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At the Kuze Shrine, handmaidens performed daily shrine and housekeeping activities,^[1] as well as attending to the needs of the priestess.^[2] Their support was emotional and well as physical; they were to act as companions to the priestess, helping to lessen her pain and loneliness as she underwent the Piercing of the Soul.^[3]

Handmaidens were either from the Kuze Family or chosen from neighboring villages and 'adopted', taking on the Kuze name during their term of duty.^[4] There were always four handmaidens at any given time, each representing a cardinal direction with her own personal room within the shrine. Handmaidens were taught by the family head,^[5] and received quite a thorough education.^[6] Once they had performed their duties and their term of service was complete, they were allowed to leave the shrine and live as normal, and were possibly useful in seeking out future worshippers.^[7]

In the Japanese version of the game, they are called Pacifiers because they pacify the priestess. Each wore a priestess attire of white and red.

The Lullaby

For more details, see Handmaiden's Song.

The Handmaiden's Song was a ceremonial song performed by the Handmaidens during the shrine's rituals.^[8] It made its way into some of the mountain villages nearby and was transformed into a lullaby, but the lyrics still retained hints of its ritual origins.

The Impalement

For more details, see Impalement Ritual.

The handmaidens' role in the Impalement was to pin the Tattooed Priestess to the ground by hammering sacred stakes into her hands and feet.^[9] Each handmaiden was responsible for one stake. As the handmaidens drove the stakes into priestess's body, they sang the Handmaiden's Song and spoke prayers over her so she could lie in peace.

It was also the handmaidens' duty to impale Kushimi Dolls, representing the pains of Worshippers, onto the walls of the Doll Altars, and sing the lullaby to appease them.^{[10] [11]} Presumably, the tattooed skins of failed priestesses removed during The Tearing ritual were treated in the same way.

After the Ritual

Under normal circumstances, Handmaidens brought into the shrine from outside would serve a term of duty, and then return to their homes.^[12] If one was the heir to the Kuze Shrine, she would continue her training, but would no longer act as a Handmaiden.

The Handmaidens serving at the time of the Unleashing were the exception.

The Final Impalement

For more details, see Final Impalement.

Yashuu Kuze instructed Hisame to perform this act as a last desperate attempt to halt the Rift.^[13] It involved Hisame killing the remaining two handmaidens Shigure and Minamo as sacrifices before "going to sleep forever" herself.^[14]

Impalement was also the punishment for a Handmaiden who broke the Kuze Code.^[15]

The Sacred Stakes

For more details, see Tattooed Stakes.

The sacred stakes are stakes of stone. They are used to impale the Tattooed Priestess' hands and feet. They're found in each of the Handmaidens' Doll Altars, piercing the middle of a little shrine on the altar.
Description: Inside the miniature shrine, there is a stake made out of stone piercing the middle. In the shadow of the stone, at the lower part of the shrine, there is a minutely engraved script. "By the balance of light, purify the shadow of the Tattoo Stake. Subdue the priestess in the Chamber of Needles."

Purity Stones

For more details, see Purity Stones.

Each Doll Altar housed a different coloured stone known as a Purity Stone. These stones were used in a mechanism in the Tattoo Altar to raise and lower the Hanging Prison.

Known Handmaidens

• Amane Kuze - South
  
• Hisame Kuze - North
  
• Shigure Kuze - West
  
• Minamo Kuze - East

Possible Handmaidens

• Kyouka Kuze

Misc. Info

• All of the Handmaidens at the time of the Unleashing share similar names, all of which mention water. Amane, Hisame and Shigure all share the kanji character meaning "rain" (雨) within their names, while Minamo's name contains the character for "water" (水). It is unknown if this has any significance.

Footnotes

1. ↑ "Folklore Notes 2", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
2. ↑ Blue Diary 1, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
3. ↑ "Yuu's Notes 3", Zero Shisei no Koe Complete Official Capture Book
4. ↑ "Folklore Notes 2", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
5. ↑ Green Diary, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
6. ↑ "Yuu's Notes 3", Zero Shisei no Koe Complete Official Capture Book
7. ↑ "Yuu's Notes 3", Zero Shisei no Koe Complete Official Capture Book
8. ↑ "Folklore Notes 2", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
9. ↑ "Commandment Tome", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
10. ↑ "Impalement Tome", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
11. ↑ Rei's notebook: The Impalement Room, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
12. ↑ "Folklore Notes 2", Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
13. ↑ Calico Notebook 2, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
14. ↑ Red Diary 2, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented
15. ↑ Red Diary 1, Fatal Frame III: The Tormented