Miscellaneous Questions Thread 4 - Bring us your Questions!

[ToyoRai]

I think there is some misunderstanding here. Lunarians age like humans do, there is no real difference between a Lunarian and a human, as they are one and the same. The difference here is one lives on the moon and the other lives on earth. The separating factor is that the moon has no impurity. It means anyone living on the moon will not die of natural causes.

Just a quick question, how old are Watatsuki sisters? Because if lunarians age like any other humans, it should mean they age physically. So if the two of them are like over 100 years old, they must be old hags. Or is there some sort of explanation why they don't physically age like humans?

@Kaguya possibly keeping Tewi and Reisen alive if need comes. By feeding her liver to them (it was Hourai immortal's liver what grants the eater the effect, right)?

[Sagus]

My reasoning is that Toyohime thinks they are done. By that, I mean they routed all of Yukari's plans, so there is no point to take her into custody. This is mainly because from reading those chapters, I don't see any indication of gods discussion that would have caused Yorihime to let Yukari go.

Toyohime was considering taking Yukari as a trophy. It wasn't to punish her or anything, it was to brag. Then she suddenly gives up. I don't see why she would do that just because the others were done, or why Yukari would even bring up the talk about the sealed gods at all if it wouldn't benefit her somehow. I dunno, I don't see much point in the whole conversation otherwise.

Just a quick question, how old are Watatsuki sisters? Because if lunarians age like any other humans, it should mean they age physically. So if the two of them are like over 100 years old, they must be old hags. Or is there some sort of explanation why they don't physically age like humans?

We don't know their precise age, but they don't get old because they are on the Moon. People on the moon don't age, because of its purity. Maybe if they went back to Earth and let its impurity enter them, they'd go back to aging like normal.

At any rate, they are probably really old. Toyohime in CiLR chap. 3 talks as if she personally saw life emerge out of the oceans, which would put her at more than 300 million years old (although I think it's more likely she's remembering someone talking to her about this). I'd say that, at the very least, all lunarians are as old as the foundation of the Lunar Capital, because I don't think anyone on the moon gives birth (otherwise, there'd be a bunch of eternal babies, considering that the land's purity would stop the aging process)

[Fonzi]

Yeah, but the point of contention is still the same. Even if Yorihime knows that fact, their actions are what is more relevant. Remilia's action is what would cause Yorihime to view it as something serious. It doesn't really matter if Remilia is boasting or not, as Yorihime doesn't know these people or their intentions.

It's obvious we'll only keep disagreeing about it, and I see no point in continuing this argument. I said what I wanted to say already.

She is responsible for protecting the moon. I'm not sure what this has anything to do with the discussion, could you clarify?

Just questioning this statement:

You cannot call the second invasion a "crushing defeat", as Yorihime was having trouble with the last 2 invaders.

Nothing more.

No, this is the reference. http://en.touhouwiki.net/wiki/Cage_in_Lunatic_Runagate/Last_Chapter. This implies she is harboring a grudge. That said, what Drake says is also correct, she could be pretending, as it was set during the events of the gamble she made when she mentioned this to Remilia.

I read those lines several times and how you believe they imply Yukari harboring a grudge is beyond me. Remilia thinks that Yukari is harboring a grudge, when in the next instant she denies it. Remilia just didn't understand Yukari's true intention, just as the youkai army didn't understand her true intention over a 1000 years ago. Remilia was a part of a decoy and of all the parties involved in SSiB, they were the least informed about history as well as their present situation. The true intention is revealed at the very end of CiLR and foreshadowed in chapter 5.

Spoiler:

It's all Reisen's fault.

What about the spy crow? It was heading straight towards the capital, so they sent it to the fake moon instead. I'm not sure what this has anything to do with this conversation.

It has a LOT to do with the conversation. Toyohime killed the crow without hesitation, while she spared Yukari when she had her apprehended. Yukari has trespassed to the Moon more than once and caused more trouble than one crow and if left alive, could repeat her trespasses many times in the future. The only reasoning I see behind this is the Lunarian arrogance and their belief that life on Earth < death. So they gave her the "worse" punishment.

I think there is some misunderstanding here. Lunarians age like humans do, there is no real difference between a Lunarian and a human, as they are one and the same. The difference here is one lives on the moon and the other lives on earth. The separating factor is that the moon has no impurity. It means anyone living on the moon will not die of natural causes.

