The Touhou Project is a series of 2D vertically-scrolling danmaku shooting games made by Team Shanghai Alice, with seven spinoffs games co-produced with Twilight Frontier.
Gensokyo
GensokyoLand of IllusionsLand of Fantasy
Recall Range: 4
Gensokyo, is the setting of Touhou Project. Its culture vaguely resembles that of feudal Japan, heavily embellished with folkloric elements. General Information
This is a remote place, far from any human habitation. In ancient times, this place was densely populated by youkai and those humans who wandered too close would be eaten by them. Most people feared the youkai, but a brave warrior would occasionally rise to defeat them. Some of those brave humans settled in Gensokyo to keep close watch on the youkai. Scientific advancements among the human race further contributed to Gensokyo's growing human minority. Due to this, Yukari Yakumo implemented a plan roughly 500 years ago to restore the power of youkai in Gensokyo by creating a "Barrier that divides Reality and Fantasy" called the Youkai Expansion Project. With the plan's implementation, Gensokyo became a place where it brought in things that have become fantasy outside; in other words, things that were forgotten in the Outside World such as youkai, lost items, and such are paranormally transported into Gensokyo. In 1885 A.D., Gensokyo was again made isolated from the rest of Earth with the creation of the Great Hakurei Barrier. Gensokyo has made next to no attempt at contact with the outside world since its creation. Gensokyo's language is modern Japanese. Gensokyo is populated by youkai, humans, and animals.
Geography
Gensokyo, the area encompassed by the Great Hakurei Barrier, is a landlocked territory comprised mainly of forested mountains. Notable geographic features include the Youkai Mountain with communities of kappa at its base, tengu at its peak, and the Moriya Shrine at a lake near the top; the Forest of Magic; the Bamboo Forest of the Lost where Eientei is located; the Misty Lake next to the Scarlet Devil Mansion; the Human Village and adjacent Myouren Temple, which are assumed to be in a fertile valley; the Sanzu River separating Gensokyo from Higan; and the Hakurei Shrine at the east of Gensokyo.
Although passing through the Hakurei Barrier to the Outside World is normally impossible for weaker people, stronger entities are known to be able to pass through. It is also significantly easier for Gensokyo denizens to access domains of gods, demons, and spirits which are not strictly part of Gensokyo itself. These include Higan, the Netherworld, Makai, Heaven, Senkai and the Underworld.
The fourth chapter of Cage in Lunatic Runagate reveals that the Youkai Mountain retains the original appearance of Mount Yatsugatake before Konohana-Sakuyahime, the goddess of Mount Fuji, destroyed it. In the outside world today, the remnants of the mountain can be seen as the Yatsugatake mountain range in Yatsugatake-Chūshin Kōgen Quasi-National Park between Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures, providing a possible indication of where Gensokyo would be located in Japan. Lake Suwa and Mount Moriya, which Suwako Moriya was named after, are located nearby.
Creatures
Youkai make up the majority of Gensokyo's population. Many youkai are sub-classified into other races, such as tengu, magicians, vampires, kappa, oni, and many more. Many types of spirits also inhabit the world, such as Ghosts, Poltergeists, Evil spirits, Divine spirits, and a number of Tsukumogami. Other inhabitants include humans, gods, fairies, and humanoid rabbits.
Items
Many unusual items exist in Gensokyo, of which quite a few are based in Japanese mythology in one way or another. However, given Gensokyo's nature as a "land of that which is forgotten", even more modern items that have fallen out of style for a long time (such as the Game Boy) have occasionally turned up. Many of these "new" items appear near Muenzuka, and both Rinnosuke Morichika and Nazrin are said to have picked up various objects there.
In addition to the unusual items floating in, many goods are the same as those from old Japan. Goods like black tea and coffee are considered to be a luxury.
Media
There are two known sources of media in Gensokyo: the Bunbunmaru Newspaper, written and edited by Aya Shameimaru; and the Kakashi Spirit News, by Hatate Himekaidou. The former seems to be far more popular, however, with its sometimes loose depictions of reality.
Timeline
Main article: Gensokyo Timeline
Gensokyo exists roughly parallel to the real world. As the inhabitants of Gensokyo, however, have developed their spiritual lives instead of following the trend of technological advancements in the real world, Gensokyo itself can look like Japan from hundreds of years ago.
Gensokyo's Appearances
Immaterial and Missing Power
There is a stage in Immaterial and Missing Power associated with Suika Ibuki, simply titled 'Gensokyo', appearing as a floor of mist through which Hakurei Shrine may be seen be seen below. In the background, a giant moon hangs in the sky. It is the final stage in each character's scenario.