Youmu konpaku

[ edit ] Main Profile
Youmu is one of the stranger entities in Gensokyo, part-human and part-phantom at the same time. Her two halves are not intermixed like one would expect from a cross-breed, but actually exist in physically separate bodies. Youmu has a straightforward and focused personality, which complements her swordsmanship abilities well. However, her personality conflicts with that of her master, Yuyuko Saigyouji, who is very whimsical and playful in nature. Still, she serves Yuyuko as best as she can, tending to the gardens in Hakugyokurou and following her orders.

Youmu commonly wields two blades at once, having studied some under her predecessor, Youki. The longer blade, called 楼観剣 (Roukanken) - Lookout-Tower Sword, is said to be able to kill ten ghosts in one swipe; the shorter blade, 白楼剣 (Hakurouken) - White Tower Sword, is able to cleave through a person's own confusion. However, not much is known about her particular style of swordsmanship, or her parents. What is known is that Youki, also a servant of Hakugyokurou, had begun training a very young Youmu (possibly as a child?) when he suddenly disappeared one day, leaving her style incomplete (and presumably causing her to teach herself). No one currently knows his whereabouts.

During the events of Perfect Cherry Blossom, Youmu was ordered by Yuyuko to gather as much spring essence from Gensokyo as she could in order to get the entire cherry blossom garden, including the legendary Saigyou Ayakashi , to bloom perfectly. Youmu's efforts indirectly caused winter to continue unchecked in Gensokyo, prompting the player to find the source of the problem. Youmu tried to prevent the player from reaching Hakugyokurou, but was defeated. She also tried to stop the player's confrontation against Yuyuko, but was defeated again. In Imperishable Night, she traveled to the world of the living with the intent to fix the moon--although Yuyuko was more interested in having a feasting tour with a "dragon dish" as the crowning attraction. In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, she was minding her own business but kept encountering various people barging into Hakugyokurou suspecting her of being behind the flower incident. When she traveled to Gensokyo herself to behold the spectacle, she immediately noticed what was going on but thought nothing of it. During the events of Scarlet Weather Rhapsody, she set off to investigate, concerned as to how and why someone was slaying ghosts. After a hint from Yukari, she found and defeated the culprit.