I partially agree, but there has to be more to it than that. If any human mortal who got to the Moon became a Lunarian just like that, they'd have no reason to fear that his impurity could eventually taint the Moon. The process of becoming a Lunarian has to be more complex than simple travel from Earth to the Moon. A ritual of forsaking one's lifespan perhaps.
And then we have an equally pure environment - the Netherworld. Youmu is considered pure, while she is still half-alive, and strongly implied that even she will eventually die.

I don't think anyone on the moon gives birth (otherwise, there'd be a bunch of eternal babies, considering that the land's purity would stop the aging process)

That begs the question: What's the point of Lunarian marriage? As we know, both Watatsukis have husbands. Besides, Kaguya's IN profile explicitly contradicts this. "Kaguya was born in the royal house of the moon and was treated with utmost care as a princess."

[Sagus]

That begs the question: What's the point of Lunarian marriage? As we know, both Watatsukis have husbands. Besides, Kaguya's IN profile explicitly contradicts this. "Kaguya was born in the royal house of the moon and was treated with utmost care as a princess."

Marriage could be simple politics; union of families and stuff like that.

But yeah, that line on Kaguya's profile shows that they do reproduce. Hm. Maybe they artificially age people. Or aging simply stops once the body is fully developed.

[Tengukami]

(Please pardon this brief interjection, but misuse of "begs the question" is a pet peeve of mine.

Nothing else to see here, thank you.)

[Clarste]

Marriage could be simple politics; union of families and stuff like that.

But yeah, that line on Kaguya's profile shows that they do reproduce. Hm. Maybe they artificially age people. Or aging simply stops once the body is fully developed.

Growth and aging are very different things. Both biologically speaking and in terms of fantasy and whatnot. Elves in Lord of the Rings, etc, often have lengthened adolescence, but nowhere near as lengthened as their lifespans. Lunarians are basically space elves, or at least that's the effect of the Lunar purity.

[Starxsword]

@Danmaku being lethal: You mentioned this being very debatable. I assume from this, it means Danmaku has to be non-lethal, why is that so?

Just a quick question, how old are Watatsuki sisters? Because if lunarians age like any other humans, it should mean they age physically. So if the two of them are like over 100 years old, they must be old hags. Or is there some sort of explanation why they don't physically age like humans?

The moon has no impurity, you will not age when you are on the moon. If a human goes to the moon and a Lunarian cleanses the human with some sort of ritual to get rid of the impurities, that human should also live pretty much forever, assuming the said human stays on the moon.

@Kaguya possibly keeping Tewi and Reisen alive if need comes. By feeding her liver to them (it was Hourai immortal's liver what grants the eater the effect, right)?

Kaguya can manipulate both the Eternity and the Instantaneous. One of the reasons why she cannot be killed by the Lunarians when they tried to execute her. The latter is mentioned in her profile.

I read those lines several times and how you believe they imply Yukari harboring a grudge is beyond me. Remilia thinks that Yukari is harboring a grudge, when in the next instant she denies it.

It is the way she denies it. She pushes the denial to Remilia, questioning Remilia's grudge. If she were just to respond "Nah, I wasn't holding a grudge", then that would imply no harboring of grudges. When Remilia then calls Yukari on it, Yukari pretends to forget. To me, that seems to imply she was indeed harboring some sort of grudge.

The true intention is revealed at the very end of CiLR and foreshadowed in chapter 5.

The very end did indeed reveal Yukari's intention, but that doesn't change the idea that she is holding a grudge.

It has a LOT to do with the conversation. Toyohime killed the crow without hesitation, while she spared Yukari when she had her apprehended. Yukari has trespassed to the Moon more than once and caused more trouble than one crow and if left alive, could repeat her trespasses many times in the future. The only reasoning I see behind this is the Lunarian arrogance and their belief that life on Earth < death. So they gave her the "worse" punishment.

Not so, They tried executing Kaguya before sending her to Earth. They killed the crow, because it was heading directly to the capital and they know it was a spy.

[Fonzi]

It is the way she denies it. She pushes the denial to Remilia, questioning Remilia's grudge. If she were just to respond "Nah, I wasn't holding a grudge", then that would imply no harboring of grudges. When Remilia then calls Yukari on it, Yukari pretends to forget. To me, that seems to imply she was indeed harboring some sort of grudge.

