This is what we've been waiting on (And we have Spell Practice!)


SHAMEIMARU

"なんだよ暑いじゃねーかこのヤロ "
"Why is it so hot? Goddang..."

"The Ice Fairy Unmelting Under Blazing Sun"

The season of being poured upon by a scorching sun,
brimming with a zesty haze.
Bathed sometimes in seething heat, sometimes in evening showers,
this is the season with a most expressive face.

bloody Cirno-tan tan

Emily.exe has stopped working. There may be an issue with regulation of hype and/or recent disappointments. Please wait warmly.

"Back to basics again", ZUN claims. So, no special special mechanic, maybe?
It seems Reimu represents spring, Marisa represents winter, Aya autumn, and Cirno, ironically, summer.

It's been a while. The weather over here has suddenly gotten hotter.
On the last day of Golden Week (May 7), I will also be participating in Reitaisai.

Touhou Project 16th
　「東方天空璋 (Touhou Tenkuushou) ～ Hidden Star in Four Seasons.」

I'll be selling the trial version at Reitaisai (if I make it in time). The full version is planned for Summer Comiket.
Please speculate about the story from the screenshots. Doing a 180 from the last work, I'm going for a really light and refreshing feeling, I guess?

The protagonists this time are; Reimu Hakurei, Marisa Kirisame, Tanned Cirno, and Aya Shameimaru.
What kind of adventure is this even supposed to turn into, I wonder.

Something like this.
Right now I'm in crunch time, so the screenshots are highly likely to change, but it'll probably stay an STG.
I'd sure like to release the demo for Reitaisai.

This time I'd like to return to my roots with something that simply aims to make you feel good to play. No twists; the somewhat fabled "ordinary STG" might be the thing we need right now!

And with that, IT'S TENKUUSHOU-TIME!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Why do you have to be 16 days away, Reitaisai?!
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20170507T1030&p0=248&msg=Reitaisai+14&font=hand&csz=1

Ah! Nice!

5914046
Yes. Very nice.

Spoilers for new character

The trial is released!

---The Hakurei Shrine, showered in cherry petals.
It was so beautiful that normally, there would be at least one banquet being held.
But this year was different. There was nobody to be seen.

Marisa: "Sure is hot."
Reimu: "Uh, are you okay? Why are you dressed like that?"
Marisa: "Over in the Forest of Magic, it's snowin' of all things."

Marisa was dressed like it was the middle of winter.

Reimu: "And yet over here, spring is in the air... I wonder if I should hold a flower viewing."
Marisa: "Nice idea, but this is just about the only place where the flowers are bloomin'.
Y'think it's because they get a lot of sun here?"
???: "My goodness. The flowers are blooming...?"

The tengu reporter, Aya Shameimaru, appeared.
Aya: "I've heard that lately, brief cold spells are being followed by sunny days,
and that flowers are blooming in the middle of autumn..."
Reimu: "I'm not sure what's causing it, but it's been like this for a while around here.
It's not just cherries, either. Even the butterbur buds are growing."
Aya: "Hmm... Oh, I just remembered some urgent business, so I'll be going now."

Aya left in a hurry.

Marisa: "What's with her? What'd she even come here for in the first place?"
Reimu: "Probably to see the abnormal weather 'round here. It definitely doesn't seem like a natural phenomenon.
If there's tengu investigating, we've probably got an incident on our hands."

When Reimu decided to take action, Gensokyo was already awash in the colors of the changing seasons.
According to the calendar, our story takes place in midsummer.

We appear to have multiple characters of interest here...

The characters very neatly fit the description for Matara-jin - I'm linking Japanese wikipedia, because while a number of English pages on him exist, they don't seem to contain the info relevant to identifying the silhouette. You can google the god yourself  .

This is a mysterious and relatively obscure Buddhist deity, the patron of a Buddhist sect and a Shinto shrine of the Hata clan. He is accompanied by two servants, Teireita and Nishita, both holding sasa (a bamboo shrub) in the left hand, myōga ginger in the right hand. Together, the three symbolize three poisons: greed, hatred, and delusion. The Big Dipper is a part of their image.

This doesn't mean Matara-jin is the final answer on who they are, just he likely is an inspirations for their designs. If you look, you can find lots of opportunities for syncretism with Matara-jin, e.g. with Daikokuten (Shiva, but as one of Japan's Seven Lucky Gods), as the secretary of Yama, and being called "Myojin of Silla", which associates him with Korea. Yeah, his identity feels like whatever random thing his small number of worshipers wanted him to be.

Origin:
Ennin was one of the important Buddhist monks who studied at Tang China. During his voyage back to Japan, he heard Matara-jin calling out to him. His sect would establish Matara-jin as the patron of 常行三昧堂 (JP: Jōgyō-zanmai-dō) - a hall for mystic training, and 玄旨帰命 (JP: Genshi Kimyō) - a Tantric rite of initiation. All in all, he was supposed to be a hidden god not shown to the public.

As patron of the performing arts:
This also makes him the patron of ushirodo, the space at the rear of the temple complex. Among other purposes, the ushirodo was used for Noh and related theatrical performances. This should be why Matara-jin became a patron of the performing arts associated with the Hata clan.

Connection with Silla Korea:
Ennin frequently associated with and learned from monk scholars of Silla during his stay in China, especially when at 赤山法華院 (CN: Chishan Fahua-yuan), a temple in today's Shandong Province founded by a Silla general. In his true nature, Matara-jin might simply be adopted from their local worship.

Explanaining his role as Yama's secretary:
Said local god is often explained to be 泰山府君 (CN: Taishan Fujun; JP: Taizan Fukun), god of Mount Taishan in Shandong, one of the most important mountains in Chinese culture. The notion of this god appeared around 200 CE under the influence of Buddhism, as patron of the boundary between the living and the dead. The god was highly popular with rich Taoist and folk lore appearances, and played an important role in the wizardry of Abe no Seimei.

(Mount Tai and Taishan Fujun also have a strong connection with the Big Dipper.)

As a merger of Daikokuten and Dakini, hermaphrodite, god of eroticism, etc.:
The Genshi Kimyō rite would absorb increasingly more elements of Tantric eroticism, leading to its banning as an evil cult in mid-Edo era, and the burning of its books.

EDIT:
By the way, I forgot about mentioning the biggest connection. It is common Chinese lore that the direction of the Big Dipper's handle indicates the four seasons. In spring it points east, in summer south, and so on. This is something you might be taught in elementary schools.

EDIT2:
I also haven't reported on July 14's Nikenme Radio stream. In short:

- ZUN couldn't guarantee the downloadable demo be released at the usual time. This is why we haven't seen the demo.
- The second half of HSiFS will betray your expectation. It will make you feel uneasy, maybe creep you out. You will see it from the artwork of the fourth boss.

And, the game is out! Now just anticipating it becoming available.
EDIT: Now available.
Have fun! 👍