it is possible to change how the environment looks from reality through re fracting light, it can fool humans.

Also, as she can hide herself behind this diffraction, it can be difficult to ca pture 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 runs away at ful l speed when they notice her.

Fairies like this won't approach highly cautious humans.

If you don't want to get involved with them, you must behave as if always thinki ng 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 prec ise 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 whe n 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 f or 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 you will lose your way than when it is 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 hidden by optical illusions.

If you happen to spot her when she's distracted by the food, you have a chance t o 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 fa iries are laughing somewhere.

4: A general trait of fairies.

Silent Moonlight

Lunarchild [sic]

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 win d'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 t hat 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 could I do about it." (Tea house owner)

With no sounds to expose them, it's difficult to guard your belongings from snea king thieves.

But a counter-measure will be mentioned ahead. Countermeasures

Even though she can cause little real damage, she basically acts with 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 ther e because it will become silent.

That means she won't get caught if she doesn't use her ability, but being a fair y, she will be unable to realize this.

She has associated silencing her surroundings with her thefts. She won't think o f 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 c lothes.

3: Fairies who love coffee are rare. The preferences of fairies are often the sa me as that of human children.

Pouring Starlight

Starsapphire [sic]

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 do wn 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 s pider's web.

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

Fairies are very self-centered, so they easily come into conflict with each othe r.

In this case, as the ice fairy is used to fighting, she would likely win by hers elf even against 3.

In addition, Star Sapphire always keeps calm and avoids fighting so much it can be hard to tell on what side she is. Countermeasures

Even though she cannot do a great amount of direct damage, she basically acts wi th with 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 thr eat.

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 creat ure.

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 e ven 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 c atch 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 star t 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 w ish.

3: Catch-and-release is good manners.

The Embodiments of Spirit Phantoms

Main danger level: Low

Frequency of encounter: High

Variety: High

Main place of activity: Anywhere

Main time of activity: Anytime Features

They are the very spirits of animals or plants.

Able to convert what they see, hear, touch or taste into thoughts, it can be sai

d 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 the embodiments of deceased people , but phantoms are not necessarily 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 e mbodiment of nature, phantoms are the embodiment of spirit.

They can live (*1) anywhere in Gensokyo.

Phantoms that prefer noisy places gather in noisy places, ones that prefer gloom y places gather in gloomy places, and there are even those that prefer hot sprin gs.

They are usually active at night.

It's assumed that because many of them have their existences on the verge of dis sipating, 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 where many phantoms seem likely to gather as a test of c ourage 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 mi nds 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 gl oomy phantoms.

Those without enough mental fortuity 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 attem pt 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 t hem.

However, it would be a wise idea not to go to places where phantoms gather (*5) out of curiosity.

It may result in your mind being shattered.

If that happens, there's no other way but to seek an exorcism from a professiona l (*6).

On the other hand, there's currently research about the possibility of correctin g one's personality by means of deliberate phantom possession.

This technique is expected to dissuade someone from committing suicide or helpin g someone overcome their dislike of vegetables.

It's almost ready to be put into practical use, once a method of capturing phant oms 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...

Half-Human Half-Phantom Gardener

Youmu Konpaku

Power: 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 norma l ones.

The Konpaku family are not simple phantoms, but are a lineage of half-phantom, h alf-humans.

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 lifespa ns.

A large phantom accompanies her human form.

As this phantom has human and phantom attributes, this is one way to easily dist

inguish her from normal humans.

The large phantom can act on its own.

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 als o a live-in sword instructor, but lately she can frequently be seen in this worl d(*2).

Though, it is likely because lately(*3) the barrier between this world and the n ext 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 of boundaries.

Weapons and Abilities

She possesses superior swordsmanship, and is a master of the two-handed techniqu e.

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 spirits in one stroke, but as one ca nnot actually kill spirits(*4), it's unknown if this is true(*5).

The other sword, Hakurouken, is the ancestral sword of the Konpaku family, and i t's said to have the power to dispel the confusion of those it cuts.

That is, using it on ghosts will cause them to rest in peace, and using it on hu mans 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 th e 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 confirmi ng 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 saw 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 n ext 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 po werless, and I can't help feeling sorry for her, somehow." (Anonymous)

Her appearance is that of a young girl. Countermeasures

She is a spirit, but she's also half human.

It's possible to come to mutual understanding with her, so conflict can be avoid ed through discussion.

Like 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 situat

ion, she will likely not attack you.

Even if the situation looks threatening, she will not fight anyone lacking in tr aining, 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 yo u offer a proper apology.

Now, what should one do in the unlikely event of being attacked by her?

All normal human can hope to do in such a circumstance is offer a prayer to Budd ha(*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 rest in peace or disappear.

5: Supposedly the things it cannot cut are next to none.

6: Namo amithaba Buddhaya

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 appr opriate classifications for them so they are described here.

The Prismriver Ensemble is a so-called phantom ensemble(*1) that are often calle d 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 t he 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 a re able to make sounds. (wiki-editor's annotation: The former of this sentence s eems just a tautology, but literal translation of is Noisy Spirit, which should b e translated here into Poltergeist. So this may not become better.)

The noises that poltergeists make are actually the phantoms of sounds.

Since they're perceived by the spirit and not the ears, even beings without bodi es can enjoy them.

At the same time, humans should be careful that its effect doesn't overwhelm the m.

She is a very collected person, but she is recitent and glum.

The sounds she creates calm the spirit.

People who are overly influenced by her sounds will lose all motivation and beco me depressed.

She's said to live in a ruined Western-style 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 ag ainst 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 mi ddle of their party. No.5

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

You might have luck by going to the ruined manor and making a request. ()

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

She isn't human, so something horrible might happen to you if you say things lik e 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 liv e performances. Their clients do, so it is inadvisable complaining to the Prismr ivers if you can't acquire on a ticket.

Their performances contain many sounds that have a great effect on the spirit, s o one should not attend unless one is in perfect mental condition.

Children should not be allowed to listen.

Phantom music is 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 y oung maidens.

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 appr opriate classifications for them so they are described here.

Merlin Prismriver is the middle sister of the Prismriver Ensemble(*1), and her f orte 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 take n 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 a cting independently.

It seems she holds solo concerts, but going to see such a performance may be dan gerous 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 o f the time, it wouldn't be possible for one person..." (Cheerful ghost)

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 sounds actually come from, but since they see m to actually be phantoms of sound, 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 lik e 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 talkin g to her if you see her alone.

As a phantom, her behavioral principles are different from those of humans, so w hile 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 Ensemb le 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 hea r 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 pr aise can be dangerous.

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 appr opriate 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 famo us 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 conve rse 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 phantoms of sounds, one might say they're phantasmal sounds.

Compared to her sisters' sounds, they are unlike anything heard before, but they don't resonate with the spirit, and are heard normally with the ears.

Since they have no effect on the 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.

No.

"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 sho uldn'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 retr eat and run as if the 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.

Uncontrolled Violent Mystical Power Youkai :

Main danger level: Varies : Frequency of encounter: Varies : Variety: Very high :

Main place of activity: Anywhere :

Main time of activity: Anytime Features

There are many types of youkai with extremely varied powers. Some races have a g reat number that are all categorized under a certain name, while others can be a s few as a single member.

These unique youkai are not called by whatever individual species they may be, b ut simply "youkai."

May 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.

Just about the only thing in common between youkai is that they attack and prey upon humans.

There are definitely exceptions, but many fall towards this trend.

Youkai have longer lifespans than humans.

Youkai have stronger bodies than humans, so even if they're split into five parts, they heal right away.

Youkai are more easily affected by belief than humans, and as a result spiri tual damage can cause fatal wounds.

Youkai generally do not move 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 tra its before heading out to exterminate them. Potential Harm

Kidnapping, Prededation, 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, alcoh ol and other things humans normally eat.

Still, they consider humans a delicacy above all else.

They steal crops and livestock as well.

This is also serious problem. Countermeasures

Unless one thoroughly trains in fighting against them, youkai extermination is d ifficult.

Youkai have a history of being physically stronger than humans, and trying to fi ght them may quickly end up as feeding them.

However, the reason most youkai attack humans is because they need prey.

That's why 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 duty, and will befriend those who do not turn against them.

But exterminating youkai is a different story.

Humans regularly perform exterminations, but this is a custom passed down from a ncestors.

In Gensokyo, humans must exterminate youkai (*2).

There are those that specialize in youkai extermination.

For example, the Hakurei shrine maiden is the most well-known specialist.

In extermination, one does not use weapons that cause physical damage. Weapons w ith an "origin" are more preferable.

Youkai are weak to spiritual attacks such as names or traditions.

1: It might be confusing, but youkai as a race is similar to the "Others" sectio n of a graph. I suppose there are quite a few graphs where "Others" is the large st category.

2: It is said that the balance of Gensokyo will crumble if they do not.

Youkai of Twilight 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 tha t makes her surroundings dark whether it is night or day.

The darkness this youkai emits is a magical darkness that renders even torchligh t 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 blo nd hair. It is said that she wears dark clothes to blend in with the darkness, b ut 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, pe ople who have directly seen her form discover a too young girl 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 ab ility, 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." (Hiko zaemon)

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 encount er 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 b e impossible to put up a fight within darkness that renders even torchlight usel ess.

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 .

Rumia may be lurking there.

Rarely, there are cases of people who have run into Rumia while she was not emit ting darkness.

This was on the night of the new moon.

This seems to be the most common time when Rumia somehow cannot 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.

Youkai of Winter

Letty Whiterock

Ability: Manipulation of cold

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 human s 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 cold days, though it is unknown whether the coldnes s is due to her appearance instead.

The extreme coldness 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.

She doesn't cause wind and snow by herself. However, she can enhance the natural effect of winter, so she shows ridiculous powers which seem impossible for one youkai.

Despite being determined 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 mi ght appear. However, my house is safe because it has good heating." (Owner of Ko urindo)

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 u p on the roof will cause your house to collapse, so beware. Countermeasures

The thing called cold air is very troublesome. It is not a physically thrown col d object (*2), but something that lowers the temperature of the whole area.

Even healthy people can become sick. Even active people become inactive. They lo se 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 mig ht worsen, so you should take care to eat well.

If you are careless and happen to see her while wearing light clothes, it is hop elessly difficult to escape, because the coldness extends for a wide range.

If you are not resistant to the cold, it is unlikely you will survive for long.

However, even though this youkai is fearsome, she only appears during winter.

When spring comes and it becomes warmer, there is nothing to fear.

If you find this youkai during summer, it might be your best chance to strike (* 3).

1: An example would be your not being able 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.

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 examp le.

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, s piders, 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 w ings 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 the m to mature into youkai.

In addition, butterflies are similarly quite popular with humans, so it's easy f or 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 app earance 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 g ross." (Anonymous)

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

"There were a clump of centipedes under the overhang of my roof. I wish they'd g o 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 mea ns nothing, if they land one sting it can kill a human.

The most effective countermeasure is building a fire and using fumigation in ord er 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 wi nter.

While her ability to control bugs is frightening, there isn't much to fear in fa cing 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 controls, the ones you need to be most car eful 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.

Night Sparrow Youkai

Mystia Lorelei

Ability: Can drive humans mad with her song

Threat level: Medium

Human friendship level: Poor

Main place of activity: Night Road

There are relatively many youkai who use songs or cries to make humans lose thei r way at a dark night road or an empty forest.

Mystia Lorelei is one of them.

