"Clownpiece, was it? Tell the big shots of hell that... Be sure to let them know. Gensokyo is home to a terrifying secret god. Got that?" — Okina Matara to Clownpiece(Visionary Fairies in Shrine Chapter 15.)
She is said to be the spitting image of a classic god, having no mercy for those who disrespect her and graciously blessing those who revere her. Though described as "hidden", her true form is the same as the face she shows publicly, a chaotic mashup of the aspects of several gods. During and after the Four Seasons Incident, her personality is shown to be that of an ostentatious, confident, and prideful person, making magnificent displays of her power in order to bring attention to herself. Okina seems to be harsh towards her servants,[1] and at the same time, she somewhat seems to pity them, wishing to release them from their position (although it's unknown whether she actually feels this way, as in Hidden Star in Four Seasons, Okina mentions that she has only been pretending to be looking for replacements).
Abilities
Creating doors on the backs of anything
Okina can create doors on the back of anything, even living beings. The back doors act like portals and allow her to travel wherever she wishes, or to send something to somewhere else, as long as nobody is watching. [2][3] Creating a back door on a living being allows her access to the energy of said living being. The Four Seasons Incident started when Okina powered up the denizens of Gensokyo by pouring life energy into the doors on their back. The effect was particularly pronounced when Okina powered up fairies, beings who are intrinsically tied to nature. Those with Okina's back doors on their bodies are able to further power themselves up by collecting seasonal energy. Okina can take away the seasonal energy from those using her doors and expel them from the Land of the Back Door. She is unable to collect the energy of doyou, the period between seasons, as it would harm her. Each being in Gensokyo has a corresponding seasonal door. For example, fairies like Cirno and Eternity Larva should have summer doors (though, in the case of Eternity, her door actually corresponded to doyou, implying that she may not be a fairy at all). It may be that seasonal doors are interpersonal even within species, however, as Reimu and Marisa (both human), have different seasonal doors in the forms of spring and winter respectively.
The doors can act as portals and connect generally to the extradimensional Land of the Back Door, through which a number of other doors of Okina's creation are accessible. These doors all connect to various places in Gensokyo. They can be used that way as long as no one is looking, it's impossible for anyone to use these doors of their own accord, and without Okina's help[2], and it's implied that she can cut off access to them and their energy at any point according to Aya Shameimaru's Extra Scenario in Hidden Star in Four Seasons.
Manipulating life energy and mental energy
Okina possesses the ability to manipulate both life energy and mental energy. She lends this power to her servants Satono Nishida (mental energy) and Mai Teireida (life energy). The two are described as "extensions" of Okina's power. Okina's profile states that she suddenly gained these abilities at some point in the past, likely before the creation of Gensokyo.
Life energy is primarily used by Okina to tamper with nature. In Hidden Star in Four Seasons, she poured life energy into the backs of Gensokyo's residents, powering them up temporarily. When Gensokyo's fairies were powered up, the seasons began to wildly fluctuate throughout the land. The seasonal energy that this created can also be manipulated by Okina. In Chapter 42 of Wild and Horned Hermit, Okina was revealed to be able to create youkai by using life energy. She created Aunn by opening a back door on a komainu statue and pouring life energy into it, turning the divine spirit of the statue into an actual living being. In the same chapter, she offers to make it spring so that the flowers could bloom, affirming that she has direct control over the seasons. She also boastfully states that she can recreate the entirety of Gensokyo if she so pleases. In this light, it appears Okina's manipulation of life energy allows her to create life or take life at will.
Okina's manipulation of mental energy has never been demonstrated or mentioned so far, so its mechanics are unknown. It may, however, have to do with the slave-like devotion her servants have for her as well as the protagonists having slight amnesia about what happened during their first battle with Okina.
Species: Secret God
Ability: Capable of creating doors on the back of anything
A hidden god who lurks behind all things in creation.
She has a wide range of public faces-- an Earth mother goddess, a god of noh, a god of stars, a god of silkworm breeding, a god of hindrances, a god of discriminated people, et cetera.
Nobody knows what her true nature really is.
