The Spread Shot of Nemuno Sakata from the world delirious with compassion (a Touhou LW original). She prepares a feast for a child in this attack. In this world, the better you are at caring for and raising children, the stronger you are in battles of bullets. Basically, it's like playing house, but as with all forms of play, the more seriously you take it, the stronger you become. Yamanba are pro cooks, so surely they're unbeatable.

The Focus Shot of Nemuno Sakata from the world delirious with compassion (a Touhou LW original). She serves her home cooking to a child in this attack. Nemuno's name comes from the Persian silk tree, called "nemunoki" in Japanese. Similarly, her fellow yamanba, Ubame Chirizuka, is named after the ubame oak tree. Perhaps it is tradition for yamanba to be named after mountain trees. If so, it is a beautiful tradition.

A Spell Card of Nemuno Sakata from the world delirious with compassion (a Touhou LW original). She speaks of the mountain's bounty in this attack. There are many different legends and tales about yamanba across Japan. But most of them feature a yamanba who is happy to let someone stay the night at their place in the mountains, and treats them to a tasty dinner. The mountains are a treasure trove of ingredients, containing all the nutrients a human needs, so in a way, it makes sense that yamanba know how to cook up a delicious meal. The tales that then talk about yamanba attacking and eating their guests once they fall asleep must be mistaken... right?

A Spell Card of Nemuno Sakata from the world delirious with compassion (a Touhou LW original). She talks about the mountain's spirits in this attack. Some yamanba tend to act like fairies or magicians. Perhaps they have been influenced by Western fairy tales, or maybe this is a case of convergent evolution. Regardless, there seems to be an unconscious ideal shared by all of humanity since ancient times that there are beings who live apart from humans yet are willing to help humans in need with their strange powers.

The Last Word of Nemuno Sakata from the world delirious with compassion (a Touhou LW original). She raises a legendary hero in this attack. If Nemuno is the yamanba who cared for and raised Kintoki, that would make her a true mentor of heroes. In modern terms, she'd be like a coach who trained a famous sports star, or a teacher who spotted and nurtured a child prodigy. However, it doesn't seem like she was some kind of helicopter parent, working tirelessly to provide Kintoki with the very best education. Unlike some modern-day parents or caregivers, yamanba feel no need to emulate "proven" education or training regimes in the hope that their child will have a successful future. They don't care about any of that. Yamanba simply care for and raise children because they want them to grow up strong and healthy. And that is how true heroes are born.