Misogi

禊

Song Information

Artist: Nhato
Composition/Arrangement: Nhato
BPM: 160
Length: 2:00
Genre: HARD PSY TRANCE
Movie: BEMANI Designers "GOLI"
First Music Game Appearance: beatmania IIDX 29 CastHour
Other Music Game Appearances: None.

Lyrics

None.

Song Connections / Remixes

• A long version of 禊, titled 禊 (Extended Mix), can be found on the beatmania IIDX 30 RESIDENT ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK album.

Trivia

• 禊 is one of the PLATFORM 1 Cyber House unlocks of beatmania IIDX 29 CastHour's CastHour SPACE unlocking system. It can be unlocked from December 16th, 2021.
• 禊 marks Tatsuya Fukumuro's first beatmania IIDX song rated level 12 on Single ANOTHER.
• Misogi, or alternatively called Harae (祓), is a Japanese Shinto practice of ritual purification by washing the entire body.

Song Production Information

Nhato

It's me, Nhato.
This work has a Japanese taste to it, and I created a track that incorporates a lot of serious elements.
Even in my usual music, I tend to make songs that are chock-full of sounds from my favorite genres. This work in particular is a jumble, which makes it interesting.
Actually, it's the first time I've written a title in Japanese. Please enjoy the song.

Video Production Information

GOLI

GOLI here.
When I saw the song title, it tugged at my heartstrings.
When I heard the song, I thought it was divine.

To someone who creates the visuals, a song's title is very important for deciding on an image. When I took on responsibility for this song, I first researched the meaning and composition of the character 禊 ("misogi") before starting on production. The modern "misogi," as used amusingly on television or YouTube, is often treated as a "reflection" or "punishment" for when you do something wrong. However, it was originally a Shinto ritual that used water to exorcise impurities. It's... it's burning... the flames of my desperate youth are burning! During my university days when I was working as an assistant to become a manga artist, I studied Shinto a little bit out of curiosity. I unraveled the materials from that time again and filled out the images. I took apart the kanji in “misogi”, looked up the meaning of each one, and spiced it up with a bit of fantasy. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I put everything into the song's visuals to set up the characters with the kanji at the end. Since the song was put together very dramatically, I set out to make the visuals have a narrative-like structure overall. Despite being Japanese, the beginning is very fantasy-like. This too, is one of the elements of that.

Please enjoy the cool, beautiful sounds of divine Japanese music to your heart's content.

【Appendix】

※The content is pretty dark, so read it only if you're interested!
GOLI's mind is always like a dream, an illusion.

【-The Super Future’s End of Terror-】

The final hour of the “Super Future” era. As a last resort to change the world into a new and orderly one, Priest Zelos combined with the unifying thought of the "Purple Sands", and plunged the world into chaos. However, an entity with origins to the "Purple Sands", a detached consciousness and the last hope, "The Genesis (※Zero Tsugaru SRX-00), Alfarshear," fought to end it. Using the records of Tsugaru Hishimiya’s dormant soul of the old world, a pseudo-Tsugaru body was constructed from a portion of the “Purple Sands”. She was made a vessel for the soul to convey the will of the Alfarshear, and was reborn into the world of the “Super Future” to cooperate as Kugana’s “sword”. Awaiting for the day he would come of age to battle, Kugana, the reincarnation of Tatsuma Hayuki, took action to annihilate the "Purple Sands".

However, the young swordsman Kugana made an erroneous decision that doomed the future of the world, and instead does something that is right for a human being. Thus the incomplete power of the Alfarshear was inherited by Lou, who transformed into the "Silver-Winged Knight". Priest Zelos, who assimilated the "Purple Sands" and Lou, the "Silver-Winged Knight" engage in a fierce battle, rendering the starry land unable to retain its shape. Ameto (Amteram Omikam), an alchemist and mage who had foreseen the future, planned to save Lou by assembling a great magical spell of reincarnation in the event of an emergency.

Sensing the disappearance of a star, the "Purple Sands" absorbed the body of Zelos, attempting to take over his body, and attacked Lou while Ameto was chanting the spell of reincarnation. Ameto, shocked to see Lou's body struck by Zelos, was caught in a momentary trance. With her defensive spells inactive, Ameto's amplified magic revived the power of the "Purple sands" causing her mind and body to be stolen. The "Purple Sands" now reborn through Ameto's reincarnation spell, transcends time and descends to a new Earth (The old world) as "Himiko".

【The Beginning of a New World】

Upon landing into the new world, Himiko observed that humans already inhabited the land, just like the world she was in previously. Due to losing most of her power through Ameto's reincarnation spell, she needed a puppet to serve in her stead. Thus, she gathered skilled warriors from across the land, altered their bodies, and shared her power with them using a technique she called the "Blood Magatama", which she likened to the culture of the people living in the region.

Twenty-six warriors inherited her power. Although originally faithful to the powerful Himiko, the warriors were repulsed by the power of “Orochi”, a great serpent of malice revived using the spell of reincarnation. Any neighboring country that would not obey Himiko would be destroyed by the behemoth weapon, its people and even children burned mercilessly to the ground. The warriors Shiras, Ichiyo and Juyo united together and under the twenty-sixth moon they opened the door to the "Divine Realm", an alternate space deep within the lunar crust where the main source of Himiko's power is located, and performed a sealing ritual using all of their life force.