I'm not convinced. It wouldn't make any sense for her to hold grudges, if everything happened the way she planned it. Yukari is an Oscar-worthy actress, and pretending to hate the Lunarians or being angry about her defeat is all part of her scheme to make sure other hostile youkai wouldn't go to wars, while at the same time it serves as a cover from suspicion of treachery from those youkai she once led.

The very end did indeed reveal Yukari's intention, but that doesn't change the idea that she is holding a grudge.

Nope. Why would she? Tell me one good reason.

Not so, They tried executing Kaguya before sending her to Earth. They killed the crow, because it was heading directly to the capital and they know it was a spy.

Why are you bringing Kaguya into all this? She has nothing to do with the Genso-Lunar wars. They tried to kill her for something else. I only know that Yukari committed a more severe offense against the Moon and she still got away with it, even when Toyohime could make an example out of her. And I only wonder why she didn't, as well as why Yukari was so certain that she could throw herself into their trap without the slightest doubt that the Lunarians wouldn't hurt her or even lock her up.

[ToyoRai]

@Starx So just to make clear: Lunarians age like normal humans if it wasn't for the fact that Moon prevents them from aging or pretty much die due of natural causes. Is that what you're trying to say?

[Sagus]

It's not really the moon; it's purity that does that. Shinto considers death to be something impure; since the beggining of life creatures kill and devour each other to live, and so the seas and the earth became impure, making living beings grow old and die. The moon is free from this struggle; therefore, it is a pure place, untainted by death. Because of that, it allows you to live forever. Lunarians can't get sick or anything like that either because diseases are caused by impurity. As long as that place remains pure, Lunarians can't die of natural causes.

[CyberAngel]

I only know that Yukari committed a more severe offense against the Moon and she still got away with it, even when Toyohime could make an example out of her.

As you said yourself earlier, living on Earth is a worse punishment than death from Lunarian's POV.

[Fonzi]

This plus what Starx said about Lunarians not perceiving Yukari as a threat would seem as most plausible. Lunarians belive that no matter what Yukari throws at them, they can easily undo, so letting her live was a form of their insult saying: "You're not even worth killing. you can't touch us, no matter what you do. So live in the shame of this truth." But that was all before they found out someone stole their sake jar from inside their palace. I wonder if this shocking discovery didn't make them regret their decision of letting her live and begin to consider her as an actual threat to the Moon, rather than just a nuisance.
At the end of CiLR, Eirin realized this. After tasting the pure sake, she started feeling something previously alien to her - fear. The first war was pretty much just Lunarians curbstomping Gensokyans, but only the second one made them realize that the myth about their perfect security burst like a bubble.

[Starxsword]

Nope. Why would she? Tell me one good reason.

There is no reason other than her being outsmarted back then. We just have different interpretations on this.

Why are you bringing Kaguya into all this? She has nothing to do with the Genso-Lunar wars. They tried to kill her for something else.

I brought Kaguya into this because we are talking about punishment. They tried to execute her before sending her to the earth. If sending her to earth was really the worst punishment, they would have done that first.

I only know that Yukari committed a more severe offense against the Moon and she still got away with it, even when Toyohime could make an example out of her.

I don't agree with you that Yukari committed a more severe offense. She never invaded the moon. What she is committing is burglary compared to actual invasion.

But that was all before they found out someone stole their sake jar from inside their palace. I wonder if this shocking discovery didn't make them regret their decision of letting her live and begin to consider her as an actual threat to the Moon, rather than just a nuisance.

They were outsmarted, that much is true.

At the end of CiLR, Eirin realized this. After tasting the pure sake, she started feeling something previously alien to her - fear. The first war was pretty much just Lunarians curbstomping Gensokyans, but only the second one made them realize that the myth about their perfect security burst like a bubble.

To clarify, it is really just Eirin doing the curbstomping in the first war. Eirin is the Lunarian defense force, so it is just her and the rabbits in the first war. Kind of like how it is in the second war, except in the second war, it is Eirin's sucessors, Yorihime and Toyohime plus the rabbits.

[Fonzi]

If sending her to earth was really the worst punishment, they would have done that first.

This could also mean that drinking the Hourai Elixir is not as severe an offense as invading the Moon, thus demanding a "lesser" punishment. But it's kind of silly how Lunarians thought and acted in Kaguya's case. "You drank the elixir of immortality! For that we shall execute you. Oh, crap, we can't. Oh well... to Earth with you then!"
A question that would be more fitting for the "what if" thread just occurred to me. "What if the whole Lunarian society adopted the law that Hourai Elixir is legal and free to drink for everyone? All problems with impurity threatening the Moon would be eliminated. Moon would be tainted, but who cares if everyone living there would be perfectly immortal?

