[Touhou Project] Kochiya Sanae: Late Autumn Prayers in Backlight by Dali Erhai Lake

"Ebbing tide"—this set of photos was captured on November 9, 2023, at Chongyi Village along Dali's Erhai Lake. At that time, the dawn redwood forest at the foot of Cangshan Mountain was in full late autumn glory, displaying rich hues of red and gold that contrasted strikingly with the azure waters of Erhai. As a cosplayer, I chose to portray Kochiya Sanae from Touhou Project for this shoot.

Let's talk about the styling and makeup. For the long straight green hair, I selected a wig with naturally layered root styling to flatter my face shape nicely. The iconic frog hair clip is fastened to the side, where its red-and-green contrast pops vividly against the white and blue-trimmed outfit. To faithfully recreate the snake ornament around the character's neck, I hand-wove white braided cord and meticulously detailed the red eyes. The costume fabrics were also carefully curated: the extensive white fabric features a subtle jacquard texture, while the cuffs and skirt hem boast elaborate blue-and-gold embroidery, casting a soft, elegant sheen under the Erhai sunlight that delivered very satisfying textures.

In terms of props, the golden bell in my hand features triple-layered metal leaves, tied with four-color ribbons in red, yellow, blue, and green below. As the breeze blew during the shoot, the ribbons and bell danced in rhythm with my movements. It's worth mentioning that the wind that day was actually quite strong; although Dali in early winter was bathed in brilliant sunshine, the perceived temperature was very low, especially standing on the rocks and shallows along Erhai where icy splashes constantly hit my feet. However, when doing cosplay, one gets used to cross-season outfits. Stepping across mossy coastal rocks and shallow waters with my toes growing numb from the cold, taking these wet-foot steps was absolutely necessary to catch the sparkling backlit ripples on the water.

The photographer, fiven, knows extraordinarily well how to harness Erhai's natural light. The angle of sunlight at 4:00 PM was sublime, not only casting a gorgeous rim light across the hair strands but also turning the vast water surface into a giant natural reflector. We captured several prayer and seated meditation shots on the wooden boardwalk; as I closed my eyes and folded my hands, sunlight filtered through the tree branches onto my face, feeling as though the character's inner serenity was entirely conveyed. Later we moved down to the water's edge, where I took a few steps through the waves holding the bell, and he caught the exact split-second of splashing water—those droplets glistening like shattered gold in the backlight, harmonizing perfectly with the blue-and-gold embroidery on the outfit. Shooting in a location like Erhai requires no gaudy artificial sets; the synergy between nature's light and the character alone is more than enough to carry the entire composition.

Lastly, let me share a small behind-the-scenes anecdote. To achieve the dynamic flow of ribbons shown in the photos, I had to repeatedly toss the prop and spin around. The bell was somewhat heavy with each throw, and upon catching it, the ribbons frequently ended up tangled around me, requiring extra time to untangle. But seeing the silky, fluid trajectory of the ribbons in the final photos made all the trial and error completely worth it.

This set of photos is more than just a simple on-location shoot; it feels like a dialogue between the character and this land. Although the shooting process was demanding with biting winds and icy water, the resulting imagery delivered a wonderful surprise. The tranquility of Chongyi Village at Dali Erhai Lake harmonizes flawlessly with Kochiya Sanae's temperament. This fusion of nature and the ACG world is precisely the goal I continuously pursue as a cosplayer.