Yomikage no Jinja – Shrine of the Underworld’s Shadow

In the heart of Shio, the capital of Uikku, stands Yomikage no Jinja, a shrine dedicated to Yamarochi no Yomi, the overseer of the spirit realm. Built with dark tiles and decorated with dragon and serpent carvings, this shrine is rumored to be the direct passage to the underworld of Yomi. Centuries back, the shrine thrived, with priests and shamans seeking Yamarochi’s wisdom through sacred rites. The stone serpents surrounding it, believed to be Yamarochi’s emissaries, occasionally gleamed with an ethereal glow during dusk, indicating the spirit’s presence.

At the shrine’s core is the Altar of Whispers, where once offerings were made, and mourners claimed to hear soft voices from the beyond. However, war’s toll led to the shrine’s decline. Its priests vanished, and rituals became tales of the past. Overgrown foliage now masks its former grandeur, with only adventurers and an occasional mourner visiting its precincts.

For individuals like Kazuhira Orochi, the shrine remains pivotal. His transformative encounter with the serpents here made him a Spirit Samurai. As Oni rise and the spirit world trembles, some believe that restoring the shrine could bring back harmony between the realms.