Without a source in sight, a singing voice from nowhere in particular can be hea rd, and while one is taken by that voice they lose their way and are attacked by youkai.

She is not often seen at noon and there are few witness 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 norma lly be expected from youkai.

Because of this, she is popular amongst the young people (*2).

On the other hand, amongst the elder song youkai, they say, "The young youkai la tely are just loud and sing senseless songs, it's such an annoyance, it's nothin g but noise."

She also possesses an ability to make humans night-blind as well as luring them with song.

If one continues to follow the faint light and song on a night road, they will m ost likely be attacked by this youkai. Eyewitness Reports

"I thought that the Prismriver Ensemble hired some vocals, but when I went close r nothing good came of it." (Anonymous)

Unlike the Prismrivers, her friendliness towards humans is considerably bad.

Even if you hear a singing voice, you should not approach out of curiosity.

"While walking along an animal trail, I saw a single red lantern food cart. Wond ering what it was I went closer, turns out it was the night sparrow's cart." (Bo ozer Rokusuke)

There are rumours that she has started a food cart.

Perhaps youkai also become bored.

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

I think so too. Countermeasures

The only time anyone is affected by this song is when they are walking alone.

If walking in pairs, the person who becomes confused by the song can be brought back to reality by the other person who is yet to be affected, so attacks are ve ry rare.

The countermeasure would be to not walk alone at night.

This is not just limited to this youkai, but is the most basic form of protectio n against other youkai.

Then, how does one deal with becoming night-blind?

Eating lamprey is good for that.

If you eat some every day, your eyes will gradually improve.

What must one do to exterminate this youkai?

Since there is little chance of winning at night, you must resort to doing it du ring the day, but since she hides during the day that is not a simple thing to a ccomplish.

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 follow s from there.

If you do not regularly exterminate this kind of youkai, they will eventually ap pear at human villages, so make sure to exterminate them once in a while.

1: If this form were the first to be seen, she might have not been called a nigh t sparrow.

2: It is not good if she is popular, though.

3: Birdlime is effective.

Chinese Girl

Hoan Meirin [sic]

Ability: Manipulation of 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 a gate guard, and thus meets with humans more than the other reside nts of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

She is skilled in martial arts, and doesn't have many odd youkai-like powers.

Her appearance is no different than a human's. She wears a dress in the Chinese style, and her movements are light.

Unlike other youkai, she does not specialize in a single ability, but is an allaround youkai.

Because of that, she's not strong among youkai, but she has no blind spots when dealing with humans.

Nor has she any particular weak point.

It can be assumed that she was given the job of gate guard 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 idly chat or complain.

She may threaten you with words, but as long as you don't try to destroy the gat e she almost never attacks.

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 gate guard it feels friendly." (Tofu shop owner)

Even so, fearsome youkai live inside.

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

It is most likely Tai Chi Chuan.

You must not disturb her.

"When I glanced at the Scarlet Devil Mansion at noon, the gate guard was sleepin g." (Anonymous)

She's most likely having a siesta.

You must not disturb her. Countermeasures

Since her meals are provided by the Scarlet Devil Mansion, she isn't a youkai to be scared of 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.

She'll attack you without mercy in that case.

If that happens, if you immediately apologize and retreat, she won't chase 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 hav e any apparent weak points.

Also, since she seldom moves from the Scarlet Devil Mansion, other youkai may co me 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 frontal attack.

In other words, she may be a good opponent to test your skills (*4).

1: The mansion where the devil lives. More on this later.

2: In reality, youkai helping other youkai is rare. Most just snicker while watc hing the battle.

3: Humans are physically disadvantaged compared to youkai, so a formal match is important.

4: In fact, she always gets such challengers. It is said that the master of the Scarlet Devil Mansion enjoys watching these matches too.

Little Sweet Poison

Medicin Melancory [sic]

Ability: Manipulation of poison

Threat level: High

Human friendship level: Poor

Main place of activity: Nameless Hill

Even though youkai live long, there are of course ones born anew.

Medicine Melancholy is one of them.

She was a discarded doll changed into youkai after a long time.

Her form is that of a large doll used in ventriloquism.

It is believed that the original doll that became her was about 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 b eing left on the Nameless Hill (*1) with suzuran for a long time.

She pours poison in food.

She uses poison to manipulate humans.

She's a threatening doll to humans that are easily affected by poison (*2).

Being a young youkai, her experience and knowledge is overwhelmingly shallow.

She possesses 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 see 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." (Anony mous)

Merely touching her will cause a bad reaction to one's body.

Terrifying.

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

It is thought that she has not seen a large amount of humans.

However, you must not pursue her further.

She may return to spread a fog of poison over the village.

"I saw a small doll hopping happily at the Nameless Hill. I wonder if the suzura n poison got to her." (Yumetsugu)

Since she gives the impression that she's defenseless, that just shows that her experience as a youkai is shallow.

You shouldn't carelessly startle her until she matures. Countermeasures

The type of poison is unknown.

Flower's poison, snake's poison, bee's poison, spider's poison, poison that caus es inflammation just by touching it, poison that knocks you unconscious just by whiffing it, there are many types of poison.

Because of that, if one is affected by poison there is no definite treatment met hod.

You will probably understand the true terror of poison when you confront this yo ukai.

Lately, there have been youkai that have been showered in such strong poison tha t even they falter, just by being near her.

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 e asily.

Pretend to be a human that hates humans.

The strength of her poison is fearsome, and aftereffects remain.

Poisons that remain latent for a long time and cause a delayed effect (*3) are a lso dangerous.

You must avoid battles with her at all cost.

1: It is a hill that goes by the name Nameless Hill. Mentioned later.

2: Drinking too much sake is poison for the body. If you are offered sake, you n eed the courage to reject.

3: Such as alcohol and nicotine.

Flower Master of the Four Seasons

Yuka Kazami [sic]

Ability: Manipulation of flowers

Threat level: Very high

Human friendship level: Very poor

Main place of activity: Garden of the Sun

She lives a life surrounded by flowers all year, and if anyone disturbs her, be they youkai or human, she eliminates them no matter what.

She's more like a manifestation of nature rather than a flower youkai, but unlik e fairies, she is far more dangerous than any of the youkai introduced so far.

She is usually active in a place surrounded by flowers, and seems peaceful at fi rst glance but is merciless towards other creatures.

She wears clothes with bright colours, and her appearance is no different from a human.

The ability to manipulate flowers consists of being able to make flowers bloom, shift the face of sunflowers towards the sun, or make withered flowers bloom aga in and such.

This ability is more of an extra; she truly possesses extremely high youkai powe r and physical abilities, a youkai-like youkai.

She doesn't feel an atom of fear when fighting humans or youkai, and loves rubbi ng 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 recently this youkai hasn't moved from the hill of flowers much. Combat Ability

Completely unrelated to her abilities, she uses a parasol or scatters flowers to perform graceful attacks.

It is said that her parasol is a special sun parasol that can largely cut ultrav iolet rays (*1) and can block rain as well.

It can even block danmaku.

Rather than relying on youkai abilities or magic, she often performs overwhelmin g physical attacks.

This class of youkai is not interested in the average human, and only pays atten tion to equally strong youkai or humans with special abilities.

However, when ones with power clash, both sides are aware that it can't possibly be settled.

To counter this, before the battle, rules are decided and a formal battle often

takes place.

By fighting with these rules, even if one could continue after losing, they must admit their loss.

Once that is done, the other side will not pursue it further.

That is the wisdom of youkai who have lived long. Eyewitness Reports

"She came to the village to shop. She gives proper greetings, and she didn't see m like a very strong youkai..." (Flower Shop)

The stronger the youkai, the more polite they normally are.

You must not make a move against 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 working.

However, it's said that she's defeated this youkai several times (*2).

"I saw her at the Garden of the Sun. Her smile was terrifying, 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 flower field on fire, you should be fine.

If you come across this youkai battling with someone else, do not get yourself i nvolved.

However, these fights are based on certain rules, so as long as you do not distu rb the fight, she'll be polite.

If you can keep enough distance from the fight, it's also a good idea to watch t he show.

Battles of non-humans are full of breathtaking beauty.

1: As explained by Kourindou.

2: Very doubtful.

3: Established theory.

Youkai of Boundaries

Yukari Yakumo

Ability: Manipulation of boundaries

Threat level: Unknown

Human friendship level: Average

Main place of activity: Anywhere and everywhere

If I were to name one youkai that is the most youkai-like of youkai, that would be Yukari Yakumo.

Aside from the fundamental dangerousness of her ability, she also tends to appea r and disappear without warning, her personality seems to lack common sense, and her behavioral principles are completely different from those of humans, making her a youkai not to be dealt with.

Her appearance is not different from that of a human.

She prefers extravagant clothes, and is often seen with a large parasol.

Her main time of activity is night, and 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 a nd it's unknown where she lives, so this is unconfirmed.

Historically, there is an article in the Youkai Encyclopedia from Aichi's (*2) G ensokyo Chronicle that seems to describe her.

She is said to look the same now as she appeared back then. Ability

The ability to manipulate boundaries is a terrifying ability capable of fundamen tally undermining reality.

As you know, 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 enormou s object.

Thus, the ability to manipulate boundaries is an ability of logical creation and destruction.

It essentially creates a new being, or denies the existence of a being.

Among the abilities youkai are known to possess, this is one of the most dangero us, being comparable even to the power of gods.

She is also capable of going anywhere through a gap 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 t o pictures, others' dreams, and even stories.

In addition, she is possessed of superhuman (*3) intellect, and is especially go od at mathematics.

Furthermore, due to her long lifespan, she has a broad range of knowledge and ex perience. Daily life

She is actually quite talkative, eager to teach you about herself or about Genso kyo.

However, most of her stories are impossible to prove or confirm, so no one can s ay if what she says is true.

Her house is said to be located at the boundary between Gensokyo and the outside world, just like the Hakurei Shrine, but no one has ever actually seen it.

This is because her only movements are through gaps in space, so she seems to ap pear out of nowhere and disappear into nothing.

No one can follow her through the gaps, so it's not known if it's true or not (* 4).

In addition, she rarely acts directly, instead leaving practically all of her wo rk to a beast she controls as a familiar.

This is especially true in daytime and winter when she is sleeping, and in such cases that familiar is seen moving around in her stead.

Additionally, as she is an elder being, she has many friends that are also elder .

Most of her friends are first-class youkai like Yuyuko Saigyouji of the netherwo rld and the oni Suika Ibuki.

Relationship to Gensokyo

Gensokyo is separated from the outside by a large magical barrier.

This barrier literally is the boundary between inside and outside.

However, the inside world and the outside world are still physically contiguous, so it can be said that the barrier is logically creating the place that we call Gensokyo.

That also means that as long as the youkai of boundaries exists, she can create or destroy a place like Gensokyo whenever she desires.

It can be argued that the fact that a youkai of boundaries exists in Gensokyo, a land surrounded by an enormous boundary, implies that she must have some extrem ely significant connection to the origin of Gensokyo.

Strangely, this youkai rarely attacks humans.

A youkai that never attacks humans is by definition not a youkai, so it is likel y that she occasionally does attack humans.

As she can freely visit the outside world, it's speculated that she attacks huma ns in the outside world (*5).

Stories 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 trut h and lie and plunging into the mirrored moon on the lake's surface.

Although she went in with an army of impudent youkai, they were crushed by the M oon's advanced weaponry.

It is since this incident that youkai usually do not choose to attack beyond the ir territory.

