Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri

The is a ritual conducted on Watatsumi Island to prevent the erosion of the island's soil, using a Jade Coral Branch broken off from the depths of Enkanomiya.
The World Quest series The Moon-Bathed Deep completes the prerequisite steps for entering Enkanomiya.
==Overview==
According to legend, the depths of Enkanomiya attempts to absorb the spirit of Watatsumi Island, which causes the soil to bleach and erode, making the land infertile and unable to grow crops. Soil that has been affected turns white and is known as "Holy Soil." By performing the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri, the spirits in Enkanomiya will be forced back down into the ocean and the erosion will be temporarily halted.
A piece of Jade Coral Branch from Enkanomiya is required to perform this ritual. To enter Enkanomiya, the seals on four Goshou Rocks — the Eye, Tooth, Fin, and Tail — located around Watatsumi Island must be broken to retrieve the Spirit Pearls. The Spirit Pearls are then used to unlock the fifth Goshou Rock, the Heart. Solving the puzzle and defeating the enemies in the Heart rewards the Key of the Moon-bathed Deep, which allows one to enter Enkanomiya.
The Jade Coral Branch was created from Orobashi's own body and is used to suppress the Dragonheir of the Depths. Tsuyuko believes that the threat of unsealing the Dragonheir is a possibility, but due to insufficient knowledge about what lies in the depths, there is no way of ascertaining the truth of these legends.
Tsuyuko's studies at the Sumeru Akademiya have given her a more scientific explanation for the origins of Watatsumi Island's soil erosion and the reason for the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri's efficacy in preventing it. She believes that Holy Soil is caused by the salinity and alkalinity of seawater that touches the land, which leaches nutrients from the soil and renders it unsuitable for agriculture. Jade Coral Branches, which were created from Orobashi's body and contain its power, have sufficient nutrients to replenish the soil and stave off the spread of Holy Soil.
==Trivia==
* The legend behind the Goshou Rock seals bears resemblance to that of Narukami Island's Sacred Sakura and its Cleansing Ritual, as well as the legend of the Chi of Mt. Qingce in Liyue. In all three cases, five seals representing different aspects of an organism were placed to seal something away:
** The Goshou Rocks separate Watatsumi Island from Enkanomiya, where the Dragonheir of the Depths has been sealed. The five seals are labeled Eye, Tooth, Fin, Tail, and Heart.
** The Sacred Sakura and Thunder Sakura are suppressing an unknown creature that lies underneath Kannazuka. The five seals are labeled Eye, Mouth, Hand, Feet, and Nose.
** The five seals around the Mt. Qingce area each suppress an aspect of the Chi, preventing its spirit from poisoning the land. The five seals suppress one of the following aspects of the Chi: spirit, bones, flesh, soul, and form.
* The concept of the Watatsumi Goryou Matsuri loosely resembles the real life (or Obon) festival in Japan, an annual event which honors and commemorates the spirits of one's ancestors. During the festival, one of the traditional preparations for the arrival of ancestors is the cleaning of grave sites. The festival celebrations culminate in the or on August 16, in which giant bonfires are lit on five mountains surrounding the city; to signify the guiding of ancestral spirits back to their dwelling place in the spirit world.
** One such festival is the , a mid-summer festival celebrated at in Tokyo since 1947 (mitama is an alternate reading for the kanji of goryou).
* The ritual also shares similarities with some , such as Shinugu in Okinawa; a harvest festival which involves a prayer to the sea gods and the use of branches to expel evil spirits.
* In real life, water with high salinity indeed has a negative effect on plant growth.Montana State University: Basics of Salinity and Sodicity Effects on Soil Physical Properties
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==Change History==
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ja:海祇御霊祭