I don't agree with you that Yukari committed a more severe offense. She never invaded the moon. What she is committing is burglary compared to actual invasion.

Are you kidding me? You can't seriously mean what you just typed. She invaded the Moon with a youkai army a thousand years ago and then came back again. The Watatsukis knew it was her back then. And if she wasn't caught and punished for her invasion back then, in SSiB they had the perfect chance to do it. They didn't even know about the burglary until they returned home and Yukari was long since off their hook. IF her offense is less severe, as you say, then why did she get the "worst possible punishment" for it?

To clarify, it is really just Eirin doing the curbstomping in the first war. Eirin is the Lunarian defense force, so it is just her and the rabbits in the first war.

This is not true.
Yuyuko had simply one reason for her theft.
It was to obtain revenge on the crushing defeat the Watatsukis levied on them so long ago without involving the rest of the Lunarians. CiLR, Last chapter

Both Watatsukis knew about Yukari and Yukari knew about them. It would make no sense if they were in no way involved in the First Genso-Lunar war. The "grudge" she had was specifically targeted at those two, not just at the Lunarian Sage.

[Sagus]

This could also mean that drinking the Hourai Elixir is not as severe an offense as invading the Moon, thus demanding a "lesser" punishment. But it's kind of silly how Lunarians thought and acted in Kaguya's case. "You drank the elixir of immortality! For that we shall execute you. Oh, crap, we can't. Oh well... to Earth with you then!"
A question that would be more fitting for the "what if" thread just occurred to me. "What if the whole Lunarian society adopted the law that Hourai Elixir is legal and free to drink for everyone? All problems with impurity threatening the Moon would be eliminated. Moon would be tainted, but who cares if everyone living there would be perfectly immortal?

Well, considering that the only people that can make the Elixir are exiled, it's a moot point...

To clarify, it is really just Eirin doing the curbstomping in the first war. Eirin is the Lunarian defense force, so it is just her and the rabbits in the first war. Kind of like how it is in the second war, except in the second war, it is Eirin's sucessors, Yorihime and Toyohime plus the rabbits.

Nope. If that was the case, why didn't Yukari recognize Eirin and vice-versa during IN? Yukari knows about the "genius of the moon", who made the Capital's protections so tight that she can only go there and back again during the full moon, but never shows any indication that she knows that the genius and Eirin are the same person. And as Fonzi pointed out, the Watatsukis are explicitly said to have been the ones that routed the youkai in the first war.

Besides, Eirin was most likely already exiled by then.

[Biakmon]

- Does anyone know any wonderful or heart touching english-translated Touhou fan stories like 1) "Touhou Osana Reimu" and 2) Touhou Reireimu?

-1)  http://www.youtube.com/playlist?feature=playlist-comment&list=PLD061C5E64DBD575E
-2)  http://www.youtube.com/user/jorwil?feature=watch

This a wonderful touhou story that I greatly recommend anyone out there to try watching and see for yourself whether you like it or not.

[Imosa]

Does Seija Kijin consider her own position when flipping things.
Her plan is to flip the social hierarchy; however, what if in the process of achieving this goal she attained a high social standing. Would she still flip the social hierarchy, thereby lowering her social standing?

[Sagus]

Does Seija Kijin consider her own position when flipping things.
Her plan is to flip the social hierarchy; however, what if in the process of achieving this goal she attained a high social standing. Would she still flip the social hierarchy, thereby lowering her social standing?

You know, I have the feeling we should have a separate thread for hypothetical questions such as this, that don't really have a clear-cut answer and are more open to discussion.

At any rate, no, I don't think she would, because with a high position she can more easily go against other people's beliefs and wishes to make them unhappy.

[Tengukami]

Well, the opposite of a hierarchy isn't another hierarchy but a classless society.

But like Sagus, I also think this sounds more like an unanswerable thought exercise than a question that can be answered.

[Starxsword]

This could also mean that drinking the Hourai Elixir is not as severe an offense as invading the Moon, thus demanding a "lesser" punishment. But it's kind of silly how Lunarians thought and acted in Kaguya's case. "You drank the elixir of immortality! For that we shall execute you. Oh, crap, we can't. Oh well... to Earth with you then!"

They also sealed Lord Daikoku (the god of the rabbits), because they think he may fight back.