The stories of this event are also what made her powers widely known among human s. Youkai Expansion Project

A story from over 500 years ago.

The project refers to a plan designed and implemented by Yukari in order to rest ore power to the youkai of Gensokyo, who felt pressured by human expansion.

Until then Gensokyo was merely an isolated mountain place, but she planned to cr eate the boundary between illusion and reality around Gensokyo, thus logically c reating a new world.

By establishing Gensokyo as an illusionary world, and the outside as the real wo rld, the youkai weakened by the outside world would naturally flock to Gensokyo; this was a truly epochal event.

At this time, it seems that youkai from outside of Japan immigrated to Gensokyo, as well.

The effects of the boundary remain even in the present time.

The cleverness of the plan lies in allowing youkai to disappear in the outside w orld while permitting them to thrive within Gensokyo.

As long as the outside world remains in the hands of the humans, Gensokyo will b e the demesne of the youkai. The Great Barrier Disturbance

This, of course, refers to the Great Hakurei Barrier (*6).

It is said that this youkai was one of those who suggested the creation of the G reat Barrier and created what is now Gensokyo.

However, it appears that there was some opposition to this plan from a number of youkai, and that there was open conflict between youkai.

As this conflict distracted youkai from their normal attacks against humans, the Great Barrier has received great praise over the period of Gensokyo's existence .

Word of the usefulness of the Great Barrier has now circulated among the youkai, and there are scarcely any that oppose its existence. The Phantom Disturbance

The Phantom Disturbance refers to a time when the border between the Netherworld and the world of the living weakened, making it easy for the respective denizen s of each to go back and forth.

It is obvious that this youkai would have been involved in such a feat.

Since this was the act of an extremely wise youkai, there was likely some extrao rdinary benefit to youkai society in doing this. (*7) As this is an ongoing incident the matter remains unresolved. Eyewitness Reports

"Before I know it, she makes my food disappear right out from under my nose. I w ish she'd stop." (Reimu Hakurei)

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

"She keeps just showing up in the middle of my house. Why can't she just use the door like other people?" (Marisa Kirisame)

One should exercise restraint when using the power of teleportation. Countermeasures

She seldom appears in the human village.

To that extent, she likely doesn't attack normal humans very often.

No matter how confident one is in their abilities, it would be wise not to attem pt to pursue this youkai.

(Though, she would likely make allowances for the power of her opponent so as no t to allow the battle to become too vicious.)

In any case, there is not a single defense against or weak point in the ability to manipulate boundaries.

Her intellect far surpasses the capabilities of humans, and her vitality is what you'd expect from a youkai.

Humans probably have no chance of winning against her.

Excepting, of course, the countermeasure of approaching her in a gentlemanly fas hion.

1: Recently, as the number of night humans increases, so does the number of dayt ime youkai.

2: The Gensokyo Chronicles written by the first member of the Hieda line, more t han 1200 years ago.

3: Well, she's a youkai, so it's no wonder she is superhuman.

4: Some say that her house is located in the outside world.

5: Rumor has it that she is a youkai from outside, and she simply comes to here for play. 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 outside world is Y ukari's dream.

6: The boundary separating Gensokyo and the outside world. It is said it is extr emely difficult for youkai or humans to pass through, and so essentially it crea tes a separate world.

7: I have been unable to confirm this while alive.

Otherworldly Magical Being Magician

Usual threat level: Normal

Frequency of encounters: Low Diversity: Low

Main place of encounters: Anywhere

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

One who was become possessed by magic, such that the person's body itself is pow ered by magic; this type of youkai is known as a magician.

Magical research is their occupation and they spend their days thinking about ne w magic.

Among youkai, they are the closest to humans.

There are two types of magicians: those who were born as magicians and humans wh o became magicians.

At the point when they become complete magicians, their growth (aging) stops (*1 ).

Magicians by birth can use magic from the beginning; like humans, they grow, age , and have a limited lifespan.

Then, when they learn Shachuu [literally, "abandoning temper"] magic (*2), they become long-lived, complete magicians.

In the case of those who were originally human, when in the course of their stud y of magic they learn Shashoku [literally, "abandoning food"] magic (*3), they b ecome magicians.

After that, it's the same as for normal magicians.

In any case, becoming a member of the magician tribe takes quite a bit of time.

Since they continue to grow old like humans up until that point, in general ther e are a lot of aged magicians and witches.

However, in Gensokyo, magical research continues to advance and learning magic i s 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 pretty much the same as humans', so they are frail in compariso n 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, Kidnapping, Fraud

An area in which they are particularly harmful is theft of livestock.

Living livestock are necessary for large-scale magic, and it seems there is a se rious livestock shortage among magicians.

In addition, they often steal food and drink (especially liquor), and curios suc h 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 takes money; they will use any means to raise funds.

Be particularly cautious if you see someone selling shady magic trick goods at t he roadside. Countermeasures

The most important thing is to not trust magicians.

Fortunately, their bodies aren't very strong, only about that of an ordinary hum an, 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 drawn-out fights.

The most fundamental thing is to be careful not to fall into a magician's trap a nd not to enter their territory.

If you happen to enter their territory, your best options are either to immediat ely run away or to boldly approach them.

1: There are those who are attempting to create magic to restore their youth, bu t......

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 c an only be used on oneself.

4: Sometimes the children become apprentices to the magicians.

Seven-Colored Puppeteer Alice Margatroid

Ability: Ability to manipulate dolls

Threat level: Low

Human friendship level: High

Main place of activity: Any kind of place

The magician that appears before people during festivals and displays her street performances with 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, and looks very much like a doll herself.

She's the type of magician that was originally human and became one through trai ning.

Because of this, she is very understanding towards humans.

However, her history as a magician is shallow, and she is a novice.

She does not need to, but she still eats and sleeps and does everything a human would.

She usually lives in a compact western house in the Forest of Magic.

If you happen to wander into the Forest of Magic and lose your way, and end up a t her house, it is said that she will welcome you and allow you to stay over.

However, while she says that, all she does is research magic and manipulate her dolls without really conversing, which is creepy, so it seems one would want to run away as quickly as possible (*1). Abilities

The ability to manipulate dolls with magic is magic that makes it seem as if the

dolls were alive.

It isn't magic that gives life to the dolls, but magic that allows the user to c ontrol them with a thread of magic, so long distance manipulation is very diffic ult.

However, dolls cannot defy orders or harm their user.

The dolls she uses are not all special dolls, there are many normal dolls.

Most of them are made by herself. (*2)

She attaches a thread of magic to her handmade dolls and manipulates them freely (*2). Daily Life

It is said that cooking, laundry, cleaning, and other household chores are mostl y done by her dolls.

It seems convenient at first, but the dolls are not moving by themselves, if you consider that she is the one controlling all the dolls, she always seems to hav e her hands full.

It is said that she can make her dolls move any way a human can.

She can even have her dolls control other dolls.

However, there is one thing she does not allow her dolls to do.

That is creating dolls.

It seems she only does this by her own hands. Witness Reports

"She said that she controls all the dolls herself, but that sounds like BS." (Ma risa Kirisame)

I believe people who have seen her would understand, but she controls several do lls and makes each one perform separate actions, at times makes them cooperate, and the dolls move completely asynchronously.

It really does not seem like she is controlling them, but...

"There was a large amount of dolls flowing in the river. Wasn't that the work of a doll youkai?" (Anonymous) 3

That might be nagashi-bina(*3).

"A while ago, I saw a weird doll with another doll inside it. Isn't that the wor k 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 glad ly accept.

Since she is accompanied by her dolls, if you challenge her you will be forced i nto a one versus many battle.

Unless you are very confident in your abilities, a difficult battle is inevitabl e.

Also, attempting to destroy her dolls is meaningless and like pouring water over a hot stone.

And at times, she makes her dolls explode.

You must ignore the dolls.

She may seem like a youkai that is difficult to deal with, but she has her weak points.

That is Alice herself.

She has her hands full manipulating the dolls, so her movements are dull and her

fighting ability is low.

If you are ever in a match with her, aim for her directly. (*1)

1: However, running away into the Forest of Magic at night is also scary, so you would have no choice but to bear with it. (*2)

2: She is very dexterous. However, threads of magic are not controlled by one's hand, but by magic. (*3)

3: The act of transferring misfortune and impurity onto dolls and flowing them i n a river. Lately it is believed to cause pollution and is not done as often.

Unmoving Great Library

Patchouli Knowledge

Ability: Magic (mainly elemental)

Threat level: Average Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Scarlet Devil Mansion

Patchouli Knowledge is a magician known as the brain of the Scarlet Devil Mansio n, the manor where devils live.

It is her role to resolve problems that occur in the Scarlet Devil Mansion (*1).

She has long hair, but otherwise her appearance is indistinguishable from a huma n's.

She is a born magician, and it is said she has lived for over a hundred years.

Astonishingly, she has reportedly spent most of the last hundred years reading b ooks.

She is proficient in various types of magic and eagerly researches new magic.

Whenever she devises a new spell, she inscribes it into a magic book, expanding the library.

It's unknown when exactly she settled down in the Scarlet Devil Mansion, but jud ging by the size of the library, it must have been a considerable time ago. Abilities

She is a magician's magician, using various sorts of magic in her daily life.

She mainly uses elemental magic.

Elemental magic primarily borrows on the power of youkai and fairies to try to c reate great effects from many smaller powers.

The elements she uses most frequently are the seven elements: "wood", for life a nd awakening; "fire", for change and movement; "earth", for foundation and const ancy; "metal", for wealth and abundance; "water", for silence and purification; "sun", for activeness and offense; "moon", for passiveness and defense.

On top of being able to use magic from all these elements, surprisingly enough, it is said she is able to cast spells that combine more than two different eleme nt types.

Moreover, her variations are extraordinarily bountiful. 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 of spells, but are magical items with magic power sealed inside.

Their contents are not simply how to cast various spells, but indeed the secret keys to the use of magic itself.

In theory, anyone could cast a spell if they had the appropriate magic book, but people without the key that magic would not be able to distinguish the letters in such a book.

One cannot find the key if they do not possess equal or greater skill than the p erson who wrote the spell in 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.

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 other world (*2). Eyewitness Reports

"That library reeks of mold." (Marisa Kirisame)

Since Japan is quite humid, archives are typically built in places that are well ventilated.

Since the Scarlet Devil Mansion is a Western-style house, it may not have been b uilt with Japanese climates in mind.

"There's the occasional book that is readable sometimes." (Reimu Hakurei)

One can read a book from the other 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 smaller on es, but there are flaws to this approach.

That is because there always exists a weak point to every element.

There are, of course, weaknesses to her magic as well.

If by some chance you end up in a battle with her, you must fight while staying alert to her magic elements.

But since she seldom leaves the Scarlet Devil Mansion, battles with her are extr emely rare.

As long as you do not invade, there will be no battle.

In addition, her physical condition is poorer than that of a human's.

Since she is asthmatic (*3), she can't exert herself too much, lest it becomes d ifficult 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 at low v olumes. It's suffocating to watch her speak so quickly with her asthma.

Animal with too much Power and Wisdom Beast

Usual threat level: High

Frequency of encounters: Medium Diversity: High

Main place of encounters: Anywhere

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

At first glance they seem to be normal animals, but they are intelligent enough to understand human speech and have unusually high physical abilities, plus some

of them can use sorcery.

These kinds of animals are known as Beasts.

Many of them act like leaders for ordinary animals.

Characteristically, we can say they are very physically-orientated.

