The New Touhou Character Alternate Interpretation Compendium!

Kosuzo, Cap'n Crush, Kotohime.

Gah, knew I should have left the standard disclaimer at the end of the character list.

I try to give at least twenty-four hours between the beginning of voting and the next profile for any last-minute posts on the current subject, and I like to get at least a half-dozen votes before moving on, which will occasionally delay the next profile even further. So you still have some time. I'm not sure about days, but at least a day, possibly a day and a half.

And if you can't get your post done before then, no worries, it wouldn't be the first time we've had overlap between two discussions. The point is, you don't need to stress out about trying to meet an imaginary deadline.

If been gone from this thread for quite a while. Have we done the human village already?

Pretty sure.

Miko: 3 Kosuzu: 2 Yuuka: 1 Minamitsu: 1 Kotohime: 1

Still only four votes, still the chance for an upset. Still time for any last-minute Netherworld stuff too.

Putting one in for Miko so we can move along, though I don't really have much to say.

Voting for Miko...

Even though doing her is going to be a tremendous exercise in not talking about Satori, for me.

by which I mean the comparisons to Satori are going to be impossible to avoid.

So yeah, Voting for Miko, because I can talk about Satori. >_>

I agree, and explaining why will necessarily involve Satori.

edited 3rd Jan '13 5:30:54 PM by Antimatter625

I think that Miko's abilities are fundamentally different from Satori's but I'll save that for the discussion.

Toyosatomimi no Miko

Theme: "Shoutoku Legend ~ True Administrator"*

Stage: Hold Harmony Sacred ~ The Divine Spirit Mausoleum
The massive quantity of gathered divine spirits resembled a starry sky.
They silently wait for the one to give her voice.
bgm: "Starry Sky of Small Desires "*

Spellcard Motif: Royalty | Divinity | Spirituality
Notable spellcards: TD
Honor "Ranks of Twelve Levels," Hermit Sign "Emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun," Secret Treasure "Prince Shotoku's Out-of-place Artifact," Discernment "Laser of Seventeen Articles," Divine Light "Honour the Avoidance of Defiance," "Divine Spirits' Universe"

Write-up:
The Asuka Period was a time of transformations and turbulence in Japan, as society saw changes not just in art style and government, but in its very soul. Buddhism had arrived from China, and its proponents were clashing with Japan's native Shinto faith. In this time of trials, the legendary Prince Shōtoku is said to have provided sage leadership as an advocate of Buddhism, a leader so wise as to be able to comprehend ten simultaneous conversations.

These legends may not have been entirely accurate...

Crown "Prince" Toyosatomimi no Miko was indeed a great listener, and a sponsor of Buddhism, but she was also uncomfortable with the prospect of mortality. Seiga Kaku found her to be an ideal student, receptive to her promises of immortality through Taoist arts. Taking her as an adviser, Miko publicly backed Buddhism to pacify Japan (in both the good and bad senses) while secretly she and her closest confidants practiced Taoism to further their own power. However, the pursuit of life eternal is rather ironically bad for one's health, so after practicing the technique on one of her courtiers, Miko entered a deathless sleep, intending to revive as an ever-living saint once Japan grew tired of Buddhism and yearned for a heroic leader.

But she was thwarted. The same Buddhists she had championed put seals on Miko's mausoleum, preventing her resurrection for well over a thousand years, until her history had become a legend, allowing her tomb to appear in Gensokyo. Although Miko's apotheosis was complete, she had exchanged rulership of Japan for life as one supernatural immortal among many in a strange land of gods and magicians and even other saints. Miko isn't sulking about this, however, and has set about learning more about Gensokyo by participating in a recent symposium on its future.

Akyuu describes Miko as surprisingly casual for one of noble birth and capable of jest when at ease, but in a serious confrontation her opponents will feel awed as Miko sees through them completely. Although she's a hermit, Miko hasn't let go of secular affairs, and may be considering a play for political power - for Gensokyo's own good, of course. After all, it's not like there's any other princesses running around.

Relations

• Mononobe no Futo (ally, guinea pig, shipping target)
• Soga no Tojiko (ally, other shipping target)
• Seiga Kaku (increasingly distant ally)
• Byakuren Hijiri and the rest of the Myouren Temple Crew (rivals)

Alternate Character Interpretations
"The Crown Prince"
by Otherarrow

"Multiple Choice Past to the Extreme"
by Antimatter 625

edited 9th Jan '13 10:22:15 PM by Tacitus

For the record, I think it might be more accurate to describe her as a female Prince than a Princess.

Well Miko was the crown prince, but I still wonder if Miko was a girl, or a guy that came back as girl because of the ritual... Dang that sounds crazy.

It is crazy. Secret Taoist immortality ploys mixed with genderswap drama!

I was gonna go with She Is the King, but I noticed the wiki is now translating Futo's dialogue to refer to Miko as the "Crown Princess" and assumed they knew something I didn't.

No, they shouldn't do that (changing to Crown Princess).

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:01:39 PM by atrican

Of Note

Miko has the historically required power of being able to listen to ten people at the same time. It would appear that not only is she able to perform this task, but also comprehend all that information, and react to it, which would mean she not only has special ears, but a special brain. However, her hearing is also much better, so she needs to wear earmuffs to muffle the sound. In addition, she can read a person's ten desires in a single glance from their expressions and gestures. This allows her not to read minds, but to understand someone's constitution and future.

