Symbol of Overly Abundant Harvests
The usual outfit of Minoriko from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar. Those tree roots aren't as rigid as they look.
The usual outfit of Minoriko from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar. Those tree roots aren't as rigid as they look.
Aki-biyori (a Touhou LW original) refers to a delightful, blue-skied autumn day. This is an apt temperament for Minoriko, the overly autumnal god. In addition to Metal Phase, the temperament of autumn in Gensokyo, it seems she's also endowed with Moon Essence, temperament that originates in the Lunar Capital's divine spirits. The cold and silent Metal Phase resists Earth Phase, because earth bears metal, but it is weak to Fire Phase, because fire refines metal. The cooperative and indecisive Moon Essence resists the alluring and arrogant Sun Essence, but it is weak to the diverse and uncooperative Star Essence.
The ability of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar (a Touhou LW original). It doesn't appear to be significantly different from Minoriko's original ability. A sudden crisis occurred that threatened to shut Hakurei Shrine down for good, a crisis devised by its new rival on the Youkai Mountain―Moriya Shrine. After those in the outside world stopped worshipping at Moriya Shrine, its members began working towards its revival by gathering faith in Gensokyo. Some youkai wouldn't stand for their life on the mountain being disturbed, while others welcomed the newcomers with open arms. Meanwhile, the Hakurei shrine maiden wouldn't allow her shrine's faith to be stolen, and the humans found themselves at the mercy of all parties involved... The 10th prolonged incident was one of honesty and deception, truth and lies. Matters got even more complicated when the Yaoyorozu no Kami got involved. The suspect behind the incident's prolonging was Minoriko Aki. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have the power to influence Gensokyo so drastically. If anything, she was known as an affable and down-to-earth autumn god. However, she ruled over crops and all naturally occurring resources, meaning faith in her was fundamental and widespread. You could say she had a firm grip on the stomachs of all those in Gensokyo. For her part, Minoriko had an explanation for her actions. All she did was use the power she attained. She had no intention of prolonging the incident. If Gensokyo's faith hadn't been revitalized somehow, it would have inevitably fallen to ruin. Those at Moriya Shrine weren't to be trusted, and Hakurei Shrine was... well, Hakurei Shrine. Combining that with the fact youkai never even spared a thought for faith, Minoriko decided it was time for the Yaoyorozu no Kami to take a stand! ...Which doesn't explain much, but that was her statement. It's clear that the power of Gensokyo's gods has changed. Perhaps that's because the incident has dragged on so long that the events leading up to the second Lunar War have started to occur. It also won't be long until the Hakurei shrine maiden begins her god-summoning training, if she hasn't already. That training involves summoning bunrei from the Lunar Capital, which may disturb Gensokyo's spiritual equilibrium. A simple god like Minoriko merging with bunrei and attaining greater power is perhaps just as dangerous as transforming into some new type of youkai. If the incident drags on much longer, the entire structure of the Yaoyorozu no Kami may collapse...
The Spread Shot of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar (a Touhou LW original). She uses Hayagriva's power in this attack. Given that they have the head of a horse, it's speculated that Hayagriva originated via some sort of syncretism with a horse god. Horses played a vital role in plowing fields, so they were likely worshipped as gods that brought abundance. (They were also recognized as victory-bringing war gods owing to their frequent use in battle.) In many ways, a happy horse was the key to a happy harvest.
The Focus Shot of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar (a Touhou LW original). She uses Dakini's power in this attack. Dakini is known for the deep resentment they bear, but because of their connection to the agricultural deity Inari, they are also believed to be a god of rice. This connection derives from Dakini's history with foxes. Back when humans lived in the mountains, they worshipped wolves because they hunted crop-eating animals. However, after the wolves descended from the mountains, foxes hunted those animals in their place. It's theorized that this is the reason foxes came to be worshipped as servants of Inari.
A Spell Card of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar. She uses the power of the autumn gods in this attack. The weather in the mountains is unpredictable. Changes in temperament lead to changes in spirit energy, and since the mountain gods are spiritual beings, they've grown accustomed to constant change. It's often thought that faith is unchanging and everlasting, but the subjects of faith, i.e., the gods, have undergone enormous changes throughout history. This phenomenon is pronounced enough in religions with sacred texts and scripture, let alone in those that rely on their teachings being passed on verbally from generation to generation. At one point, there weren't even places like shrines where believers could gather.
A Spell Card of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar. She uses the power of the wheat god in this attack. Faith in food is said to be both fundamental to humanity and its most persistent form of faith. With food, humans can survive. Without it, they cannot. In ancient times, humans traveled the world in search of food. Swelling populations and a lack of food transformed humans into globe-traversing adventurers. If humans ever leave Earth to live out among the stars, it will inevitably be a lack of food that spurs them on.
The Last Word of Minoriko Aki from the world where mountain gods cause an uproar (a Touhou LW original). She uses the power of the abundance gods who gather on the Youkai Mountain in this attack. It is the job of the abundance gods to provide food for humans and fill their bellies. Gods take pleasure in watching over humans who show their gratitude after a satisfying meal and then work hard to ensure the next set of crops can thrive. However, they despair at humans who show no gratitude, only pray when they are in need, constantly complain, and, ultimately, abandon their faith. Food requires effort to be made. Even food that you may stumble upon unexpectedly didn't simply appear out of thin air. The gods blessed those who had faith and worked hard while providing for those incapable of work. However, access to food eventually became the default, and humans lost their gratitude, leading to discontent, prejudice, and a rapidly increasing population. All of that was inevitable from the moment they started seeking abundance, which occurred at the very birth of humanity.
It's possible to have too much of a good thing. Food loss is a growing problem in society.
There's a reason for everything. If your crop yield is too great, you'll be suspected of foul play.
With abundance, life becomes more forgiving. Humans no longer need to struggle to survive.