She's the ultimate secret god, whose true form must never be seen, heard, or spoken of.
Her status as a "secret god" doesn't mean she's hiding or anything, though.
At times, she makes ostentatious public appearances to show off her grand presence.
She claims that her objective was to find successors for Satono and Mai, but if she ended up unable to find any suitable successors, she'd be fine making the two servants continue to work for her.
Her true goal was to stand out.
To make a big show of herself, and engrave herself into the memories of every human, youkai, and sage in Gensokyo.
It seems she didn't find any successor servants in the end, but it appears that her latter goal was well and truly achieved.
She is also one of the sages who created the Gensokyo of today.
She protects Gensokyo from the outside world, can move anywhere she likes, and at some point without realizing it at first, she gained a mysterious power to control both vitality and mental energy, which she uses for her duty of keeping Gensokyo's balance intact.
Her menial tasks are usually entrusted to her two douji servants that wait upon her (ie. Satono and Mai).
She shows no mercy to those who act rudely to her, and grants blessings to those who treat her with reverence.
Fearsome as an enemy and reliable as an ally, she's the classic example of a god.
The seasons on our heroines' backs were a trap that Okina had arranged.
Our protagonist used Okina's season trap to her own advantage, and challenged her for a rematch.
At this, the ultimate secret god agreed to refrain from chasing the protagonist off with the seasons' magic power, and revealed her true form.
It was a chaotic fusion of many gods' forms, every bit the same as the face she shows publicly.
Speaking of which, she may be a "secret god," but she's not hiding.
From the very beginning, she was a secret god who put everything she has out in plain sight.
Okina is based on Matarajin (摩多羅神),[4] a Japanese god that rose to prominence within the historically influential school of Tendai Buddhism. The traditional narrative, recorded in the Keiran Shuuyoushuu (溪嵐拾葉集), asserts that Matarajin was first introduced to Japan by the Tendai priest Ennin; who encountered the god during his return voyage from China, after which Matarajin was enshrined as the protector of the Jougyouzanmaidou (常行三昧堂,"constantly-walking samadhi hall") at Enryakuji (延暦寺). Throughout the middle ages, Matarajin was regarded as an important god in the esoteric Genshi Kimyoudan (玄旨帰命壇) initiation ceremonies, where he and his two attendants; Nishita Douji (爾子多童子) and Teireita Douji (丁令多童子), were venerated in association with the seven stars of the Northern Dipper. Despite this, Matarajin's popularity declined during the Edo period, seemingly resulting from accusations of heresy leveraged towards the Genshi Kimyoudan rites themselves, leading to his worship being prohibited on Mount Hiei. Nowadays Matarajin remains an obscure god; venerated at sites such as Kouryuuji (広隆寺) in Kyoto, where he serves as the central figure of the annual (though currently suspended) "Ox Festival" (牛祭,Ushimatsuri).[5]
Matarajin's exact origins remain a subject of contention, though, it's been suggested by the art historian Kageyama Haruki (景山春樹) that he may have emerged as a fusion of the Chinese god Taishan Fujun (泰山府君) and the Indian deva Mahakala, an idea supported by the Keiran Shuuyoushuu, which states that Matarajin is Mahakala (摩訶迦羅天,Makakaraten), or alternatively; one of his dakini (flesh-eating demonesses, believed to have been tamed by Mahakala in Japanese Buddhism).[5][6] The name "Matarajin" itself is likely derived from the Sanskrit mātṛ́ (मातृ "mother"), or its plural form mātarāh; which refers chiefly to the Saptamatrika ("Seven Mothers"). Much like the demonic dakini, the matrika were understood as belonging to the retinue of Mahakala; as recorded in the Liqushi (理趣釈), and as such "Matarajin" may be understood as meaning "The God of Mother Goddesses", or "The God [associated with the group of] Mother Goddesses"; referring collectively to the Seven Mothers and/or the god(s) that preside over them, such as Mahakala, Yama, and Vinayaka.[5][7] Despite his possible foreign roots, Matarajin appears to have lost his Tantric nature at an early stage and came to be envisioned as an old man; dressed in Chinese headgear and Japanese hunting attire, and often depicted striking a drum.[5]