She is one of the few characters with a known age, 1438 at this time, and the only with a known birthday, February 7th. It's coming up, and Taoists throw the craziest parties.

She poisoned her body with cinnabar while performing Taoist experiments ( alchemy, I suppose) prompting her to perform the Shikaisen ritual. She swapped her body with her Seven-Star Sword.

After her defeat in Ten Desires, she's turned her attention into becoming a hermit so she may become a Celestial. She's created her own little world to practice in, though it would appear she still makes appearances in the Human Villiage.

Music

A fast-paced theme that fits a difficult boss fight. An eerie arpeggio can always be heard in the back of the first part of the song, until the song transfers into a more traditional melody that fits the noble-blooded Shoutoku. However, that eerie arpeggio eventually finds it's way into the front of the song. It's a great theme for her. It's powerful, it shows you she means business, and reminds that there's something supernatural about this historical leader.

Overview

Born in a stable, and given a name to match (Umayado, lit. "Prince of the Stable Door") "Prince" Shoutoku became know for her wise and specific advice at a young age. As a politician, she was able to alleviate many of the problems of her people, but as genius who knows of the suffering of many, she came to fear her own humanity, knowing that one day death would come to take her, and make all her accomplishments just footnotes in a schoolchild's textbook. However, a wandering hermit from China had heard of the Prince's fear and met with her to tell her the word of Taoism. This way of thinking seemed perfect for Shoutoku. Achieving immortality through gaining understanding of the world around oneself. However, she knew such a religion would never lead to a powerful rule over the nation. The hermit, caring not for politics, suggested that the Prince preach Buddhism, a peaceful religion that forbade killing. And so the Prince spread Buddhism all over the land, while carefully studying Taoism in secret with those closest to her. However, her fear of death overtook her caution. Experiments involving cinnabar and mercury invited her feared foe to her doorstep. Clever as always, Shoutoku found a loophole. She would perform a ritual to go into a deep sleep, faking her death, to throw it's servants off her scent. She believed that when she awoke she would be able to return to her rule over the peaceful nation she left behind. However, the best laid plans of gods and men ago awry. She watched in her slumber as the peaceful nation she left behind eventually became completely led by Buddhism. Monks continually left seals on her mausoleum, so she continued to sleep and waited for the perfect time to return, and as she did the world changed before her. Empires were built up just to fall down, leaders led their nations into a new age, the world became just a little smaller, and human nature took it's course. The peaceful nation she awaited was gone, and so she slept, as the public slowly forgot about her. Eventually her name came back to public consciousness on the tongues' of scholars. "Of course, he couldn't have done that... history is written by the victor... simple lies..." And so she ceased to exist, and found herself in a land of fantasy. A new world, where Buddhism was just gaining a foothold. The time for resurrection had come.

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:15:47 PM by Horselesshorseman

According to the crown prince herself, "A noble like me being born in such a noisome place would be an impossibility"

I think that sentence is written with the intention of irony that Miko herself didn't know about Jesus, but we readers do.

It works either way, no matter if she was actually born in a stable.

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:15:59 PM by atrican

Not sure if any parallels can be considered strong. For one thing, the Prince isn't deified in either of the religions she was involved with.

I wonder how she hopes to achieve a position of 'ruling' by spreading Taoism with its seemingly egalitarian promises, unless she intends to string the majority of her disciples along indefinitely by strategically obfuscating or omitting certain parts of the practices. Seiga had to move because Tao mojo of her level was already mundane in her homeland and I can see Miko's entire posse facing a similar situation once they start doing stuff.

Just on the previous page I mentioned that Prince Shoutoku is sometimes considered an incarnation of the bodhisattva Kannon/Guanyin, and Miko's 5th spell card ("Halo of Guse Kannon" "Guse Flash") referenced that. The prince was definitely deified.

For that matter, the title for Kannon - "guse" 救世 is the same kanji used to translate Messiah "kyuuseishu" 救世主: "saviour of the world". It's not much of a stretch to suggest ZUN is making a joke by comparing Miko and Jesus.

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:35:01 PM by atrican

An incarnation of a Buddhist deity who merely uses Buddhism as a front. Interesting. That would make her even more badly lapsed than Byakuren.

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:34:52 PM by Recon5

Well that was a political move at that time, but that doesn't change the fact that Japan has a lot of respect for the Crown prince, She is remembered in the actual japanese currency as Sanae mentioned.

edited 3rd Jan '13 10:54:14 PM by asellus111

To briefly answer the question about Miko's ideas about "ruling", several prominent scholars have pointed out that part of Tao Te Ching's purpose is to be a manual for rulers. Taoism is also a very fitting philosophy to teach your subjects, since it's about accepting the world "as is": because one can always find joy in the world, there's no need to demand any social changes!

Also notable is that her theme doesn't have an alternate spirit world version. I read a comment somewhere to the effect that this may be a reference to her power - that she's already hearing the spirit world at all times.

Is that who she is supposed to be? Miko deserves much respect then. Guanyin is a goddess/god that gets a lot of worship for all the good deeds she did or something like that.

The idea is more like, if you see things from the perspective of a medieval Japanese Buddhist, Shoutoku made a huge contribution to the propagation of Buddhism, which to you is truth and salvation, therefore he must be an avatar of Kannon. He did a great good deed, which means he is a bodhisattva incarnate.

edited 4th Jan '13 12:43:24 AM by atrican