Himiko

 "You... You monkeys and puppets! It was I who gave you your power! You will never surpass me!!"

Shiras

 "Then I will sacrifice myself to defeat you, I won't stop until my life runs out!!"

Juyo

 "Gh... It's not strong enough...! Just a little more! The Divine Realm is open, but I need more power...!"

Ichiyo

 "Don't be weak! Concentrate! We must protect our people, our country, our world... With all our strength!"

Himiko

 "Kukuku. I wonder if this is the end. How shallow of you to defy me. It's been fun to observe how far I could get with the power of my puppets, but now I'm tired of playing with you. Let the serpent's fire consume you and return to nothingness. Perish...!"

Absorbing the power of Himiko, the great serpent "Orochi" spewed purple flames from the mouths of all its heads.
The defensive spells that the twenty-six warriors had casted with all their strength were on the verge of crumbling to the mighty flames.

Juyo

 "kyaaAHH! I can't hold it any longer...!"

Ichiyo

 "Do not retreat! I'll give you a hand or two, but we must not retreat...!!"

Shiras

 "Gh...! Ugh...! I'm sorry...!"

Suddenly, time jerked to a halt. Shiras sat alone in the darkness.

Shiras

 "What...? This is... Have I died...?"

Alfarshear

  "This is my sin, a sin I could not stop. Allow me to grant you the power to fight it."

Shiras's sword fused with the Goddess's sword, and time began to flow once again.
Himiko, who derives her power from the "Purple Sands", and Alfarshear, who was once one and the same with the sands, are now equal in power.

Himiko

  "You...! That... That sword!"

Shiras

 "oOH!!!"

First strike!

Himiko

 "You! Alfarshear!"

Shiras

 "aAHH!!!"

Second strike!!

Himiko

 "guUAAAHH!! Wherever you are…!!!"

Shiras

 "OOOOOOOHHH!!!"

Final strike!!!

Juyo

 "She's in! At last... Get behind the door!"

Ichiyo

 "O mirror, bring light upon the darkness! Let my prayer shine! Close the doors! uuOOOH!! Begone!!"

Himiko

 "GH...!! AAAAHH!!! I shall not perish!! I will regain my strength, and I will... GUAAAHHH!!!"

The door in the sky closed with a tremendous roar, and disappeared into the void of night. Everything was still. But at the edge of the night sky, the light of dawn shone through.

【History of the Twenty-Six Families of Misogi】

示 : At the base of the ritual
大 : The fierce one
刀 : With the grip of a treasured sword
First strike, second strike, final strike,
Exorcized the evil (serpent)
And purged the great snake, Orochi.

Each member of the twenty-six warriors went on to found their own family tree, who made it their mission to keep the door to the "Divine Realm" sealed and to keep their bloodline connected to the present world.

◆ Ichiyo

Himiko's most powerful consort, and the one whom she gifted the most power to. Once inheriting her power, her hair turned to gold. Responsible for sealing Himiko away and closing the door to the "Divine Realm". After sealing away Himiko, she rebuilt the region under the title of the "Scarlet Priestess", living a long life with the use of her magic to watch over future generations. She became the founder of the Umegiri family, which later united the twenty-six families back together.

◆ Juyo

The lead in sealing Himiko away, responsible for opening the door to the "Divine Realm". Later descendants include Nix and Himmel.

◆ Shiras

The "God Splitter", who wounded Himiko to the verge of annihilation using the sword of Alfarshear. He would later become the founder of the Kanzaki family.
At the time of Himiko's rebirth, the "Genesis" slightly mixed with the "Purple Sands", reincarnating together into the old world. However, most of its power was lost.

Difficulty & Notecounts

beatmania IIDX difficulty rated from 1 to 12. (Notecounts obtained from BEMANIWiki 2nd.)

Game	SP Difficulty					DP Difficulty
	BEGINNER	NORMAL	HYPER	ANOTHER	LEGGENDARIA	NORMAL	HYPER	ANOTHER	LEGGENDARIA
Notecounts / Charge Notes / Backspin Scratches	-	545 / 18 / 2	1169 / 24 / 3	1631 / 59 / 3	-	560 / 19 / 2	1153 / 24 / 3	1587 / 31 / 3	-
beatmania IIDX 29 CastHour→Present	-	6	10	12	-	6	10	12	-

CastHour SPACE
PLATFORM 1 Cyber House	Harmonia - kors k's How to make OTOGE CORE - 禊 - ナイトフィクション ALTERNATOR
PLATFORM 2 Twinkroom	Banger Banger Banger Banger - Silver Bullet - Stepper - 青の洞窟 - めでてえ Binary Black Hole
PLATFORM 3 Cinema IIDX	ANEMONE - Legendary Treasures - Nocturnal 2097 - 烽火連天の刃 - 黒紅掬い PLASMA SOUL NIGHT feat. Nana Takahashi / 709sec.
PLATFORM 4 Beat Showcase	Emera - Flying Castle - Pout - アクマフカ - 天邪鬼 WHA
PLATFORM 5 FUTURE SCOPE	AMICABLE - Arkadia - Get set, Go! feat.Kanae Asaba - 10000 MILES AWAY - 雪上断火 hard-wired
PLATFORM X Hideout	ABSOLUTE EVIL - n/a
PLATFORM X2 Hideout II	Smalt #28598F - RAGE feat.H14 of LEONAIR