They hold superior physical powers (*1), but in return it is difficult for them to revive if their bodies are destroyed.

Unlike normal youkai, they're strong against mental attacks (*2).

Usually, their shape, personality, and powers are strongly influenced by the typ e of animal they originally were.

The unity within their species is strong, and they can't let it pass if a member of their species faces hardships.

They tend to be omnivores who prefer to eat meat, especially human meat.

It is said that animals that have eaten too many virtuous humans become youkai ( *3).

Many of them are very ferocious, and since the frequency of encounters is somewh at high, you must be careful of this type of youkai.

Also, in general, more tails means higher youkai power, so you can use this to e stimate their strength. Potential Harm Injury, Becoming Prey

Most of the danger comes from their regular attacks.

For humans, just being scratched by their sharp claws or being bitten is dangero us.

It's possible to be injured even if you don't directly get involved with beasts; 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 beasts that can use sorcery. Countermeasures

Because of the difference in physical abilities, humans are at an overwhelming d isadvantage in a frontal attack.

However, since many of them aren't too smart in general, they often fall into tr aps set by humans.

Sometimes they'll get caught in rabbit traps.

If one of them is getting ready for a fight, it's probably because it's hungry.

If you have food on hand, there's a good chance you can escape by giving that to them and running.

In the worst case, if you don't have any food on hand, or you meet them one afte r another and you've just given away your food, all you can do is pray.

1: Swift feet, great power, the ability to jump high, 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.

Black Cat of Bad Omens Chen :

Ability: Black magical arts

Threat level: Medium

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Animal Trail, Mountain of Youkai

A ghost cat whose appearance and threat level are the most standard of the youka i beasts.

Even so, Chen is currently a shikigami (*1) in service to Ran Yakumo (see next a rticle).

She is a fairly representative ghost cat with long claws and a long, forked tail (*2).

When possessed by the familiar spirit, she can use various black arts and is ext remely dangerous, but has an extreme dislike of water.

If she's doused in water, the familiar spirit leaves, and she becomes a normal p hantom cat.

When this happens, she'll become more feral and resort to more physical means su ch as biting and clawing, but she still hates water.

If you douse her again, her actions will become weaker.

She looks the same as a familiar spirit and as a ghost cat.

She's capable of human speech, and uses various mystic arts when possessed that make her appear quite capable, but in reality she possesses the intellect of a h uman child about the age she appears.

She spends most of her time on the 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 's possessed by the familiar. Eyewitness reports

"A huge cat was sitting inside the kotatsu.It was about as big as a person. No, really!" (Anonymous)

Cats grow fat laying in kotatsu in the winter.

"A bunch of cats were gathered together behind our house. We splashed water at t hem, and they ran off." (Anonymous)

It looks like the cats assemble regularly when people aren't watching.

It appears that the leader of these assemblies is this cat.

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

She might be sharpening her claws, but a phantom of her class would probably jus t use nail clippers or scissors. Countermeasures

Ghost cats are very nimble, and they're also quite strong.

If she faced you seriously in a fight, even running away would be difficult.

However, she has many weaknesses.

For example, she hates water.

She won't go out if it's raining, and if you run out to the middle of a river, s he probably wouldn't follow you.

She's also weak against catnip.

If you sprinkle some dried catnip around, she'll quickly lose all interest in fi ghting.

It's probably best to keep some dried catnip with you if you have to walk down a nimal trails.

The types of magic 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 t he right.

This is a technique that relies on speed and precision of 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 status cond ition. When this condition is in effect, 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 spe ed, she moves so quickly humans lose sight of her, which makes it appear to be i nstant teleportation.

The Scheming Nine-Tailed Fox

Ran Yakumo

Ability: Ability to use shikigami

Threat level: High

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Anywhere

It's said that the more tails a fox youkai has, the more powerful it is, and the longer they are, the more clever it becomes.

The widely regarded authority among fox youkai is this nine-tailed fox, Ran Yaku mo (*1).

A fox with nine large tails, her shining pedigree gives rise to divinity.

Naturally, the one who has enslaved this strongest of the youkai 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 says, but she is also capable of usi ng shikigami of her own.

Ran's shikigami is Chen.

However, Chen is too unreliable for Ran to leave her work to.

Ran is incredibly intelligent, and especially good at mathematics.

It is said that she is capable of doing in an instant complex calculations far a bove the human imagination.

However, her forte is the analysis of existing phenomena, rather than that of ne w concepts (*3).

She lives in the same house as Yukari Yakumo, and normally goes out into Gensoky o to perform her duties for her.

Eyewitness Reports

"That fox came here just now to buy some fried tofu. She did it right, even thou gh 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 lik e it's been sizing up something. I wonder what the youkai are planning; it's sca ry." (Anonymous)

There's no need for concern.

This fox is merely making sure no untoward changes occur in Gensokyo, that the b order experiences no degradation, and performing other such checks.

These duties were originally performed by Yukari Yakumo, but it seems that Yukar i 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 youkai beast, after all.

Countermeasures

She's intelligent, extremely powerful, and very quick on her feet.

You should not challenge her unless you're extremely confident in your skills.

Fortunately, her personality is extremely mild, and she takes no pleasure in sel f-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 yo u 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 walkin g 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 do shopping.

1: This name is one given to her by the user, Yukari. Her real name is unknown.

2: Truly, they're an unbeatable pair.

3: Shikigami on the outside world are called computers, and are said to be used for similar purposes.

Lunatic Red Eyes

Reisen Udongein Inaba :

Ability: Manipulation of madness

Threat level: Unknown

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Bamboo Forest of Lost

Reisen Udongein Inaba, the youkai rabbit whose dissimilitude with other youkai m akes her all the more unusual.

She has an upright posture which is very un-beast-like.

Considering she is a youkai beast, her movement is rather slow.

Although she is a youkai beast, she does not attack humans.

In fact, she avoids them altogether.

She has extremely long ears and hair.

She is certainly one-of-a-kind among the youkai rabbits in all respects.

Tewi Inaba is basically the 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 understand what she's saying even if you hear her perfectly, o r you may hear her as if she were whispering into your ears, even though she's f ar away.

Thanks to phenomena such as these, it's hard to have a serious, direct conversat ion with her.

She normally lives at Eientei in the Bamboo Forest.

Her movements there are unknown, but occasionally she can be seen in the human v illage selling medicine.

She's well known for walking about with large amounts of suspicious-looking medi cines(*2).

Lunatic Ability

The ability to control madness is essentially the power to make you go mad, spec ifically, the power to control the waves that make up 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 talk with other people.

Increasing the amplitude results in an excess of existence, which allows her to transmit her will anywhere.

Decreasing the amplitude results in a dilution of existence, in which case one's voice will never reach another, no matter how close they are.

Synchronizing the waves' phases causes interference to vanish, which makes it im possible 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.

From out of nowhere, I could see huge amounts of bamboo below me.

My hips started aching, then the rest of my body, too.

Then, I saw a strange youkai rabbit.

She was looking at the sky and muttering under her breath.

It looked like she was talking to someone, but there was nothing there but the s etting moon ...

I decided to leave because of the eerie atmosphere, but then she turned around a nd realized I was there.

And all of a sudden, she completely vanished.

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 i s 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.

Just like the full moon, they have a strange effect on humans.

1: An as-yet unfounded rumor is that she seems to listen to little of what she s ays.

2: Such as frighteningly bitter medicines.

3: Or perhaps it was an old man being ...

White Rabbit of Good Fortune

Tei Inaba [sic] :

Ability: Can bring fortune to humans

Threat level: Low

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Bamboo Forest of Lost

Tewi Inaba is the youkai rabbit that serves 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 h ealth.

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 th at those who see her have good luck.

However, not only is she very fleet-footed, but she spends much of her time in t he Bamboo Forest, so it isn't very easy to find her.

She has a very mischievous personality, but can be cowardly, and is shifty.

She is extremely emotional, to the point that her personality is not unlike a fa iry's.

It's 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 constructed , and is said to be one of the longest living youkai in Gensokyo(*1). Eyewitness reports

"I finally found that rabbit in the bamboo forest just now! I'm sure Lady Luck w ill be visiting me from now on ..." (Anonymous)

Good fortune isn't all that long-lived, so you may have exhausted your share by simply making it back safely from the forest.

"Aah, rabbit meat is so light, I wonder what goes with it?" (Kourindou proprieto r)

Rabbit meat is just one popular dish 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 clever. Countermeasures

Due to her reputation as a harbinger of good fortune, she is unusually popular a

mong humans for a youkai, but one can't find her by ordinary means.

Her inclination 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, and the forest is full of youkai, so it's unwise to enter it unprepa red.

One might say that it would be good fortune enough to even find her. It may be that good fortune only visits those who were fortunate to begin with(* 3).

Compared to a four-leaf clover, it's good fortune on the order of a forty-leaf c lover.

1: Her presence had already been noted at the time the Gensokyo Chronicle was fi rst compiled.

2: It's a favorite of mine, as well.

3: Of course.

Warped Were-youkai Therianthrope

Usual threat level: Low

Frequency of encounters: Medium

Diversity: Normal

Main place of encounters: Anywhere

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

Therianthropes are youkai who normally live as humans, but become animals under certain circumstances.

When they are living as humans, this does not mean they are pretending to be hum an. Rather, they are practically no different from humans. (*1)

When they become animals, though, their physical abilities abruptly increase, an d they become as powerful as beasts.

However, many of them retain human memories, so they are often more intelligent

than beasts.

While they rarely attack humans, their habitat range is closely related 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 e nchanted or having a magic spell cast upon one.

Numerous hereditary therianthropes assume a completely animal form when they ani malize, but acquired ones often become animals that are nearly human. (*2)

Also, the conditions that cause animalizing vary, but the major ones include loo king at a full moon, drinking wine, becoming genuinely angry, and being doused w ith water. (*3) Potential Harm Destructive Activity, Nasal Inflammation

Damage is basically on the low side.

There are times when excited therianthropes lay waste to a village, but in main, most therianthropes coexist peaceably with humans, helping with manual labor pr ojects or using their abilities to drive away youkai.

Befriending them, even as humans, has many advantages, so they are popular youka i.

However, some people suffer nasal inflammation from their animal hair.

Countermeasures

Do not show surprise or fear if your 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 coat looks even better than usual today," or "Say, who did your ma gnificent horns? Not THE Jinbei Echigoya?" (*4)

There is certainly no disadvantage to being friendly with a therianthrope.

If you suffer from nasal inflammation, tea is moderately effective, so you shoul d 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.

History Eating Half Beast

Keine Kamishirasawa

Ability: Power of consuming history (when human) Power of creating history (when animal)

Threat level: Low

Human friendship level: High

Main place of activity: Human Village

Abundant in knowledge, the wisest of the half-beasts 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 thei r reign, warning them of future calamities and guiding them on the proper way.

She can erase history when human, and when she becomes a hakutaku, she can creat e history as well.

The history of Gensokyo is that which is created by her (*2).

Speaking of history, things do not become history merely by happening.

Things do not become history unless they are made history by someone's hands.

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.

This power of the hakutaku is also used for the circumstances of virtuous rulers .

She lives in a human village, where she runs a school and compiles history there every day (*3).

Such is her profession. Eyewitness Reports

"The school lessons are hard, boring and a real pain! Can't you do something?" ( Leader's son)

It seems she is not good at keeping people entertained.

"Speaking of that, why doesn't Akyuu-chan come to school?" (Florist's daughter)

If I taught a lesson, it would certainly be an interesting one.