Are you kidding me? You can't seriously mean what you just typed. She invaded the Moon with a youkai army a thousand years ago and then came back again. The Watatsukis knew it was her back then. And if she wasn't caught and punished for her invasion back then, in SSiB they had the perfect chance to do it. They didn't even know about the burglary until they returned home and Yukari was long since off their hook. IF her offense is less severe, as you say, then why did she get the "worst possible punishment" for it?

What did Yukari do? What are her crimes as far as the Watasuki sisters are concerned? She is already living on earth, so they just leave her there. What has she done in the second war that wasn't prevented?
That said, if the Watatsuki sisters or Eirin really view Yukari as a threat, they would beat her down, execute her or seal her, as they did with Lord Daikoku and Takeminakata or something. This is why stealing something like a drink is so good, because as Yukari said, they can't come and get it back.

Or do you mean to imply when they visit the rabbits, who committed no crime towards the moon, in Eientei, they should bring all the rabbits home? Because leaving them on earth is the "worst possible punishment".

The "grudge" she had was specifically targeted at those two, not just at the Lunarian Sage.

The sage, even though she is gone, is the one who stopped her, not those two.

Besides, Eirin was most likely already exiled by then.

Yeah, this is my mistake, I remember this incorrectly.

Does Seija Kijin consider her own position when flipping things.

There is no need to think that far. She's just there to be contrary.

[Prime32]

A question that would be more fitting for the "what if" thread just occurred to me. "What if the whole Lunarian society adopted the law that Hourai Elixir is legal and free to drink for everyone? All problems with impurity threatening the Moon would be eliminated. Moon would be tainted, but who cares if everyone living there would be perfectly immortal?

Impurity causes all bad things, not just death, meaning they'd give up perfect peace and harmony.

[Fonzi]

What did Yukari do? What are her crimes as far as the Watasuki sisters are concerned? She is already living on earth, so they just leave her there. What has she done in the second war that wasn't prevented?
That said, if the Watatsuki sisters or Eirin really view Yukari as a threat, they would beat her down, execute her or seal her, as they did with Lord Daikoku and Takeminakata or something. This is why stealing something like a drink is so good, because as Yukari said, they can't come and get it back.

Or do you mean to imply when they visit the rabbits, who committed no crime towards the moon, in Eientei, they should bring all the rabbits home? Because leaving them on earth is the "worst possible punishment".

Let's see: one youkai invasion, one trespass, and one theft, as they discovered at the end of SSiB. After reading their recounting of Mizue no Uranoshimako and how they kept him on the Moon and sent him back to Earth instead of killing him on spot and how they later declared that they would not repeat the same mistake again, it's a wonder why nobody from SSiB got killed. What has she done in the second war that wasn't prevented? Why the theft, of course! You probably meant to ask what she did in the first that wasn't prevented. She just got her army crushed, but considerting this is what she wanted, both wars can be called as her victories. It was the aftermath of the second war that should change the Lunarian opinion about Yukari from being a mere pest to something far more dangerous. If someone can steal something from your home without anyone noticing, they can do it again. Next time they can plant a trap or wait until you go to sleep and murder you. Yukari has no such intentions, but what she has done in the second war has certainly left a strong impression. Even the Watatsukis would look at her differently if they met her after SSiB. Stealing a drink may prevent its owners from retrieving it, but it dosn't prevent them from punishing the thieves, which they didn't do. As for the Watatsukis paying visits to the rabbits, know that only ONE rabbit in Eientei is actually from the Moon, and that is Reisen and Reisen has basically committed desertion, so she's not completely innocent.

Impurity causes all bad things, not just death, meaning they'd give up perfect peace and harmony.

To me it seems that the thing they fear the most is death. And impurity as its cause.

[Imosa]

So, Japan has a lot of active volcanoes. I heard that recently Japan experienced its 55th eruption this year and a large area is now being rained on by ash. It then struck me as odd that we havn't seen any references to volcanoes in shinto (I havn't looked very hard). If religion is informed by the natural world (perhaps a tenuous claim but I think it works here), shouldn't volcanoes have more of an impact on shinto and by extension Touhou. I mean a volcano is pretty hard to take lightly, in my opinion. Kanako is a mountain god, can we expect her to explode?

[Drake]

Youkai Mountain is an "active" volcano. It last erupted a thousand years ago, before the sealing of Gensokyo. Aya notes that its eruption wouldn't be a big deal to anyone but the humans, who would have to at least evacuate for safety. Suwako says that even if there were a danger of eruption she would use her powers to change the earth and adjust when it happens.