Beyond his role in Genshi Kimyoudan, Matarajin acquired various other associations and identifications at different points in time:
The oldest known mention of Matarajin, provided by Shukaku Houshinnou (守覚法親王), attributes the name to a now lost depiction of the protector god of Touji: a three-headed "yaksha god" (夜叉神,yashajin) that possessed the faces of the Three Devas; Shouten, Benzaiten, and Dakiniten, and served as a messenger of the god Inari. Notably, the central face depicted Shouten; a figure fundamentally derived from Vinayaka (i.e. Ganesha), who is often depicted alongside the matrika in Hinduism.[5][7]
According to the Sanmon Kiroku Kikigaki (山門記録聞書), Matarajin was identified with a god by the name of Ena Tenjin (穢那天神) on Mount Hiei. The name Ena suggests an association with the placenta (胞衣,ena) and, by extension, the concept of the placenta god (胞衣荒神,ena koujin); a deification of the placenta believed to protect the fetus during gestation and subsequently watch over an individual throughout their life, which could indicate that Matarajin himself was considered a god of the placenta.[5]
As a protector of the Jougyoudou, Matarajin was envisioned in Tendai Buddhism as the wrathful manifestation of Amitabha and, by extension, a "god of obstacles" (障礙神,shougejin) that obstructs rebirth in the Pure Land unless propitiated. The designation of shougejin is one he notably shares with Shouten and Sanbou Koujin (三宝荒神), the latter of whom he is explicitly identified with in Genshi Kimyoudan texts.[5]
Owing to his status as a god that presides over spiritual obstacles, Matarajin was invoked in the chaotic tengu odoshi (天狗怖し,"tengu-frightening") ritual that was held at the ushirodo (後戸,"backdoor") of the Jougyoudou, which aimed to ward off tengu through ritual mimicry. However, it is unclear whether Matarajin was responsible for eliminating the tengu in question, or if he himself was envisioned as a kind of tengu that had to be placated.[5]
Perahps due to his role in the Shushoue (修正会) ritual that was held at the ushirodo in the New Year; in which sarugaku performances were held and outcasts filled a variety of roles, Matarajin was considered a patron of performing arts, namely Noh theater. At Tounomineji (多武峯寺) in particular, Matarajin is identified with an okina mask held at the temple; inscribed with the name "Matarajin Jougyoudou" (摩多羅神常行堂), and was further equated with the god Shukujin (宿神).[8]
Matarajin was perceived as a god associated with rulership, and was notably enshrined as one of the protectors of Nikkou Toushouguu, alongside Sannou Gongen (山王権現) and Toushou Daigongen (東照大権現), by the Tendai priest Tenkai (天海), as part of his effort to revitalize Tendai Buddhism. According to the priest Jouin (乗因), this followed the example set by the Fujiwara clan at Tounomineji; who enshrined Matarajin alongside their ancestor Fujiwara no Kamatari (藤原鎌足).[5][6]
Jouin himself also identified Matarajin as a "dream king" (夢王,muou); a god responsible for prophetic visions, as part of Sannou Ichijitsu Shintou (山王一実神道), which was a form of Shinto heavily influenced by Tendai Buddhism.[6]
Matarajin could be considered a god related to fox spirits, as stones, rocks and tumuli, in which foxes or tengu were believed to have manifested, were often called matara. Additionally, in the Edo period Inari Jinjakou (稲荷神社考,"Reflections on Inari Shrine"), it is stated that Matarajin is one of the names by which people worship fox spirits, whose true form is that of a three-faced and six-armed god.[5]
During the Ox-festival of Kouryuuji, Matarajin is treated as a "god of epidemics" (行疫神,gyouyakujin) responsible for warding off disease. Although this represents a more modern conception of Matarajin, it may echo the notion of the matrika as demons of pestilence, which is reflected by their role in the plague-averting "Madarijin Ritual" (摩怛利神法,Madarijinhou).[5] Elsewhere, Matarajin was also identified with the god Susanoo (who was considered a god of epidemics, equivalent to Gozu Tennou, during the middle ages), such as at Gakuenji (鰐淵寺), which records a local legend in which Susanoo was buried at the temple and deified as the "hidden buddha" (秘仏,hibutsu) Matarajin.[9]