But a lesson is meaningless if it's just for fun.

"No, that's not what I mean, come as a student!" (Florist's daughter)

Well, I already know so much of this...

It's mostly a summary of my records, anyway... Countermeasures

Although she's a little hard to deal with, since she has no ill will towards hum ans, 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 to catch up to 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: Her powers have no effect on the histories passed down by the Hieda family. T hus, over time it becomes not her history, but ours.

3: She also has close relations with the Hieda family. The vast quantity of info rmation the Hieda family has collected over a thousand years is useful for her l essons.

4: Headbutt.

5: When she has grown horns, her headbutts are painful.

The Embodiments of Charisma Vampires

Main danger level: Very high

Frequency of encounter: Low

Variety: Very low

Main place of activity: Anywhere

Main time of activity: Night Features

Of the newer youkai that have emerged only within the last few centuries, vampir es are among the strongest of them, strong enough to take part in the power-bala nce 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 is human's blood. Those who are sucked to death will neither die nor become a ghost; they will move around as a zombie for a while, then evapora te under sunlight.

They went on a rampage when they first appeared in Gensokyo, lost against powerf ul youkai, and a settlement was reached as they finally made a contract (*2).

The details of this contract are that the youkai will offer them humans from whi ch to feed (*3); in return, the vampires will not attack humans living in Gensok yo.

Of course, even now, the contract remains in effect.

Vampires have marvelous physical performance and magical power: they are able to lift up a thousand-year-old tree single-handedly, to run through a human villag e within the blink of an eye, to summon many demons with a single word, to disso lve themselves into bats or even a pale mist to intrude into anywhere, and they can recover even when their body is blown away in a night, as long as their head is undamaged.

Some youkai have abilities similar to each of these, but only vampires are known to possess all of them.

This makes them very fascinating.

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 go across flowing water, so they are docile on rainy days. Also , they can't cross rivers.

They can't approach a sardine head or a shattered holly branch.

Their skin will be burnt if someone throws roasted soybeans upon them (*4). Potential Harm Disaster

For someone as powerful as a vampire, they are usually forbidden to directly ass ault humans.

So, they aren't so dangerous even if you happen to face one.

Instead, they usually choose to cause a disaster that affects the whole of Genso kyo.

They create change in everything, including natural phenomena, for selfish reaso ns, which will always lead to endangering human life no matter what is affected.

Most of these reasons are out of outright curiosity, and once they're bored, it will cease. How To Deal With Them

Once a disaster has occurred, there's no choice but to seek help from a speciali st who has the power to settle the incident.

The only thing an average human can do is find a way to survive.

Aside from these times, vampires are relatively gentle and polite.

They pose little threat in such case.

But that doesn't mean you should anger them.

You shouldn't do something that strikes one of their weaknesses, even by acciden t.

A halfhearted attack will only result in enraging them.

In order not to unintentionally offend them, it's advised to know their weakness es.

1: Others consist of individual youkai, youkai living in the mountains (Tengu, K appa and such), humans and animals.

2: A devil's contract is absolute, thus one can never betray it.

3: It's said they are outside humans whose deaths are of no consequence (suicide s, etc.)

4: However, it is said that they like natto.

Scarlet Devil

Remilia Scarlet

Ability: Ability to manipulate 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 master 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 do other vampires.

She's short and looks like a little girl under the age of ten, but she has wings that 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 like a child's, which combines with her amazing strength and unl imited curiosity to make her a threatening devil that may explode at any time.

She sleeps during the daytime in the Scarlet Devil Mansion. At night she takes a walk or hosts a party and has as much fun as she can. After getting tired, she sleeps again.

It is not sure whether or not she is not using it consciously, but her ability t o manipulate fate can make people just being around her have a lot of ups and do wns in future, and just speaking to her even once could sometimes change the fat es drastically.

As a start, you become more likely to encounter rare things (*2).

Stories about this youkai Red Mist Disaster

This incident led to many humans knowing the existence of the Scarlet Devil Mans ion.

There was an incident where Gensokyo was covered in deep red mist and the sunlig ht could not reach the Earth, leading to a summer with low temperatures.

This mist persisted for a few days, and led to people being unable to leave not only the human village, but even their homes.

It was found out that Remilia was the cause of this mist, with the self-centered intent of removing the sunlight so that she could party during the day as well.

It's said that in the end, the shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine punished her in order to end this incident. Eyewitness Reports

"I saw her watching flowers. She was using a parasol. Even though she's weak to sunlight, she didn't choose to see the night sakura instead." (Anonymous)

She is a vampire who is often spotted in the daytime as well.

It is believed that parasols are ideal for her to block UV rays.

"I saw her watching night sakura. I guess she watches night sakura since she's w eak to sunlight." (Anonymous)

So it's highly likely that she was watching sakura for the whole day.

"Having been wounded, I passed out, and someone from the Scarlet Devil Mansion h elped me and let me lodge in. The place was called the Devil's Mansion, but unex pectedly she was gentle. Well, since there wasn't anything much to eat, and sinc e it was very noisy during the night, I couldn't sleep, so I ran away." (Anonymo us)

Vampires are surprisingly polite.

Especially since they try not to eat the humans in Gensokyo.

However, it might be that your fate to 'just die in the streets' has been altere d (*3). Countermeasures

Although she is a youkai with many weak points, it is not a good idea to exploit them and excite her.

Since she cannot be exterminated under normal circumstances, you will most likel y 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 out of nowhere.

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 youka i as well.

Because of her high-handed attitude, she is friendly to none.

1: She was called the Scarlet Devil before coming to Gensokyo. This came from th e fact that she often spills blood and stains her white clothes.

2: Maybe it isn't like that, but it's an ability whose effects cannot be seen by the human eye.

3: Depending on how she changed fate, you might even become a half-human-half-yo ukai.

Sister of the Devil

Frandle Scarlet [sic!]

Ability: Destruction of anything and everything

Threat level: Extremely 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, Remilia Scarlet, who is also the Mansion's mistress, and her y ounger sister, Flandre Scarlet.

Flandre generally does not leave the Scarlet Devil Mansion(*1), but her existenc e has been occasionally confirmed by humans that enter it.

She has unusual seven-colored wings, and her hair is a dazzling golden color, bu t 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 c reature, youkai, or ghost.

She has few friends even among the youkai of the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and spen ds most of her time in isolation.

Even her big sister Remilia is seldom seen together with her.

Perhaps as a result, much about her is shrouded in mystery.

She possesses the ability to destroy any and all things even with or without tou ching them.

Everything that is made for her to play with ends up broken, so she probably doe sn'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 thing s to break.

It's a truly frightening ability with no real weaknesses. Eyewitness reports

"Sometimes when I sneak into the Scarlet Devil Mansion I run into the little sis ter. I had to sneak by without arousing her, but I was hoping she wouldn't show up since I'd finally snuck in." (Marisa Kirisame)

What a terribly selfish report.

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

This likely isn't incorrect(*3).

"I saw her figure wandering around the mansion while I was at an outdoor party a t the Scarlet Devil Mansion. It was truly frightening. I knew it was her just fr om the silhouette; she probably doesn't get to many parties." (Anonymous)

Really, a horror. Countermeasures

Since it's unlikely anyone will ever see or meet her, there isn't really anythin g one can do to prepare, but all you need to remember is that there are two vamp ires that live in the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

Even if her older sister Remilia is away, you should remember that there's anoth er vampire inside the mansion, and not sneak in unprepared.

There are many mysteries to her abilities, and such simple things as the operati ng distance 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 v ampires, 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 of her attention breaks.

3: Don't worry, even without wings we can all fly.

Spirit of Pure Human Ghost

Usual threat level: Extremely High

Frequency of encounters: Low Diversity: Low

Main place of encounters: Anywhere

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

The souls of the dead who don't realize that they're dead or whose unwillingness to recognize death is too strong will be unable to rest in peace, becoming ghos ts.

Ghosts are different from phantoms, since they have the appearance they did whil e alive, can touch and speak, and an outside observer can't tell them apart from a normal human.

Their body temperature isn't lower than normal, and living things other than hum ans can't become ghosts.

To prevent large numbers of ghosts from being able to traverse the River and to have them remain in the realms of the living, there are those who've crossed ove r to the realms of the dead, as well as to Hell.

They definitely won't enter the cycle of death and rebirth like that.

If you become a ghost one day, until you accomplish your objective or your body is given a memorial service, you won't rest in peace (*1).

Ghosts can easily influence the human heart with just their voices; it's dangero us to carelessly talk to one.

Ghosts who carry grudges are a particularly big threat, so you should somehow fi nd the body (*2) and hold a memorial service.

On the other hand, a ghost's weak point is its body (*3).

Ghosts hide their corpses and never reveal them to people.

They don't have 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 things (*4).

However, since they don't have physical bodies, even if they touch you, it won't hurt you. Potential Harm Madness, Being Turned into a Phantom

The scariest thing is that they live alongside humans and an outside observer ca n't tell that they're ghosts.

Even if the ghost doesn't have any ill will, if you're touched by one of the dea d, 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 service and instead go on living together.

At first, it may seem like a happy thing to continue living together after someo ne dies, but the ghost is disconnected from the cycle of death and rebirth; not only will they wander for eternity, but they'll soon realize that their entire f amily has died.

Even more frightening are ghosts who carry grudges.

Taking on the form of humans and deceiving living persons, until the grudge is f ulfilled 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 specialis t to hold a memorial service.

But the truly scary thing about ghosts is that sometimes their victims accept th em.

No matter how familiar the face may be, if it's the face of a person who's suppo sed to be dead, you must harden your heart and request a memorial service.

Also, try not to create grudges.

In particular, if you accidentally killed someone, you must quickly have a memor ial service 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 findin g their bodies. 2: The corpse.

3: Since the corpse can't move.

4: Because many of them believe that they are living humans.

The Elegant Ghost

Yuyuko Saigyouzi

Ability: Ability to manipulate death

Threat level: Very High Human friendship level: High

Main place of activity: Netherworld

The mistress of the Saigyouji family who resides in Hakugyokurou in the Netherwo rld.

It is said that she died over 1000 years ago, so she is a spirit with an extreme ly unusual lifespan (*1).

Impressed by her unwillingness to curse people and her ability to control spirit s, she was appointed by the great Yama to manage the souls of the dead.

In return she was permitted eternal residence in the Netherworld.

She is not different from the human in the appearance and shape.

It is said that the color of her skin and hair is quite lighter than those when she lived.

As her body is sealed away within Hakugyokurou, it is said to be impossible to h old a service for her.

Thus, she will live (*2) eternally in the form of a ghost.

Her personality is so extraordinarily easygoing that it is said she doesn't reme mber how long she's been in the Netherworld.

It seems she doesn't even remember what she had for breakfast (*3). Power

The ability to manipulate death literally means the ability to kill someone with no resistance.

Of course, once they're dead, she would be able to control their spirit, as well .

Nothing good can come out of challenging her.

Stories about this youkai

The Sakura Called Saigyou Ayakashi

Her father was a widely admired poet, and eventually fell into eternal rest bene ath a cherry tree, as he'd always wanted.

His adoration continued after his death, and now he has ascended into heaven.

Every year some grand personage would die beneath that tree when it was in full bloom, just like Yuyuko's father.

The tree that continued to suck their blood eventually became a youkai cherry tr ee with the ability to lure people to their death, and it was called the Saigyou Ayakashi.

