Making headcanons for all of the brush gods because I like them and wish they got screentime. Some Japanese mythology has been applied here, but most of it is working within the lore of the actual game and just me having fun with animals.
Yomigami (dragon, rejuvination)
While we find all of the brush gods through constellations, they mention hiding in different places. I believe Yomigami was the only one who actually became a constellation to hide after Amaterasu’s first death.
The rest of the brush gods were once animals who later ascended to godhood, but Yomigami actually came from the celestial plane. He’s related to Orochi, perhaps brothers, but rejuvination and destruction soon came into conflict and Yomigami sided with the celestials. He was afraid to fall to the earth after Orochi did and stayed in the sky, choosing to maintain the underworld instead.
Tachigami (rat, power slash)
You’d think that the tiger or boar would be the bravest and most fierce of the brush gods, but that title goes to the rat. He is unbeatable with his sword, and most of the gods have learned that accepting his challenges are a fool’s errand. Most great swordsmen have a shrine dedicated to the rat, though someone not aware might find this ridiculous. A rat, really? Such a small creature? They soon learn that even the smallest warrior should not be taken lightly, and even your most treasured friend is not to be trusted. Kabegami would tell you that.
Hanagami triumvirate. These are the greensprout monkeys, and brothers, Sakigami (bloom), Hasugami (water lily), Tsutagami (vine).
They act as sort of Sakuya’s advisors, helping maintain the plant life around Kamiki village and also heading out to further lands where she cannot go. They also play music, and teach the konohana shuffle and all its variants to anyone in Nippon.
Sakigami is the calmest of the three, enjoying luxury and serenity. He takes his duties as a god the most seriously, and will frequently visit farmers and guardian saplings to make sure everything is in order. His brothers call him lazy and uptight, but he thinks of it as smart and collected. Two traits those monkeys could use more of.
Hasugami is immensely curious, and actually the closest to Sakuya out of the three. He loves hopping from place to place, although never straying too far from home. His clumsiness gets on Sakigami’s nerves, but Tsutagami finds it endlessly entertaining, which Hasugami finds weirdly comforting.
Tsutagami is constantly brimming with ideas, very few of them subtle. He loves making up games that are probably extremely stupid and dangerous, but hey, they’re gods now, might as well make the most of it! Hasugami is his partner in crime, and they’re both constantly working to get Sakigami to lighten up and join them in their ridiculousness.
Bakugami (boar, cherry bomb)
When you first meet Bakugami he seems intimidating and angry, constantly seconds away from exploding and catching anyone in his wrath. But spend any time with him and you’ll learn the truth: he’s just a goofy dad, and he’ll adopt you too if you aren’t careful. He loves his kids to pieces and cares a lot for their safety, but his idea of safe is “blow yourself up and I’ll keep watch.” The Hanagami triumvirate is at their wits end trying to keep him away from destructible things, like houses and sacred trees and people. The triumvirate, however, usually means just Sakigami, as the other two are much more likely to get swept up in his heedless adventures.
Yumigami (rabbit, crescent)
Okay hear me out on this one. Yumigami is Amaterasu’s ex-wife. HEAR ME OUT.
They were together before the destruction of the celestial plane, and Yumigami was actually the one who convinced Amaterasu to visit earth more and see what life was like for humans. Yumigami, who used to be someone’s pet rabbit before ascending, taught Amaterasu about mochi pounding and all the yummy foods humans make.
She was really close with Waka, and was much more interested in learning about his people than Amaterasu was. The moon tribe was gone now, Yumigami was only the keeper of their graveyard, but she promised she would keep their memory safe, the good and the bad.
Orochi had sent one of his minions to lure Yumigami away from the celestial plane with delicious food. Yumigami was so disgusted by its preparation, however, that she chased the demon all the way out. Wrong formula, but the right result anyhow. With only half of the celestial bodies committed to driving out Orochi, the serpent succeeded in his attack and all the gods were forced to flee to earth. Yumigami was horrified to learn what happened and hid on the other side of the sky, away from Amaterasu, afraid she would blame her for not being there to help.
Two hundred years later, Amaterasu finally finds her, rescuing her from the belly of the Whopper. Yumigami apologizes for not helping her fight and tries to leave, but Amaterasu doesn’t blame her, she never did. They make mochi together just like old times, and Yumigami lends the goddess her power, finally letting go of her guilt.
(Also, wolf/rabbit? Eh? Eh?)
Nuregami (snake, waterspout)
Nuregami has been working with the Dragonians since even before she was a god, slithering in the shallows but unable to truly enter their kingdom. She ascended to godhood after helping in a daring mission to save the water dragon when it became trapped on land, bringing it water so it could stay alive and make it back to the ocean. She’s an important figure to the Dragonians, maintaining the mermaid ponds throughout Nippon and making sure life-sustaining water reaches every part of the land (since the water dragon takes care of the actual ocean).
The reason she was in a jar in her encounter with Amaterasu was due to Ninetails’ meddling in the capital. Blight’s sickness and the water dragon’s rampage made the water there sickly, so she was forced to remain in a jar of pure water so she would not lose her powers.
Kazegami (horse, galestorm)
Kazegami used to be a racehorse belonging to a resident of Kusa village. He ascended to godhood after losing his life to win a race for his master, who needed the prize money to save his family’s life. His body was buried under the Gale Shrine, which allowed his powers to be at their strongest there. A giant windmill was later built to take advantage of this.