Shukujin and Hata no Kawakatsu
Of particular relevance to the character of Okina in Touhou is the interpretation of Matarajin put forward by the literary scholar Hattori Yukio (服部幸雄), who saw him as a hidden god; dwelling in the ushirodo of Tendai temples, that was responsible for controlling human destinies and served as the basis for the figure of the okina (翁,"old man") that appears in Noh and sarugaku. As evidence of this interpretation, Hattori pointed to the Meishukushuu (明宿集), written by the Noh playwright Konparu Zenchiku, which served to explain the origin, nature and manifestations of Okina; a being Zenchiku envisioned as a primordial god that appeared in various guises to aid the Japanese people, with particular emphasis given to his identification with Shukujin (宿神,"Astral God" or "God of Destiny"). Although the text itself never mentions Matarajin, Hattori interpreted it as implicitly acknowledging him through Zenchiku's conception of the god Shukujin, who he further connected to the shukujin (宿神) worshipped by performers and outcasts; inhabitants of the shuku (宿,a term denoting settlements that formed along crossroads), that frequented the ushirodo. According to Hattori, Matarajin, through his ties to the ushirodo, could be further linked to the origins of sarugaku as described in Zeami Motokiyo'sFuushikaden (風姿花伝); which resembles in its description the Shushoue and tengu odoshi rituals performed at the ushirodo, leading him to conclude that the original function of sarugaku was to placate the god Matarajin at the backstage of temples.[6][8]
Hattori Yukio additionally stressed the equivalence of Matarajin and the figure Hata no Kawakatsu (秦河勝), who, like Shukujin, is identified in the Meishukushuu as an important manifestation of Okina. Kawakatsu was himself a member of the influential Hata clan (秦氏); an immigrant group of likely Korean origin that are notably credited with the introduction of sericulture to Japan, and is recorded in the Nihon Shoki as a servant of Prince Shoutoku and founder of the temple Hachiokadera (蜂岡寺,aka Kouryuuji) during the reign of Empress Suiko.[8][9] It is also noted, that during the reign of Empress Kougyoku, Hata no Kawakatsu put an end to the popular, but unorthodox, cult of the god Tokoyo no Kami (常世神,"God of the Everlasting World"), who, according to Okina, might be the character Eternity Larva.[10] Given that Okina considers Tokoyo no Kami to be "one of her enemies", this would seem to suggest that Okina and Kawakatsu are one and the same in Touhou.
Outside of the Nihon Shoki, Hata no Kawakatsu also appears in legendary narratives, such as those recorded in the Fuushikaden, as the reincarnation of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who was traditionally considered to be the ancestor of the Hata clan. The Fuushikaden additionally credits Kawakatsu with the performance of sixty-six dramatic pieces using a collection of masks created by Prince Shoutoku; thus giving rise to the art of sarugaku, and states that, at the end of his life, Kawakatsu drifted out to sea in a hollow ship (うつぼ船,utsubobune) and washed ashore at the bay of Sakoshi in Harima, where the locals found that he had transformed into the god Taikou Daimyoujin (大荒大明神). This god's true form is identified as the Deva King Bishamonten, who aided Prince Shoutoku in killing Mononobe no Moriya.[8][11] Notably, Hata no Kawakatsu is still venerated to this day as the main god of the Oosake Shrine (大避神社) in Sakoshi,[12] the name of which suggests a connection to the Oosake Shrine (大酒神社) that formerly belonged to the precincts of Kouryuuji in Kyoto.[13]
It should be noted however, that Hattori Yukio's ideas surrounding Matarajin have received significant criticism in more recent scholarship, and are by no means universally accepted. Matarajin's designation as a "god of the backdoor" has been brought into question by Yamamoto Hiroko (山本ひろ子), who has argued that Matarajin was not worshipped at the ushirodo, but rather a space located in the northeast corner (corresponding to the kimon (鬼門)) of the building,[8] furthermore, medieval architectural diagrams indicate that his image was traditionally placed beside the main altar; to the left of Amitabha.[6] Due to the highly unorthodox nature of the text, it is also questionable how reflective the Meishukushuu is of the broader beliefs of Noh performers other than Konparu Zenchiku himself, which in-turn brings into question Hattori's identification of Zenchiku's Shukujin with the shukujin worshipped among outcasts, and, by extension, the god Matarajin.[8]