[Clarste]

So, Japan has a lot of active volcanoes. I heard that recently Japan experienced its 55th eruption this year and a large area is now being rained on by ash. It then struck me as odd that we havn't seen any references to volcanoes in shinto (I havn't looked very hard). If religion is informed by the natural world (perhaps a tenuous claim but I think it works here), shouldn't volcanoes have more of an impact on shinto and by extension Touhou. I mean a volcano is pretty hard to take lightly, in my opinion. Kanako is a mountain god, can we expect her to explode?

Youkai Mountain is explicitly a volcano, but volcano gods tend to be more about not exploding because that's what people want from them. Mokou's story is also closely related to volcanoes and there's another volcano god in that one. I haven't heard of any famous volcano gods, but I don't think Shinto would bother to distinguish them from "the kami of the mountain" which they have for all mountains anyway.

[Imosa]

Youkai Mountain is explicitly a volcano, but volcano gods tend to be more about not exploding because that's what people want from them. Mokou's story is also closely related to volcanoes and there's another volcano god in that one. I haven't heard of any famous volcano gods, but I don't think Shinto would bother to distinguish them from "the kami of the mountain" which they have for all mountains anyway.

If the mountain gods prevent volcanoes when they are happy, how do religious people rationalize something as strange and powerful as an eruption? Are mountain gods generally happy except for some periods when they become so angry that the leak semi solid death?

Maybe I'm starting to think that every now and again, every mountain in Japan turns into a veritable Mt. Doom. I guess that's not true.
What counts as an eruption in Japan? My impression is that you have one of the loudest sounds in the world, lava leaking out of places, and ash filling the sky. If this mental image is correct, how is that not a bigger aspect of mountains and their gods? Like, most of the time gods are really calm, except when they are really not.

Should Kanako and Suwako have... like... volcano modes?

[Fonzi]

Youkai Mountain is an "active" volcano. It last erupted a thousand years ago, before the sealing of Gensokyo. Aya notes that its eruption wouldn't be a big deal to anyone but the humans, who would have to at least evacuate for safety. Suwako says that even if there were a danger of eruption she would use her powers to change the earth and adjust when it happens.

How could the Youkai Mountain exist in Gensokyo over a thousand years ago? If it is THE Mt. Yatsugatake, then it shouldn't exist at that time, because: It was torn down in times predating the existence of Lunarians and Gensokyo's oldest layer of the barrier is only over 500 years old.
Furthermore, this is what the wiki says in the timeline: Iwanagahime furthermore, at around the time of 100 years ago, moved to Gensokyo's Youkai Mountain (once Yatsugatake) 

[Sagus]

Aya explicitly says that Youkai Mountain erupted over a thousand years ago in this newspaper clipping. Yatsugatake was broken, yes, but only to the point of being smaller than Fuji. It didn't cease to be a volcano; the land wasn't made flat, nor was its magmatic chamber somehow erased from existence. Gensokyo would later be installed in that area; I suppose that, once the barrier was erected, the legendary Yatsugatake that was the tallest mountain in Japan appeared there, "replacing" the smaller, broken one from the outside world.

What counts as an eruption in Japan? My impression is that you have one of the loudest sounds in the world, lava leaking out of places, and ash filling the sky.

There's so many types of eruptions, it's not even funny. Some fit that image, some don't.

I didn't study japanese volcanos much, but from the little I remember, most of them have mafic lava, which, being of relatively low viscosity, allows them to erupt rather non-violently, since the volatiles responsible for the magnificent explosions people usually associate with volcanos escape more easily.

At any rate, not all mountains in Japan are volcanos, so it stands to reason that not all montain gods are associated with them, which is why Kanako and Suwako aren't. Maybe.

[Drake]

How could the Youkai Mountain exist in Gensokyo over a thousand years ago? If it is THE Mt. Yatsugatake, then it shouldn't exist at that time, because: It was torn down in times predating the existence of Lunarians and Gensokyo's oldest layer of the barrier is only over 500 years old.
Furthermore, this is what the wiki says in the timeline: Iwanagahime furthermore, at around the time of 100 years ago, moved to Gensokyo's Youkai Mountain (once Yatsugatake) 

It didn't necessarily exist in "Gensokyo" yet, it just existed in the area that later turned into Gensokyo. Aya didn't even settle down in the Gensokyo area until a bit later, however she does acknowledge that Yatsugatake did erupt back then. The Yatsugatake currently in Gensokyo would still be the "tall" Yatsugatake, despite Yatsugatake being cut before Gensokyo's sealing. The small Yatsugatake still exists in the real world, after all.

