Choosing to shoot Yatadera Narumi from Touhou Project during the blooming hydrangea season was primarily intended to align with the character's folklore lore centered around Jizo Bodhisattva. My top favorite character is Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu, and because of the Jizo CP pairing, I grew naturally fond of Narumi. I have always held a strong interest in Japanese folklore culture, where Jizo statues frequently appear across local myths, shaping my fondness for this character concept and serving as the visual anchor for this shoot. Narumi holds rich conceptual depth, and I secretly hope for more official lore appearances in the future.
The location chosen was an evocative Japanese garden featuring stone steps lined with blooming hydrangeas alongside a row of Jizo stone statues wearing red knitted caps and bibs, perfectly echoing the concept. The outfit paired red and gray Hanfu elements with thigh-high red stockings and geta wooden clogs, accessorized with a tall staff and a wide-brimmed straw hat inscribed with calligraphy. These red accents created seamless visual harmony with the stone statues' red bibs.
The greatest challenge was prop stability: the wide-brimmed bamboo hat easily tilted and slipped while walking along narrow floral stone paths, requiring numerous trial adjustments to capture organic walking strides. Dappled shadows cast through garden foliage highlighted the tactile texture of the red stockings, creating a tranquil, folk custom photography ambiance. Winter plans include a snow-covered Jizo aesthetic—where crisp, cool snow lighting contrasted against crimson attire will offer a fresh visual experience. Capturing natural light filtering through the canopy across stone steps made this textured lighting record a memorable shoot.