In Aya's Stage 6 in Hidden Star in Four Seasons, she makes a reference to the "people of hindrances" (障碍の民,shougai no min) who are understood to have split into two groups: one settling in the mountains to become tengu, while the other hid behind buddhas, where it is implied they gave rise to Okina.[14] This concept may be inspired by the role that performers and outcasts (who could be referred to as kawaramono (河原者)[8]) played in the New Year Shushoue festivities held at the ushirodo, in which they may have been envisioned, at least symbolically, as equivalent to demons that needed to be placated through ritual in order to maintain social order. The roles played by outcasts would have in-turn mirrored that of tengu in tengu odoshi, who were themselves viewed as demons that obstructed (障碍,shougai) Buddhist practice. Aya even refers to Okina as an "outcast" (河原者,kawaramono) in her Extra Stage dialogue.[15]
In a recent book published by Yamamoto Hiroko, it has even been argued that the Matarajin of Tendai; invoked in tengu odoshi, and the Matarajin worshipped as a patron of performing arts were actually two distinct gods altogether.[8]
Name
Her full name is Okina Matara (摩多羅 隠岐奈).
Her family name, Matara (摩多羅), is likely derived from Matarajin (摩多羅神). As explained above, Matara (摩多羅) is believed to serve as a transliteration of the Sanskrit mātṛ́ (मातृ "mother"), or its plural form mātarāh; referring to the Saptamatrika, and thus denotes Matarajin's identity as a god associated with the Seven Mothers.
Her given name, Okina (隠岐奈), is written with characters meaning "hidden" (隠) and "crossroads" (岐), with the last character na (奈) often being used as an ateji; as is the case with naraku (奈落,referring to Naraka). The name likely serves as a play on the okina (翁,"old man") mask of Noh theater, which, for reasons explained above, could be considered as a representation of Matarajin. The character 岐 (ki) could also be interpreted as a reference to the Kunado no Kami (岐の神,lit. "god of crossroads"); gods who serve as protectors of streets and crossroads, which have been phonetically linked to the concept of the shukujin (宿神,"god of the shuku") through their designation as "stone gods" (石神,shakujin). As explained above, Matarajin was interpreted by the scholar Hattori Yukio as identical to the god Shukujin, as envisioned by the Noh playwright Konparu Zenchiku in the Meishukushuu.
Design
She has long, blonde hair and yellow eyes. She wears a yellow-orange kariginu adorned with a constellation pattern of stars representing the Big Dipper, a symbol of Matarajin and other associated figures. She wears a green skirt and black boots, and on her head is a three-point hat. Her particular color-scheme may be based on the somewhat famous painting of Matarajin housed at Rinnouji (輪王寺); painted by the Tendai priest Tenkai, which depicts the god in orange and green garb with the Big Dipper overhead.
Her stage 6 portraits depict her sitting on a "throne" and bearing a mirror-like tsuzumi drum. The throne has a backdoor installed in it, out of which flames in four colors emerge, each representing one of the four seasons: spring on the far left, summer on the left, winter on the right, and fall on the far right.
Her extra stage portrait no longer has the throne and tsuzumi drum, but the flames are still present, representing the seasons in the same order, only the flames of the far sides are now on the bottom corners. Instead, she has a wireframe-like door in front of her that she is looking through and from the front those flames emerge downwards then curve upwards. Her eyes turn brighter, her hair becomes smoother, and she has bigger sleeves.
In Sunken Fossil World Okina has a red cloverleaf knot on her kariginu. She still has no tsuzumi drum, and her throne has no visible doors or flames that emerge from its back.
