Sanae Kochiya (東風谷 早苗 Kochiya Sanae) is a human, but is also a distant descendant of a god, who is Suwako Moriya. Her role at the Moriya Shrine is similar to a Shrine Maiden, but with her inherited power Sanae has become more like a deity herself. She left the Outside World to move into Gensokyo along with the shrine and its two resident goddesses, Suwako and Kanako Yasaka. As a result, she is rather knowledgeable about the outside world and modern living, although when she tries to explain things such as science in Gensokyo, the local populace does not understand her very well. Though, her knowledge concerning, for example, the youkai in Gensokyo, seems to be a bit lacking for a shrine maiden.