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VIDEO: Watanagashi-hen | TIP 17: From The Scrapbook VIII
BGM: Silence
SFX: Night Higurashi
As previously described, the Three Families' council today is a mere shell of democracy—in reality, it is a dictatorship run by the Sonozaki family.
Both the Kimiyoshi and Furude families are far from their former glory, and it doesn't seem at all like they've maintained the ancient traditions.
Only the Sonozaki family has retained their glory from the past and has inherited many colorful traditions from the age known as Onigafuchi Village.
Even the most recent, verifiable example of Watanagashi that occurred at the end of the Meiji era seems to have been done under the orders of the Sonozaki family. (Refer to the Three Families genealogical tree from the late Meiji)
After the start of the Meiji era, the Sonozaki family wanted to push the development of Hinamizawa Village, so they took a strong role in leadership.
During the dam wars a few years ago, the Kimiyoshi family served as the chair of the opposition alliance, but this was in name only—in actuality, the Sonozaki family reigned as leader behind the scenes.
Even in Hinamizawa, they whisper that the multitude of unsettling incidents reported during the dam protests (such as the kidnapping of the famous Head of the Ministry of Construction's son) had been carried out by the Sonozakis.
Additionally, they say that perhaps the Sonozaki family's secret maneuvering was responsible for the serial freak death incidents that have continuously occurred in recent years as well.
They must be enacting the Watanagashi on the day of the original Watanagashi, which has fallen to the level of an ordinary village festival, in order to remind the villagers of the holy laws of Onigafuchi Village.
It's safe to assert that exploring the Sonozaki family is the fastest route for researching it today.
If I can expose the contents of the Furude Shrine's storehouse, I'd like to narrow my research target to the Sonozaki family next.
The Sonozaki house is strictly guarded by security cameras on the premises, but thankfully, I've become acquainted with the sisters Mion—the next heir—and Shion.
I want this to be a breakthrough I can connect to my next line of research.