Kazegami is confident, but not as arrogant as one might expect a racehorse and a god to be. He is deeply loyal to Kusa Village and humanity as a whole, maintaining the wind because he knows how they depend on it. However, he was tricked by Crimson Helm, and unwittingly made a deal which allowed the demon to assume full control of Gale Shrine. Amaterasu’s presence allowed him to come to his senses and find the confidence to break the deal, offering her his power so she could rid the shrine of the demon permanently.
Moegami (rooster, inferno)
One of the proudest gods by far, Moegami is easy to ruffle and will rarely back down from a challenge (a fact that Tachigami often takes advantage of). He’s the most passionate out of any of the gods about destroying evil, perhaps taking a bit too much joy in the “destruction” part. Nuregami often has to keep him in check while Kazegami tries to egg him on.
He was absolutely furious at Amaterasu’s first death, charging right into the moon cave for vengeance. Most of Orochi’s minions had survived, and Crimson Helm had just risen, and Moegami was ill-prepared. The demons lured him deep inside the moon cave and cast a spell on him to trap him (since truly killing a god is something only a greater demon or another god is capable of). He was trapped in those cold dark caves for many years, seething, but also keeping a close watch on the demon’s plans.
Kasugami (sheep, veil of mist)
Kasugami is a wanderer, never staying in one place for long. She’s not a great fighter by any means, preferring to avoid conflict when she can. She’s a bit ditzy and often confused, and nobody is sure if that’s due to her use of time manipulation or the alcohol. It’s probably both.
The sheep used to live in Kamui, and was good friends with Itegami. She was a follower of the twin gods of time, Nechku and Lechku, studying beneath them and learning how to manipulate time herself, to a lesser capacity. She was a loyal follower, but was slowly becoming disillusioned with their plans, and realizing that the gods were not gods at all.
Kasugami helped them create the Spirit Gate, which was her proudest creation and the culmination of all their plans. Creating this powerful relic allowed Kasugami to ascend to godhood, with power over time itself. If the role was open, that meant she had allied herself with demons after all. Lechku and Nechku, realizing their follower had grown stronger than them, sealed her away in a gourd and left her to wallow in regret. Keeping her mind fuzzy by slowing time and alcohol helps her keep her mind off the knowledge that she had helped demons spread their darkness.
Kabegami is a playful deity, always down for a game of chase or a competition of acrobatics. She feels exposed on the ground, preferring to climb to any height possible at every opportunity. Multiple gods have been stood upon in her never-ending quest to avoid the terrible ground.
She and Tachigami were close friends as mortals, but during what was supposed to be a friendly competition ending with a race across a river during a storm, Tachigami betrayed her, pushing her off their raft and nearly killing her in the process. She was swept downstream for a long time, being spat out in the ocean and managing to swim to an island with a large tower. With the storm, being anywhere near the water level was unsafe, so she climbed all the way up the impossibly tall tower, something no mortal before her had ever accomplished.
Tachigami earned his godhood for his ruthlessness, and Kabegami earned hers for her resilience. She would be worshipped for hope despite everything and escape from any situation, and statues of her are erected whenever someone feels a farther reach may be necessary.
Gekigami (tiger, thunderstorm)
Oni Island was once ruled by Gekigami, and populated by many animals. Hotheaded though he was, Gekigami was a great leader and warrior, and kept the animals safe and protected every time the island shifted places. Once he became a god, he continued to watch over the island, striking down any human who tried to claim it.
One day he was approached by another god, a nine-tailed fox. She made a deal with him, allowing her to build a fortress on the island, and keeping the god of lightning enshrined so he would never lose his place. He was tricked, and the fox revealed herself to be a greater demon, but the deal had been made. Gekigami was forced to allow her followers to take residence on the island, and in return a single statue was made to enshrine the god. However, the statue was immediately broken, the lightning crossbow bolt being destroyed, which trapped Gekigami within the statue until Amaterasu restored it.
Also in my specific story Ninetails was able to harness Gekigami’s power and give it to my OC Husko but that’s not what happened in game by a long shot lol
While Kasugami was manipulated by demons, Itegami was not so easily fooled. He distanced himself from her (though it broke his heart) and buried himself in his work, helping the Oina survive in the harsh weather. He achieved godhood through firmness and duty, and he learned soon after of Kasugami’s fate. He was furious with himself that he had not stayed by her side when she needed guidance, but he had no idea where she had went, so he remained in the mountains to maintain the weather, harsh but predictable, always able to endure if the Oina stayed true to their customs.
One night, Itegami stood stoic on the side of a mountain, sending down blizzards as was expected of him. He was lost in thought, so full of bitterness and anger that it drew in the demons Lechku and Nechku. Sensing the god was distracted, they trapped him with a curse, sealing him inside his own shell horn. Then, they built a machine that would allow the demons to harness the god’s power. Itegami was forced to use his destructive power nonstop, burying Kamui in a blizzard that should never have happened.
Unbeknownst to the god and demons alike, Kasugami had been freed from her prison and, sensing Itegami’s presence, ventured through Wawku shrine alone and found him. She did not have the means to free him, but she managed to contact the angry god, and tell him that she forgave him. She was never his responsibility, and he should not blame himself for her mistakes. She told him that Amaterasu was on her way, that he would be the final brush god. Itegami still did not have full control of himself, but her words calmed him somewhat.
Once Amaterasu arrived, he nearly attacked her, but Kasugami’s words finally got through to him, and he ceased attacking. He gave Amaterasu his power, but he knew how dangerous that cold could be. So, he called upon all of the celestial brush gods, and they all came, to bestow upon her the ultimate culmination of their strength and love: the solar flare.
Itegami is still of a cold and bitter disposition, but reconnecting with Kasugami and having the support of the other brush gods is helping him move on from his regret.