Wheelchair
Okina frequently uses a manual wheelchair, as shown in Lotus Eaters[3] and Visionary Fairies in Shrine[16]. Her wheelchair has a dark wooden frame with decorative wheel covers sporting the same design as the head of her tsuzumi drum. It also features several similarities to her throne, such as the curved armrests and rounded back. However, she can be seen standing and walking without the assistance of her wheelchair in Hidden Star in Four Seasons[17] and Wild and Horned Hermit[18], respectively. Ultimately, Okina doesn't have a physical disability because she is the personification of disability itself [19].
More generally, Okina's association with physical disability may be derived from Matarajin's (and by extension her own) designation as a "god of obstacles" (障礙神,shougejin), given that shougai (障礙) can refer not only to spiritual hindrances but also medical disabilities.
Okina is the Stage 6 and Extra Stage Boss, along with being the Mastermind behind the Four Seasons Incident
She orders her servants, Satono and Mai, to plant doors on the backs of others and empower them in order to determine their worthiness as her servants. However, Reimu and Aya are not deemed worthy, and Cirno is initially dismissed as just a random fairy. Ultimately, both Cirno and Marisa are found to be worthy candidates, but they both refuse to serve Okina. In response, Okina decides to defeat the protagonist by taking the power they've gathered and expelling them to the beginning using the "door of seasons" planted on their backs.
However, the protagonist returns and is able to defeat Okina in a battle with that power in order to make the fight fair. The protagonist assumes that they could gather the lifeless boundary between the seasons in order to prevent Okina from expelling them again, Aya however realised that Okina still had a countermeasure of her own, by having her opponents their access from their power cut and drawing from another source of energy, but out of respect for her opponents, Okina chose not to do that.
It is revealed that Okina's true goal was simply to stand out and make a show of her power, to engrave herself in the hearts and minds of everyone in Gensokyo once again. Despite being defeated in battle, Okina's plan ultimately succeeds in achieving this goal. [20]
Okina confronts Sumireko Usami in the Dream World. She is fascinated by her struggle and decides to help her through her ordeal by lending some power. When the Sumireko she helped finally meets with her other self, the real Sumireko, Okina takes back the power she lent her to make the fight fair.
During the events of Sunken Fossil World, Okina leaks Yuuma Toutetsu's plans to the residents of Gensokyo, and in an effort to stop her plan, she hires Flandre Scarlet to attack Yuuma. In reality, she is the mastermind behind the black water incident and had polluted the surface with the oil to make people aware of Yuuma. Once people were aware of her, Yuuma became the scapegoat for the pollution, and Okina was able to further the relationship between the Gouyoku Alliance and Gensokyo after Yuuma was defeated.
Okina makes her manga debut in chapter 42, directly following the events of Hidden Star in Four Seasons. After revealing that she created Aunn, she joins Reimu and Marisa in one of the Hakurei Shrine's regular flower-viewing parties. There, she boasts about her power over life energy, bragging that she could create youkai with a snap of her fingers, make the flowers bloom and seasons change at her will and even recreate Gensokyo if she so pleased.
In chapter 14, Cirno and the other fairies make their way into the Land of the Back Door, having decided that Okina was responsible for turning some other fairies into pure crystallized life force. Okina, nonchalantly sitting in a wheelchair, neither confirms nor denies the accusation. Rather, she is amused by Cirno and her friends and the prospect of battling them. In the final chapter, she shows her overwhelming superiority to the gang of fairies, and menacingly orders Clownpiece to "let the big shots in Hell know that Gensokyo is home to a secret terrifying god."
In chapter 24, several Zashiki-Warashi in the Human village went to Okina Matara so they could perform 'remote work' from the Land of the Backdoor. According to one of them, Zashiki-Warashi need to periodically change their place of residence in order to 'cultivate their power', and that they can monitor their households just as well from the Land of the Backdoor, as it can 'connect' to anywhere as long as there is a door that nobody is watching.
Loyal servants of Okina. Vessels of her power, they act as extensions of her and unflinchingly obey her orders. They seemingly lack the free will to question otherwise. They are becoming less human due to Okina's influence and have little memory of their past, yet maintain their personalities. Whether because they're no longer useful or she pities them, Okina periodically seeks to replace them.[1] However, after failing to find any candidate, she says she is fine with retaining them. Satono and Mai do not know they are even searching for their own successors.
