Kami Series: Mosu Kami to Saku

To those who have come seeking to delve deeper into the world of spirits: Please welcome the newest addition to the Kami Series: Mosu Kami to Sakura.

The first thing you will notice in this painting are the Mosu Kami (moss spirits) milling about the misty woodland setting. Mosu Kami are social creatures with generally kind natures. Physically, they appear somewhat mysterious: their figures are shrouded in a soft blanket of moss-like hair that blends seamlessly into the ground beneath them. When frightened they can practically collapse until all that is visible is a soft blanked on the ground- though when this happens they will often poke their gently glowing eyes out to see if the danger has passed. Often times Mosu Kami will congregate in large numbers from all over. This results in a celebration that can be felt outside of spiritual nodes for reasons I will explain in a moment.

While there are well over 10,000 species of moss found on earth, nearly all their representative spirits have similar physical traits (this is much the same for all species sharing common history- though exceptions always inherently exist). Their personalities and properties have far more variation, however. Take, for example the Mosu Kami represented here. As I said above they are typically kind, social creatures. What differentiates them from, say, most Cave Mosses is that these spirits have the capacity to heal creatures of both the physical and spiritual plane. The simple intentional touch of their manes will often re-invigorate and energize fellow spirits- and can help heal wounds/sickness of physical flora/fauna. The strength of their abilities varies from spirit to spirit and there are definitely limitations (they can’t resuscitate the fully deceased, nor can they repair damage as severe as decapitation) however if all that needs healing is a minor sickness or bruise they can help.

When not in a spiritual node one can still benefit from the healing effects of Mosu Kami. While resting in a mossy bed people have been known to suddenly feel strangely energetic, light and happy. Their allergies diminish and their headaches clear up almost supernaturally. When that happens there is a very high likelihood that a Mosu Kami has decided to rest on their knee and join them in their contemplation.

One final note: if you look closely enough you can see a couple other Kami in the misty background. One such creature is a Sakura No Ki Kami (a Cherry Blossom Tree Spirit) resting up against the tree that bore it, acting as a guardian spirit.