Hand in Hand With a Miracle
The usual outfit of Sanae, who has almost reached the end. Her bells and mirrors are tools from the Age of the Gods.
The usual outfit of Sanae, who has almost reached the end. Her bells and mirrors are tools from the Age of the Gods.
Asanagi (a Touhou LW original) refers to the calm weather devoid of wind that can occur early in the morning in coastal areas. This is the unconventional temperament of this world's Sanae, who continues her journey to quell the incident storm. As the living god of miracles, Sanae is strong against things that circulate the heavens, such as wind (Wood Phase) and celestial phenomena (Sun Essence, Moon Essence, and Star Essence). Conversely, she is weak to phenomena that cross between the heavens and earth, like flames that rise from the earth to the sky (Fire Phase) and rain that falls down from the sky to the ground (Water Phase).
The ability of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). Sanae completely lost this ability due to a Lost Word. She is currently regaining it little by little, though not through restoring or replicating her old ability, but with a newly constructed original ability that formed a core to build upon. She has continued to travel across worlds to try and end the Lost Word Incident. Sanae left a lot behind when she came to Gensokyo. She left her school, her friends, her home, her family, and her daily life as a human; the scenes and sights of her hometown; all the places she has fond memories of, including her favorite shops and playgrounds; the snacks she'd often eat; the conveniences of modern-day society; the manga and TV shows she'd look forward to every week; her cute room with all her plushies; the ceremonies she took part in and the traditions she followed as the wind priestess of Moriya Shrine; her vague aspirations for the future... And her anxiety. She was scared to go to Gensokyo because it meant she would have to relinquish her current way of life. However, she had also never been this excited about anything before. She wanted to say goodbye to her lonely miracle-worker self and live in a world full of miracles... Of course, this directly led to her getting chastised by Reimu, but after many trials and tribulations, she eventually found her place in Gensokyo. Her new extraordinary life, where humans and gods used battles of bullets to play with each other, was incredibly fun. Sanae occasionally talks about the outside world, meaning she must still think about her old life. Her regrets about leaving the outside world will surely fade over time as she gets more used to living in Gensokyo, but they will never fade entirely. That's because, just like how Gensokyo is the culmination of all the things most people of the outside world find nostalgic, the outside world will be forever nostalgic to Sanae. But only Kanako and Suwako know this. There is no way of knowing for sure, but the Bells of Infinite Prosperity and the Perfectly Clear Mirror are probably sacred items forged by the gods in the Age of the Gods. That would explain why they are made out of Izanagi Objects. The properties of Izanagi Objects allow these items to store Sanae's memories and ability. There are relics that share the names of these items, but it isn't known whether the gods left them in the outside world or if they brought them to Gensokyo along with Moriya Shrine. Then again, it's possible that they were drawn to Gensokyo by the dragon gems mined from the Youkai Mountain since those gems are supposedly fragments of the Izanagi Plate that disappeared from the outside world long ago. The Bells of Infinite Prosperity and the Perfectly Clear Mirror empower Sanae with information and sometimes deliver messages to her through their ringing or reflections. These magic items have the virtual personalities of Suwako and Kanako, even though they probably contain Sanae's memories of the outside world. This is because these memories are inseparably linked to these two gods who have continued to watch over her ever since she was born. The bells have transformed into a priest's staff with bells on top, and the mirror has transformed into multiple mirrors that act as armor. This may seem unconventional or bizarre to some, but Sanae really likes them since they make her look like a magical girl.
The Spread Shot of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). She attacks by ringing the Yasaka no Suzu, or the Bells of Infinite Prosperity―one of Moriya Shrine's sacred treasures. It is believed that these bells were originally used to ward off dangerous beasts while hunting in the mountains. "Yasaka" can mean "countless hills" or "prosperity," depending on the Japanese characters used to write it. But this "yasaka," meaning "infinite prosperity," is a combination of the two meanings that probably arose when faith in the prosperity brought about by the Mishaguji shifted to faith in Takeminakata.
The Focus Shot of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). She attacks by shining the Masumi no Kagami, or Perfectly Clear Mirror―one of Moriya Shrine's sacred treasures. Ancient mirrors were shaped like shallow dishes and were filled with water. Peering down into the water to see your reflection had a kind of religious significance. It was also thought that mirrors were gateways to other worlds―an idea that has endured to this day.
A Spell Card of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). Kanako could be described as a type of father figure to Sanae. While she is a goddess, according to the Eight Trigrams, Qian, or heavenliness, is the temperament of the father. Kanako's strong leadership and willingness to boldly intervene in matters directly give Sanae courage and hope.
A Spell Card of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). Suwako could be described as a type of mother figure to Sanae. According to the Eight Trigrams, Kun, or earthliness, is the temperament of the mother. Sanae's lineage can be traced back to Suwako, perhaps indicating that Suwako used to be a human or a humanlike being in the past.
The Last Word of Sanae Kochiya, who has almost reached the end (a Touhou LW original). She recalls her ordinary, everyday life at Moriya Shrine. When Sanae came to Gensokyo, her ordinary life and extraordinary life were reversed. True living gods are unusual in the outside world, but in Gensokyo, she was merely one of the many unique individuals. She also found faith―something that was severely lacking in the outside world. To Sanae, Kanako was a god she had to worship, and Suwako was a mysterious god she didn't know much about, but they're practically family now. She shares all her fantastical experiences in Gensokyo with them. They forged this bond through battles of bullets, festivals, and by playing together as fellow gods. And no matter what happens, this bond will never break.
You'd think it would be rare for a human to be declared a god while they are still alive, but it is a rather common occurrence these days.
This is a religious vocation unique to Moriya Shrine. They calm storms and create gusts of wind to protect the land and its people.
Miracles are more than just unlikely occurrences. They are manifestations of a god's benevolence and power.