Okina started the incident with the stone cherries as a way to let the big shots of Hell such as Hecatia know that Gensokyo was home to a powerful god.[21] Okina later invited Hecatia to participate in the Hakurei Fireworks Festival, even offering her to go on a rampage across the Earth as she pleases.[22]
It's implied in Reimu's extra stage in Hidden Star in Four Seasons that the two are familiar with each other, and that Yukari helped Reimu defeating Okina by suggesting her to use the "boundary between seasons" to fight her. Okina recognized Yukari's modus operandi, while Reimu said she didn't understand the logic behind the countermeasure method she was using. During the fireworks festival that Usami wrote about in The Grimoire of Usami, the two banter about things as equals.
In chapter 42 of Wild and Horned Hermit, Kasen reveals to Aya Shameimaru that Okina is one of her old acquaintances, and commented how it was a misfortune that she had known her.
Okina helped Shinmyoumaru with her plans to hijack the Hakurei Fireworks Festival by inviting a bunch of contestants without her knowing beforehand.[23]
During Lotus Eaters, several Zashiki-warashi in the Human village went to Okina Matara so they could perform 'remote work' from the Land of the Backdoor. According to one of them, Zashiki-warashi periodically need to change their place of residence in order to 'cultivate their power', and that they can monitor their households just as well from the Land of the Backdoor, as it can 'connect' to anywhere as long as there is a door that nobody is watching.
Okina, however, is both the sole Windows-era boss and final boss to fully share these roles.
She is also the first character since Yuuka Kazami from Lotus Land Story to fully be the boss of two consecutive stages. Plus they both have the season theme in common.
Okina's Extra Stage Boss sprite doesn't feature the doors and flames that appear in her dialogue and Spell Card cut-in.
Okina in the Extra Stage shares a spell background texture with Toyosatomimi no Miko.
The wheel of Dhamma is shown in one of her spell card backgrounds.
Spell Card 116 is called Secret Ceremony "Sword of the Seven Stars" and Toyosatomimi no Miko also carries the "Seven Star Sword".
ZUN originally planned for Okina to be in a wheelchair, because he wanted to address the issue of disabilities and how people with disabilities are the strongest. However, he decided that the topic was difficult to deal with in the game's theme, and that not treating it with the seriousness it deserves could become offensive.[24]
Okina Matara and Ariya Iwanaga are the only final bosses to use 5 non-spells instead of 4.
↑ Jump up to: 1.01.1The Grimoire of Usami - Mai and Satono's Sections. "Your job is to spread madness, but this isn't even fit to lick the boots of true madness. What to do, what to do." - "You two need to study up on real madness. Or maybe I should just dismiss you."
↑Strange Creators of Outer World - Hidden Star in Four Seasons interview with ZUN: Interviewer: "And as for the boss, it was like 'guess it really is old man Matara...'"; ZUN: "Pretty much. This time I wanted to play the inspiration straight. And that's what shows up in the work. Personally, I felt like Matarajin was entering fantasy, so I didn't need to throw in a twist."
↑Hidden Star in Four Seasons - Aya's Scenario. "Our ancestors, the people of hindrances, split into two groups. One settled in the mountains and became tengu. The other hid behind buddhas, living in human settlements. That is to say, a secret god of hindrances..."
↑Hidden Star in Four Seasons - Aya's Extra. "I'd like to know more about the history of outcasts from society such as yourself and what you're going to do in the future."
↑Who's Who of Humans & Youkai in Gensokyo - Okina Matara. ZUN: "By the way, Okina is shown to be standing up in the Extra Stage, so it isn't that she's actually disabled. She isn't saying that she has a disability, but that she is disability, and that such a disability is a necessary thing for this world."
↑Hidden Star in Four Seasons - Reimu's Extra. "...I see. She's hinting to me that she knows what I'm up to...? Pretending that I was searching for successor servants and making a big show of things seems to have paid off, in the end."