It is said that the Saigyou Ayakashi is now kept in Hakugyokurou in the Netherwo rld, sealed thanks to the bodies of countless people, including Yuyuko, who slee p beneath it.

So, it never reaches full bloom. The Ghostly Emigration Project

This is a story of twenty or thirty years ago.

The number of spirits in the Netherworld increased due to limits on ascension (* 4).

As the already-vast Netherworld beginning to expand due to the pressure of all t he spirits, 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 places people don't usually visit, but some curious person on the outside c aught sight of one of the ghosts, so people started flocking to them (*6).

Eventually, the Yama became aware of this plan and decreed that ghosts shouldn't be seen, so it was put to rest.

Finally, the Yama increased the size of the Netherworld, thereby removing the ne cessity for the emigration plan.

It's said that the Netherworld today is larger than Hell. Eyewitness Reports

"Hmm, maybe I should go to the Netherworld for flower-viewing again this year... " (Marisa Kirisame)

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

"Cleaning up a place with that much space would be a pain. Still, it must be nic e." (Reimu Hakurei)

It seems the housework is left to the spirits.

Countermeasures

First of all, you will likely not meet her normally.

She stays in the Netherworld most of the time, and if she has business in Gensok yo, she usually has one of the spirits go in her stead.

There is one major exception.

You can speak with her after your death.

Normally when you die, after you set out on the road to rebirth, cross the Sanzu river, and receive the judgement of the ten lords during Higan, even if you've done no wrong, you go to the Netherworld and await reincarnation or enlightenmen t.

You will definitely see her there.

Surely something dreadful will await you if you manage to incur her wrath.

Her assistant Konpaku can sever the cycle of transmigration with her sword, and if Yuyuko sent you back to Higan from the Netherworld, you'd surely be sent to H ell.

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 cycle of transmigra tion, they've reached their capacity.

5: Including the outside world.

6: People like mysterious places.

Windcausing Mountain God Tengu

Usual threat level: Extremely High

Frequency of encounters: Medium

Diversity: Normal

Main place of encounters: Mountain of Youkai

Main time of encounters: Anytime Characteristics

Deified youkai who live on the mountain.

With these extremely friendly youkai who, predating even Gensokyo, have existed since ancient times, a peculiar society is constructed, where a reclusive lifest yle is led.

There are various types of tengu, including: the tengu boss, Tenma; the manageme nt types, Daitengu; the nimble information corps, Crow Tengu; the ones who speci alize in office work, Hanataka Tengu; the mountain's defense force, White Wolf T engu; and the printers, Yamabushi Tengu.

In general, they look the same as humans, but there are extremely large Tengu su ch as the Daitengu, and extremely proud ones such as the Hanataka Tengu. [Note: The expression here for being proud and the name Hanataka both mean "having a hi gh nose/nose in the air" or "being proud".]

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 t hat compare favorably to any youkai in Gensokyo.

In particular, they can fly extremely fast, and there are few, if any, who can m atch their speed (*1).

One characteristic of Tengu is that they're pretty much all cheerful heavy drink ers.

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 is attac ked, they'll certainly react with hostility.

If an intruder appears on the mountain, they'll quickly all show up together to remove that person, 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, Spreading of Rumors, Paparazzi Photography etc.

The wind that occurs in the wake of a Tengu is strong enough that it might send a child flying.

It doesn't happen often, but it's said that if you anger a Tengu, you'll be anni hilated by a tornado.

What's even more frightening is that they'll spread half-truths and weird rumors .

There are cases where the rumors being spread by Tengu will literally become the wind, and will thus be conveyed to human ears.

Thereby, it becomes difficult to properly notify villages.

Because this is something against which there can be utterly no defense, there i s nothing more dreadful than this. Countermeasures

First, you mustn't go to the mountain unprepared.

Tengu really hate it when someone trespasses on their territory.

There's honestly no way to defend against the rumors on the wind, so even if the y 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, strangers will think "if it's 'that person ' then maybe...", and things will slowly change from a normal everyday life towa rds a place of guilt.

Also, the paparazzi photography is terrible, but to a degree, you just have to a ccept your losses (*2).

1: Probably only a vampire could.

2: To be honest, at the moment there is no way to compete with Tengu.

Traditional Reporter of Fantasy

Aya Syameimaru [sic] :

Ability: Manipulation of Wind

Threat level: High

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Mountain of Youkai

Aya Shameimaru is a crow tengu who is considered to be quite fast, even among ot her tengu.

She flies around Gensokyo with her camera in hand, and when she finds an interes ting event, she leaves with a few pictures.

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 bunkacho.

Her fan is a tool that allows her to summon wind; one sweep of the fan can blow over a house, two sweeps can blow over a large tree, and three sweeps can cause a traveler's cloak to fly away.

Her camera is another powerful tengu weapon which can capture a moment in time a nd display it as a picture(*1).

The pictures she takes are later used for her newspaper articles.

Her bunkacho 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 wind manipulation power is a very straightforward ability that allows her to create and suddenly stop winds, as well as creating tornadoes. Bunbunmaru Newspaper

The newspaper that she writes articles based on the data she gathers is the Bunb unmaru Newspaper(*3).

She normally writes about the unusual events caused by girls of Gensokyo.

Currently, even humans and non-tengu youkai can subscribe to it.

However, its publication dates are irregular, and she may have about five issues in a month during a busy period.

As the volume of articles in one newspaper is small, it's not very useful for ga thering information.

This is rather the sort of newspaper that is more suited for a human or youkai t hat wishes to while away a lazy afternoon perusing its pages while sipping a cup of tea(*4). Eyewitness reports

"I can't believe how all my copies of her newspaper are piled up. Really. Even t hough I'm not subscribed." (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 pain how the crows gather around when we throw out our garbage." (S akuya 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 can't compete with her.

Every inhabitant of Gensokyo dislikes her presence, with that fearsome weapon, t he "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 stan d in her path.

She is generally the sort of youkai we do 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 resu lt, the newspapers tend to be biased.

4: It is popular in cafes.

The Strongest Kidnappers

Oni

Usual threat level: Extremely High

Frequency of encounters: Extremely Low

Diversity: Normal

Main place of encounters: Unknown

Main time of encounters: Unknown Characteristics

They are the strongest enemies of humans in Gensokyo.

Their livelihood is to kidnap humans, their superhuman strength surpasses the st rength of all other youkai, and in Gensokyo they possess the strongest physical capabilities.

In antiquity, they lived on Youkai Mountain and, employing the Tengu as servants , built up an oni society.

From then on and at regular fixed intervals, they would kidnap humans, and thus threaten the existence of villages.

However, since several hundred years ago, the number of oni has decreased little

by little, and from the time a large magical barrier was built, it's no longer the case that they'll show themselves at all, anywhere in Gensokyo.

Unlike humans who might resort to self-extermination, but because they were not too pleased with the way in which the societies of Gensokyo had become so carefr ee, they simply went to a different world that nobody knew of. Since then, conta ct of any kind with the Oni has ceased.

Oni can have a wide variety of physiques, from huge builds all the way down to s hort and petite.

But all of them have horns, and furthermore some have fangs.

A few have longer arms than humans or tougher attitudes.

Their personalities can range from cheerful to ferocious, they can randomly beco me belligerent with those they don't care for; however, if even for a single mom ent one gains recognition as a friend, then their feelings will become intensely warm and affectionate, and the idea of betraying or double-crossing you would b ecome inconceivable.

What they most strongly hate are gossiping, 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 more honest than 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, because there are no other lovers of alcohol quite like them, and with the ir extremely powerful abilities in this regard, if even once you drink and get s mashed with them and then lie down to sleep, no matter what happens you won't ab le to wake up. Potential Harm Abduction

Since times fairly long ago, humans have suffered torment and damage from the on i.

Occasionally descending from the mountain, kidnapping humans and making off with sake, they thus threatened one's day-to-day life.

And because the humans couldn't stay silent and do nothing, an oni extermination specialist was trained or summoned at fixed intervals to go exterminate the oni .

At that time, the oni were overcome, and from the oni society marvelous tools an d implements were taken.

Oni and humans, through human kidnappings and oni exterminations, might have pos sibly built up a relationship of mutual trust. Countermeasures

Because the oni have disappeared from Gensokyo, at the present time, there are n o oni extermination specialists.

Because oni are different from regular youkai, the means of extermination and th e tools necessary are particular and specialized; furthermore if these specializ ed means are not used then it would be hopeless.

The black magics to exterminate oni have already been lost by humans, thus it wo uld appear that meeting an oni nowadays would be too much for anyone to deal wit h.

In reality, the way in which things like the Tsuina ceremonies or other oni-repe lling rituals are conducted are already inaccurate.

But then, the chances of meeting an oni are already mostly non-existent so it sh ould be ok but...

1: It is said that the present society of tengu is built upon the vestiges of th e original oni society.

2: In Gensokyo, we call where they went the Land of the Oni. Possibly Hell, or s omewhere.

The Little Pandemonium

Suika Ibuki

Ability: Ability to manipulate density

Threat level: Very High

Human friendship level: Ordinary

Main place of activity: Mountain of Youkai

A long time has passed since oni were last seen in Gensokyo.

However, there have been recent confirmed reports of oni sightings.

Those are of Suika Ibuki.

She suddenly dropped in 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 from her short stature.

She may not look terribly frightening compared to other youkai, but she is an on i.

She is possessed of enormous strength, and boasts that if she wanted to, she cou ld tear down the Mountain of Youkai 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 behaviour when sober.

Power of Manipulating Density

This is the power to alter the density and thickness of anything.

All things become a fine mist if their density becomes low; conversely, dense ob jects have higher temperatures and melt, etc.

Because she loves the bustle of festivals and merrymaking, she would periodicall y cause humans and youkai to assemble and hold festivals.

This ability to cause humans and youkai to assemble is a manifestation of her po wer over density. Eyewitness Reports

"She can do physical work, she collects the garbage, she is useful in a sense." (Reimu Hakurei)

Even oni and scissors can be useful by a clever way.

If you can build a relationship of mutual trust with them, oni are not that fear some.

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

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

Countermeasures

As knowledge about oni and methods of their extermination have lost in modern ti mes, it's best not to even attempt to destroy them.

There is absolutely no chance for victory.

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 f ront of the entrance to your house.

It's said this will prevent an oni from coming near you, but it's unknown how ef fective this is (*4).

1: This is particularly problematic given that no-one knows how to wipe out oni.

2: This isn't entirely impossible, given that she's an oni. And after all, oni d on't lie.

3: A bottomless gourd of sake.

4: With faith, even the head of a sardine can be a charm.

Unidentified creature

The Highest God of Illusion Dragon

Usual threat level: Extremely high

Frequency of encounter: Extremely low

Variety: Unknown

Main place of activity: Unknown

Main time of activity: Unknown Features The highest-order god of Gensokyo.

Dragon is worshipped by humans and youkai alike, in fact, by all living creature s.

It is said to live in the ocean, or the heaven, or in the rain (*1), but few hav e been able to confirm its existence as such.

It's said that a dragon looks like a serpent with hands and horns, that it is th icker than a great tree that's thousands of years old, and so long that it block s out the sky.

Its cry rends the heavens and causes thunderstorms.

When it stirs about, mountains crumble and earthquakes occur.

Who knows what would happen to Gensokyo if someone were to invoke its wrath.

However, dragon is also the Gensokyo's god of creation.

It is thanks to the dragon that the rain falls, the rivers flow, and that Gensok yo is forever enveloped in a verdant green.