[ edit ] Fun Facts
Judging from the story of Perfect Cherry Blossom, the heroine plays the role of Hiroari, Youmu is the Nue, and the corpse is probably Yuyuko Saigyouji. (See also Flandre Scarlet and Yukari Yakumo .)
 * Youmu is often called "Myon" by fans, as she inexplicably asks Yuyuko why she is present at such a "myon" place in the PCB extra back story . ("Myon-na" is a portmanteau of　"hyon-na" (unexpected) and "myou-na" (strange).) Her phantom half is also sometimes called Myon; it's also occasionally referred to as an "option" (like the ship accessories in  Gradius ), but this is less common.
 * It is generally accepted in fandom that Myon and Youmu are each able to sense what the other feels.
 * The characters for Konpaku mean simply "soul", and Youmu something like "bewitching dream".
 * Although both "Kon" (魂) and "Paku" (魄) are "soul", their elements are different. "Kon" stands for a mental soul, which is separated from a body as soon as human dies and ascends to Heaven; "Paku" is a physical soul, which remains in the body a few days and goes back to the Earth. In this case, "Kon" is Youmu's phantom half, and "Paku" is the human half. The entire Konpaku family is comprised of half-phantom half-humans, as noted by Perfect Memento.
 * The kanji that makes up "Youmu" (妖夢) are also part of the kanji for Perfect Cherry Blossom (東方妖々夢).
 * Her phantom half is often treated in fanworks as "food" (usually eaten by Yuyuko). In Hisoutensoku this has gone farther; in her script, if she loses to Sanae , the latter asks her how "the marshmallow looking-like thing" tastes.
 * In Phantasmagoria of Flower View, Youmu's name is written in Roman letters Japanese style, with her surname first, during pre-battle conversation with her, even though every other character in the game with a Japanese name has their name romanized western-style, with their first names first. This is one of several typographical inconsistencies in the game (another being the inconsistent spelling of Aya's name).
 * Because of Youmu's spellcard "200 Yojana in One Slash", she is said to be capable of striking at speeds most would consider physically impossible (200 yojana can be a distance anywhere from 1,320-3,000 kilometers or 825-1,875 statute miles in length). In order to cover that kind of distance in the split-second a typical sword slash takes to execute, she would have to be capable of moving at far beyond hypersonic speed; her slowest sword slashes have been calculated to move at speeds in excess of Mach 70 (70 times the speed of sound, or 53,200 mph/85,120 km/h at sea level), fast enough to circle the entire Earth at the Equator in less than half an hour and around three times the speed required to orbit the Earth, for reference. One doujinshi (Touhou Kaidan Seven #3) went into far too much detail trying to work out the specifics of this, and determined that her theoretical top speed was approximately one quarter of the speed of light...
 * Her theme song is titled "Hiroari Shoots A Strange Bird ~ Till When?", named after a story in which a warrior named Hiroari slays a youkai known as the Nue. This is a pun on the storyline. The "strange bird" is a Nue, also called the "Itsumaden", since it makes this cry near unmourned corpses, meaning "How long (will this corpse remain unattended)?"
 * Ironically enough, considering her species, Youmu is afraid of ghosts, as shown in Imperishable Night 's Extra Stage. After defeating Fujiwara no Mokou, Yuyuko pretends there is a ghost under a tree, earning a terrified shriek from Youmu.
 * Fanworks occasionally depict Youmu as idolizing Sakuya, most likely because they are similar characters; they are stage 5 bosses who use bladed weapons, have silver hair, eyes that changed colors from red to blue, and have power over time. In these comics, Youmu addresses Sakuya as "Onee-sama", a title usually used to refer respectfully to an older sister or to an older woman one respects or admires. Additionally Youmu frequently gets parodied crossing over with Jean-Pierre Polnareff of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (a fast-moving sword stand-user), much like Sakuya and Dio of the same series. This is even present in Touhou Hisoutensoku, where one of her alternate palettes turns her completely silver, a subtle reference to Silver Chariot, Jean-Pierre Polnareff's stand.
 * Youmu seems to have some knowledge of Chinese legend and history because of her particular win quote against Meiling, in which she asks why the latter does not wield Guan Yu's Green Dragon Blade. By the way, women didn't use polearms traditionally in Chinese martial arts.
 * An item in the game 'League of Legends' called "Youmuu's Ghostblade" is a reference to Youmu. The item's icon represents a katana with cherry petals floating in the background.

[ edit ] Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red

 * Main article: Article and Interview: Youmu 

Aya catches wind of an enormous gathering of ghosts flying around Gensokyo and immediately rushes out to investigate. The ghosts are all being led in the same direction by Youmu Konpaku. While in mid-flight, Aya asks her why this is happening. After Youmu explains everything, she warns the readers not to become attached to any stray ghosts.

Aya comes back for an interview after a year has passed. Despite Youmu's efforts, ghosts are still plaguing Gensokyo. Aya has gotten used to it, while Youmu is unhappy with the situation. Youmu believes that the natural way is the true way, but with life still working normally, is now uncertain about her purpose. The interview ends with Youmu in tears over having no pay and no vacation and with Aya wondering if the natural way is really always the right way.

[ edit ] Perfect Memento in Strict Sense

 * Main article: Perfect Memento: Youmu Konpaku 


 * The Konpaku family is a family of half-phantoms and half-humans. Currently the only one that is known is Youmu, the gardener of the Hakugyokurou.
 * Her appearance does not differ from a normal human but she has a much longer lifespan than one.
 * The phantom-half of Youmu is different from a normal phantom like herself not being like a normal human
 * She has been seen frequently in the human world, particularly so due to the weakening of the border between the two worlds.
 * She is a very powerful swordswoman who uses two swords, the Roukanken and the Hakurouken. Furthermore, she patrols daily around the Netherworld on the morning and at night. She is very dedicated in her work.
 * Unlike normal youkai, she does not attack all of the sudden unless provoked, and one could probably get her to not attack you if you apologized to her. Still, if you get into a fight with her one should start praying...

[ edit ] The Grimoire of Marisa

 * Main article:  The Grimoire of Marisa: Youmu Konpaku's Spell Cards 


 * Insert Summary Here