Iwanagahime moved to Yatsugatake from Fuji after Yatsugatake was shown to be higher than Fuji and Sakuyahime cut it down. The date is placed at 1707 because that was Fuji's last eruption, but I disagree with that assessment. First of all, I don't find it necessary that Fuji would have stopped erupting just as Iwanagahime left it; she was only the one keeping the volcano eternally active, so it could have just taken a long time to calm down naturally. In the same way, Iwanagahime didn't create the volcano in Yatsugatake, she just moved there.
When Mokou attained immortality, Sakuyahime explained to Mokou that Yatsugatake would be a better place to dispose of the Hourai Elixir, because Iwanagahime was already there. This was ~1300 years ago. Simply from that, Iwanagahime must have moved to Yatsugatake before then; Sakuyahime says they had a fight "long ago".

However, Mokou seems to conclude that the smoke from the current Youkai Mountain is the same that she remembers coming from Fuji before. Considering that during Mokou's mortal lifetime she was told that Iwanagahime was in Yatsugatake, Iwanagahime was clearly not in Fuji anymore, and Mokou not knowing that Yatsugatake used to be taller means that it would have been cut down long before she was born. The only way this makes any sense is if the smoke rose from Fuji despite Iwanagahime being gone, and the smoke only has to do with the volcano being active, which Fuji technically was until more recently. So that's how I see it.

This seems to be how I assess the sequence of events:
- Long ago Yatsugatake was taller than Fuji.
- Sakuyahime cuts Yatsugatake down because she lived in Fuji and wanted to live in the taller mountain.
- Iwanagahime moves to Yatsugatake after this. Fuji loses its eternal flame, but stays naturally active. Yatsugatake gains the eternal flame, and in reality gives birth to other complex volcanoes by erupting, crumbling, shifting and so forth.
- After a long time, Mokou is born and climbs Fuji. She meets Sakuyahime and steals the Hourai Elixir from Iwakasa.
- Yatsugatake's last known eruption from the viewpoint of the youkai, presumably referring to Mount Yoko's eruption.
- The Gensokyo area separating myth and reality is formed during the Youkai Expansion Project.
- Mokou, living near Fuji, has at some point become accustomed to its smoke, its last eruption being in 1707.
- Gensokyo is later sealed with the Great Hakurei Barrier.
- Iwanagahime moves to Gensokyo and Youkai Mountain, which becomes active once again.

The previous activity of Youkai Mountain can be either be eruptions from before it was cut down and disappeared into myth, or it could be that Gensokyo's Yatsugatake "transformed" into the mythological one somehow, yet still having scars of the real one's recent (i.e. Yoko) activity.

[Starxsword]

It was the aftermath of the second war that should change the Lunarian opinion about Yukari from being a mere pest to something far more dangerous. If someone can steal something from your home without anyone noticing, they can do it again. Next time they can plant a trap or wait until you go to sleep and murder you.

If the Lunarians considered Yukari too dangerous, they would seal her. There are already examples of such sealed gods by the Lunarians. However, what Yukari did do is present to Eirin the fear of unknown. Now, this is not fear of Yukari, but the fear of the unknown. This is what Youkai are good at doing, this is what I guess would be the tax that she is trying to collect.

As for the Watatsukis paying visits to the rabbits, know that only ONE rabbit in Eientei is actually from the Moon, and that is Reisen and Reisen has basically committed desertion, so she's not completely innocent.

This doesn't have to do with any of this. What I am saying are the many other innocent rabbits. Yes, they are from earth, but the example you use is Toyohime keeping Yukari on earth as the "worst possible punishment". What I am asking is how is this different from letting the earth rabbits stay on earth? Why would those rabbits be receiving the "worst possible punishment", when they committed no crime.
What I am arguing here is that they are simply just letting Yukari go.

The previous activity of Youkai Mountain can be either be eruptions from before it was cut down and disappeared into myth, or it could be that Gensokyo's Yatsugatake "transformed" into the mythological one somehow, yet still having scars of the real one's recent (i.e. Yoko) activity.

I would guess the mountain would be a mix of the fantastic and the real.