Dragon rarely appears, and is said to show up only in Gensokyo's greatest times of need, blocking out the sky.

When it appears, rainbows and rivers trail after it, which we can see to confirm its existence on usual days. The Dragon at the Creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier

The last time the dragon appeared in Gensokyo was when the Great Hakurei Barrier was created.

The sky was rent with constant thunder, the land was engulfed in a flood that th reatened 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, there has been a statue enshrining the dragon at the center of the h uman village, which is worshiped every day. The Dragon God's Statue

It's said the dragon god's statue in the human village is an amazing artifact th at 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 whene ver something truly strange is happening in Gensokyo.

Youkai-related incidents have caused this many times.

Incidentally, this weather forecast is correct 70% of the time.

1: Incidentally, the dragon can go anywhere, regardless of the great border. It is said that it moves its body freely even to the outside world, the Netherworld , or Hell.

2: It should be convenient, or the humans wouldn't come to worship it it is said that the kappa, the chiseler of the statue, thought so and sneaked a weathercas t device into the statue.

The Craftsman Youkai of the Water Kappa

Usual threat level: Average

Frequency of encounter: Low

Variety: Low

Main place of activity: Mountain of Youkai

Main time of activity: Any time Features

They are river-dwelling youkai living in the Mountain of Youkai.

They are youkai that produce various tools with skillful hands.

They have built an own society together with the tengu, and are said to live an advanced life there.

Their appearance is human, but on their back they have a turtle shell, and on th eir head a plate is placed.

Swimming is their forte, and in the water they can move faster than a fish, but on dry land there is no big difference from the power of a human.

Their battle skills are also comparatively low, so they seldom show themselves i n front of humans.

Furthermore, since they run away when noticed by humans, their behavior is shrou ded in mystery.

When they are spotted, it is just the occasional stupid kappa that has been wash ed away with the river. The Tools of Kappa

The tools created by kappa are together with the tools of the outer world treasu red as the two great brands of tools of today.

However, it is unknown how to use most of the tools.

The photographing devices used by tengu are a good example of this.

Even if you push the button it remains silent for some reason.

Others are the clock that somehow tells time correctly, and a device capable of talking to people over great distances.

Having produced devices for transmitting images to other places, as well as rece iving them, the mountain society is said to become very advanced with their vari ous devices(*3). Everyday Life of Kappa

Swimming may be the strong point of kappa, but it is not as if they actually liv e in the water.

Usually they 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 under water longer than a human, it is not as if th ey can go on breathing. Occasionally they must get up for air(*4).

Kappa clothing have good drainage, is possible to keep on as you jump into the w ater, and won't get in the way when swimming.

3: It is also said that they are created by copying devices of the outer world, but the water-proof effect is outstanding.

4: They can hold their breath for several hours.

The Most Carefree Humans Celestials

Usual threat level: Extremely low

Frequency of encounter: Extremely low

Variety: Normal

Main place of activity: Unknown

Main time of activity: Unknown Features

Humans that live in Heaven.

They live forever in heaven, separated from the world of daily cares, and even f rom the cycle of death and rebirth.

As they are bright and carefree, and love song, dance and fishing, they spend th eir days on activities such as listening to music, fishing, and playing go.

Celestials are essentially hermits who have long pursued ascetic knowledge, but they can be divided into those who have achieved immortality and ascended to hea ven(*5), and those who have attained enlightenment and entered Nirvana.

The former have physical bodies, so they can appear on earth with ease, but the latter cannot descend from the heavens without borrowing somebody's body.

Sometimes they descend to earth, say absurd things that trouble normal humans, a nd return to heaven.

A celestial's body is like poison to youkai; as a result, youkai almost never at tack celestials, so they have nothing to fear on earth.

Even the most ferocious of beasts would be filled with admiration for them if th ey only held out their hand.

They are able to ride on clouds, which gives them a frightening, god-like appear ance. Conditions for Becoming a Celestial

Celestials spend their days listening to music, fishing, and playing go, never b othered with the need to do work, and always able to eat the highest quality foo d.

Certainly, no small number of people would like to live a dream-like lifestyle s uch as this(*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 to lead such a life.

Likely, most people would not meet this requirement. The World of the Celestials

The celestial world is said to exist over the clouds, but in reality this is not the case.

It actually exists far above the Netherworld.

The dead, of course, can visit it, but it's also possible for living people to g o there.

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: Extremely low

Frequency of encounter: Low

Variety: Average

Main place of activity: Unknown

Main time of activity: Unknown Features

Training according to the principles of "Shuugyou"[1], these persons have acquir ed superhuman-like capabilities.

However, not all of their worldly desires have been completely cast aside, rathe r, 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 t hey do not have eternal youth or eternal life.

If they become carelessly negligent in the pursuit of Shuugyou, their bodies wil l immediately decay to ashes and simply vanish.

Unlike celestials, which are poisonous to youkai, hermits are the number one fav orite food for youkai. [Translators' Note: cf. Wikipedia:Xuanzang (fictional cha racter)

Youkai who consume a hermit may be promoted to a higher rank or ascend to a high er form.

Furthermore, if an ordinary beast consumes the flesh of a hermit, they will beco me enchanted with youkai powers.

In other words, to be a hermit is to become one who is the target of countless y oukai.

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.

During this time, if they are even a little careless in their pursuit of Shuugyo u, and their powers weaken even a little, they will be unable to repel the threa t and will be dragged to Hell.

It's difficult to continue living as a hermit, to say nothing of attempting to l ive as a celestial.

That group of human-like beings, as I suspected, there are many among them who a re a little peculiar.

Their everyday habits really stand out, and people who don't understand the situ ation will mutter hostilities among themselves, eventually leading the hermits t o leave from places where humans live.

However, the bonds of fellowship between hermits is profound, as soon as a new c andidate 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 up for himself". Everyday Life of Hermits

Everyday life is extremely modest and frugal, only eating the absolute minimum a mount of food needed.

On the first day of the month, they will gnaw on several fruits and nuts from va rious trees and in this way, survive .

Furthermore, upon reaching the age of 500, eating of any kind will become unnece ssary, in other words, simply ingesting fog or haze will be enough.

From the moment their eyes open, they turn towards the sunrise and will recite s utras countless thousands of times , only briefly during the day will they freely out, as the sun sets, they will once again be engaged in reciting sutras. Abilities of Hermits

These hermits who are the most alluring and fascinating of humans to youkai natu rally possess comparable levels of power.

Also, there are many situations where hermits who, simply being what they are, m ake a living working as youkai exterminators.

Because their physical bodies are those of aged elders, they may appear to be ex tremely fragile or vulnerable, and there are many instances of hermits taking ca

re of themselves with natural cures, even though it could be said that their bod ies are tougher than steel.

Furthermore, various kinds of sorcery may be applied to the body.

If they see something dangerous drawing near to a human, they will immediately c ome to the aid of the person and will display the utmost kindness.

: To live is to be burdened with sin. If one lives long, then because the list of sins will grow large, it wouldn't be right to not perform pious acts to compens ate for them.

: They are also entrusted with unusual or strange tasks. : Like squirrels.

: They will use reading techniques that rotate the sutras to be recited.

Gods in Saturation The Eight Million Gods

Usual threat level: Low

Frequency of encounter: High

Variety: High

Main place of activity: Anywhere

Main time of activity: Anytime Features

These are spirits that are found everywhere and have an especially deep relation ship with humans.

Here, "eight million" is taken in its sense of "myriads"; a true count would pro bably be much higher.

Since they're formless, you can't touch or converse with them.

Their true form is roughly in the existence of all things before they are given a name.

Even when given a name, this spirit's effects are barely perceptible.

These spirits 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, etc.

It's said that tools that host such spirits are increased in utility according t o the level of the inhabiting spirit(*11).

Rites for the Spirit Inhabiting a Tool

When you buy a new tool, you should pray to its spirit, and investigate ways to keep it from breaking(*12).

If it breaks at this early stage, it's said to be inhabited by the cursed god of "early failures".

If you tell the shopkeeper about it, they may be able to exorcise the spirit.

Try using it every day, cleaning it well and treating it carefully.

If you do this, good feeling of the spirit will increase.

If it breaks and you buy a replacement, the spirit will become angry, and you wi ll become cursed.

To avoid this, you must hold a proper memorial and get rid of it.

If you neglect to do so, the spirit may become a tsukumogami and begin to move o n its own and inflict some sort of evil on its owner.

Tsukumogami

The spirit of a tool that's used continuously for a long period of time may take on the desires of its owners and gradually attain divinity.

If it's cast aside without a proper memorial, it may not become the original god , but a tsukumogami, and it may move on its own in an attempt to inflict harm on its owner in a matter which it couldn't in its original form.

These spirits are more like youkai than gods, and can wreak real havoc against p eople, with no real positive points.

Please remember to properly memorialize well-used tools.

11: It wouldn't be incorrect to say that the spirit's grade is increased through use, either.

12: Don't forget to be respectful towards the spirit.

Spirits of the Gods Divine Spirit

Usual threat level: Extremely Low

Frequency of encounters: Extremely Low Variety: Unknown

Main place of encounters: Shrines

Main time of encounters: Unknown Characteristics

Among the dead, those who are revered as gods are called divine spirits.[1] Ther e are those who lived as gods, and also those who, after death, ascended to godh ood.

Having no connection to the 8 million gods, here there are no memorial services for the dead, and nothing like death, one will simply extinguish as is.

Divine spirits, not possessing a body, usually live in a Shinto shrine or in a s maller shrine, and only during festivals will emerge to ride and have a good tim e on a portable Shinto shrine, seeing humans in this state will reassure them.

The powers of the divine spirits are the powers of faith, if there are many fait hful then it will become the case that with regard to humans or youkai, the divi ne spirits will have considerable powers of influence, and the Shinto shrine wil l also become greater. (*13)

Conversely, when faith decreases, their powers of influence will become insignif icant, and their Shinto shrine will begin to decline.

Basically this is relying on the actions of others.[2] Shrine Maidens

There is a considerable lack of spirits in a Shinto shrine, so revealing their f orms to the public is something that mostly never happens.

Words are spoken so faintly that ordinary humans can't catch them.

For this reason, and having heard of this, those who carry the duty of facilitat ing communication are shrine maidens.

Shrine maidens can, utilizing peculiar methods(*14), hear the words of the divin e spirits and communicate this to the people. Shinto Shrine

Shinto shrines are not constructed by divine spirits, but rather by humans.

If actual existing divine spirits are enshrined there, then divine spirits will spontaneously take lodging.

However, from here on in, there is a problem.

Simply because and even though this is a place of divine spirits, the Shinto shr ine looks no different from any ordinary building.

There are those who will come to worship at this Shinto shrine, from whom a plen tiful amount of faith will be acquired for the first time by the divine spirits.

As the number of visiting worshippers increases, expansions and renovations to t o the Shinto shrine become an important matter, and a great amount of money will become necessary.

In other words, the goal of a Shinto shrine is to expend all acquired monetary o fferings from visiting worshippers.

13: Because monetary offerings will increase.

14: Such as dancing, drinking alcohol, dancing alcoholics, and various other met hods.

Tour Guides to Hell Death Gods

Usual threat level: Low

Frequency of encounters: Low

Diversity: Low

Main place of encounters: Near the Sanzu River

Main time of encounters: Unknown Characteristics

Even though shinigami are not youkai who live in Gensokyo, since they do rarely appear in Gensokyo, they will be given an introduction here.

Shinigami usually live in Hell, working at the Ministry that determines the life spans of humans, providing directions to spirits, acting as ferrymen on the San zu River, and are burdened with performing other "tour guide"-type duties for th e inhabitants of Hell.

Going out to greet humans when they die, the image of shinigami coming to take o ne's soul away only came about later. In reality, they're performing manual labo r that is the physical manifestation of the Yama's will.

Regarding the characteristics of a shinigami, it will be mentioned that they car ry with them an enormous scythe.

It could be said that this scythe acts as a foil to the shinigami, when in pract ical reality, it is one of the services from the inhabitants of Hell to the rece ntly deceased.

When the deceased first gazes upon the shinigami wielding the giant scythe, it's been said that they think "there really are such things as shinigami" and then merrily receive their fate (*1).

Main Jobs of a Death God Administration of Life Span

Keeping watch over the life spans of living humans, if something happens that wa sn't in the plans, a recalculation of one's life span is performed (*2).

Because even when surrounded by massive bulks of data and documents, one has to further do repeat calculations, shinigami who are cut out for such a job are alw ays being sought after. Receptionist of Hell

Because spirits who don't know about how the system works in Hell will come arou nd, they will explain the details to the spirits and present them with direction s to various destinations.

Appearances show that the Hell-oriented shinigami are in charge of this role. Ferrymen for the Sanzu River

Taking the fare paid by the spirits who come to the Sanzu River, they then have the job of ferrying the spirits to Higan.

Because this involves hard manual labor away from the office, it's not very popu lar.

But because you work by yourself, at your own pace, and can meet and talk with a ll kinds of spirits, those who can like this kind of work will come to thoroughl

y enjoy it. Judicial Clerk

Sitting in at the court of the Lord Yamas, this work further involves documentin g the minutes of the proceedings.

Only the elite among the shinigami are sought for this position, but the actual work itself is fairly simple.

1: Reputed as a relative favorite.

2: Because this only involves records keeping, even if something deviates from t he plans, the shinigami may not kill.

Guide of the Sanzu no Kawa

Komachi Onoduka [sic]

Ability: Manipulation of Distance

Threat level: Low

Human friendship level: Normal

Main place of activity: Sanzu no Kawa

A death god captaining a boat that plies the Sanzu no Kawa.

There are many such captain death gods, but she is responsible for ferrying most of the souls of Gensokyo humans(*1).

It's perhaps for this reason that she can often be seen in Gensokyo(*2).

Her tall geta and enormous sickle give her an imposing stature.

Since she's so overwhelming if you see her in life, she must be all the more imp osing after you've died and become a ghost.

As she loves to talk, and is possessed of impressive tone and power, she likely carries a number of one-sided conversations while ferrying souls(*3).

Surely, one must sit patiently and endure until they have reached the other side of the river.

Distance Manipulation Ability

It's said the width of the Sanzu no Kawa changes according to the person that's crossing it.

Its length is determined by the toll paid to ferrying death god, and can be made shorter with large payments.

It is said that the ferriage can be paid out of one's own assets - but not the p ersonal assets collected over one's life, but rather the money spent by close re lations in behalf of the deceased.

If by some chance this figure is negative, then the ferry will never reach the o ther side, and the deceased will likely be thrown out into the river.

Whether one makes it or not is all up to the attending death god.

Komachi's boat which crosses the Sanzu no Kawa

There are no winds over the Sanzu no Kawa, so the ships that cross it have no sa ils, and are all rowed by hand.

Compared to her own flashiness, her ship is actually a very austere affair with no decoration.

If you assume that all the other death god's ships are similarly modestly furnis hed, one might suppose they are provisioned from hell.

As hell's facilities must naturally expand to accommodate rising populations, it 's said hell is currently experiencing a period of financial difficulty.

Thus, the death gods likely have no choice but to use antiquated ferries.

1: She will even do the same for humans from the outside world if she has free t ime.

2: Is she slacking?

3: Of course, ghosts can't talk back.

King of Hell Yama

Usual threat level: Extremely High

Frequency of encounters: Low Diversity: Low

Main place of encounters: Higan

Main time of encounters: Unknown Characteristics

Because the Yama are not any of the youkai who reside in Gensokyo, and also beca use they rarely appear in Gensokyo, they will herein be given an introduction.

In times past, when there were comparatively fewer humans, the cycles of spiritu al transmigration were operated with great reliability. The policy of crossing o ver seven times (plus 3 additional times)(*1) was carried out by the Ten Kings ( *2). If the first judgement was succesful, then the cycles of spiritual transmig ration would be as gratifying as the sweetest of desserts.

However, the number of humans increased little by little, leading to a lack of j udicial manpower, at which point the Ten Kings called upon the most powerful of Yamas of the day to reduce the number of pending trials insofar as was possible. And thus the shortage in personnel was resolved. Additionally, from all over the country, those who arrived via Jizou (th e bodhisvattas for children, travellers, and the underworld) and were interested in serving as Lord Yamas had a meeting, wherein the deceased who had died in pr oximity to Jizou were entrusted with the vocation of being judges.

As it was, the Lord Yamas became mostly composed of old Jizou.

In present times, to address the issue of humans outnumbering judges, shinigami, oni from Hell, together with the official organization The Ministry of What's Ri ght and What's Wrong have taken up the business of operations and oversight. The Ministry of What's Right and What's Wrong

At the top of this organization, there preside 10 yamas.(*3)

Below them are lesser judges and fierce administrative demons. Each and every ju dge also commands several shinigami, while each of the fierce administrative dem ons similarly commands a number of lesser oni.

Within this place, all lower ranks including lesser judges may consult with the yamas.

First, for the spirits who have been brought along by shinigami via Higan, they will be taken to the court of the lesser judge who matches up with the spirit's previous station in life.

Each shall have only one lesser judge presiding, who will pass judgement without heeding the testimony of the deceased (*4), and thus divide the souls towards H eaven, Hell, or the Netherworld as each outcome dictates.

The fierce administrative demons will take charge as the souls fall down to Hell and will command the lesser oni in their torment of the deceased.

A wide array of torture devices could be used, but current economic conditions m ean that many of these contraptions are in serious need of maintenance and repai r.

The organization's primary sources of income will be fares from those crossing t he Sanzu River, as well as confection stands and food carts operating on the Roa d of Liminality. The Judgement of Yama

Misdeeds committed while still living will be read loudly and clearly, the detai ls and the numbers will be considered, and the judgement will then be announced.

Once the judgement has been passed down, there's nothing along the lines of revo king or appealing the decision.

While this judgement will determine the final destination of the spirit, there a re often lies (those who lie to the Lord Yama have their tongues pulled out) spo ken in the process, the Lord Yama keeps at his side an extensive archive of past lies with which to threaten the deceased regarding risks and dangers.

To address the issue of an excess of deceased subjects, the judging proceeds in an assembly-line fashion, executed with extraordinary speed.

Two alternating shifts unceasingly pass down judgements, with a carefree and enj oyable break during the religious observances of Equinoctial Week.

1: The number was originally seven times, but all of these "seven times" cases h ad problems, and so three additional judgements were implemented.

2: King Shinkou the Immovable, King Shoukou the Enlightened One, King Soutei the Wisest, King Fukan of Virtuous Conduct, King Enma the Merciful Savior, King Hen jyou of the Future, King Taizan of Medicine and Healing, King Byoudou of Mercy a nd Compassion, King Toshi of Strength and Wisdom, and King Gotoutenrin of Limitl ess Light and Life make up the Ten Kings.

3: When the number of those holding the top position start becoming too numerous , what will the Ministry do then?

4: Dead men tell no tales. [Translators' Note: Possibly meaning that the decease d can say nothing that the judges don't already know of.]

Supreme Judge of Hell

Shikieiki Yamaxanadu :

Ability: Judging things clearly as right or wrong :

Threat level: Extremely low : Human friendship level: Normal : Main place of activity: Higan

One of the many Yamas.

In charge of judging the dead of Gensokyo, she's the Yama with the closest ties to us. (*1)

Since she is extremely preachy and never says anything wrong, she seems a little hard to approach.

However, her teachings are basically for the benefit of the people of Gensokyo, so she wants us to listen to her seriously and obediently.

This Yama is famous in Gensokyo, and particularly long-lived youkai have been he lped by her at least once.

Nevertheless, youkai feel uncomfortable around Yamas, so whenever a Yama comes t o Gensokyo, all youkai go into hiding.

In this sense, Yamas are allies of honest people.

Moreover, whenever a living person's karma level is so bad that it becomes certa in that he will go to Hell, she will go directly to warn that person during her work break, and may even "urge" the person to better himself. (*2)

Cleansed Crystal Mirror

A mirror that the Yama possesses.

By looking into the mirror, he/she sees all your past deeds.

Although the mirror enables the Yama to make fair judgments, it also tires him/h er out.

In front of the mirror, there is no privacy, and the Yama can learn any personal information as he/she pleases. It is one hellish (*3) device, indeed.

The mirror's size varies among Yamas, but it is said that hers is as large as a hand mirror. Rod of Remorse

The rod which the Yama always has in the hand.

This is the rod on which she writes charges and with which she beats the guilty.

People who have done wrong are beaten many, many times in direct proportion to t heir sins, and she keeps beating them until they repent.

The weight of rod is the heaviness of the sins written on it.

In fact, sins are distinct from the living world's crimes, and have nothing to d o with whether or not they are based on any law.

Sins are determined purely at a Yama's discretion.

At one time, one rod was used per ghost, but after considering the influence on the environment, now it is made of a new material which can be written on many t imes.

1: Yamaxanadu is actually a job title at the Ministry of What's Right and What's Wrong. The meaning is literal: the Yama of Paradise.

2: Perhaps by exaggerating the punishment that the person will receive.

3: Both literally and figuratively.

Spirited-away Human Outsider

Usual threat level: Unknown

Frequency of encounters: Low Diversity: Low

Main place of encounters: Near Hakurei Shrine, Road of Reconsideration or Muendz uka

Main time of encounters: Unknown Characteristics

They are the humans that live in the outside world.

Although called humans of the outside world, and while their clothing, hairstyle s and pattern of speech is different, there is no clearly defined difference fro m the people of Gensokyo.

Most humans are in a panic, but it should be natural.

The knowledge of outsiders is far more profound than ours, and they handle tools yet unknown.

Both the humans and youkai of Gensokyo are easily influenced by the outside worl d, and when they learn something new from an outsider, that will be in vogue for a while(*1).

Most outsiders that get caught by youkai either get eaten at once, or get eaten once the youkai lose interest in them.

If an outsider has the luck to reach the Human Village, he can be returned safel y to the outside world if he goes to the Hakurei Shrine.

However, there are also rare cases where outsiders settle down in Gensokyo.

Such outsiders are treasured, since they hold unique knowledge.

Common Characteristics among Outsiders

They immediately put the tool called "mobile phone" to their ears, and after that they are at a loss of what to do next.

Is this since the tool emitted sinister sounds?

Even if they see youkai, they will neither run nor fight.

They are ready to get eaten.

In spite of this, if they see a ghost theyll run away at full speed.

Its not like they are more dangerous than youkai, but...

They hold little knowledge of the outside world.

Despite using tools, they know little of the theory and construction of them.

The mobile phone is an example of this.

Therefore there is regrettably no way to reproduce the tools of the outside worl d in Gensokyo.

1: Lately, a sport called "soccer" has become popular. Like that, Gensokyo is ha lfway infected with the outside world.

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