This solution undertakes to guide you throughout the game by keeping spoilers as long as possible. However, we advise you to read the guide only as you progress through the game to avoid becoming aware of fundamental facts ahead of time.
River of Heaven
Cross the bridge, break some pots and use the wall to reach a ledge on the right. Go up the hill and stop at the marked star while meeting Yomigami, god of Eternal Youth. Go back down and then to the right; hold down R1 and draw around the star with the square button; jump into the water and swim (in safer areas). Break the crates to receive the Astral Pouch.
Cave of Nagi
Jump over the stream east of the sign to find a chest containing a bead, then make your way to the statue inside the cave. Stop in the star to meet Tachigami, master of Power Slash. Exit using this technique on the wooden bars (horizontally) and defeat the two creatures by attacking them with the square to kill them, and holding R1, to throw the Power Slash. Finally eliminate the IMPs later and return to Kamiki Village.
Kamiki Village
Hit the fruit you noticed early in the game with a Power Slash (the actual fruit, not the stem). Go to the intersection on the right, talk to some villagers and go back up, following the arrow to the right. Make a circle with your brush (make sure the ends touch) to represent a sun: this is the Sunrise painting technique. After the cutscene, defeat the three IMPs, attacking with the square and smashing them with R1. Go down the ramp again and return to the village. Now you can have a Praise: talk to the child dressed in blue at the start and start a minigame. Click the "triangle" to dig into Mama's plantation and unearth ten turnips, returning the last one to Mushi. When the woman chases you, hit her with the Power Slash to slow her down, but also keep an eye on the ink (avoid her for a few seconds until she regenerates).
Continue left to meet Mrs. Orange. Paint the pole to spread between the two wooden posts in the lawn behind it. Perform a sun in the sky to the left for Praise Points. A Trader ahead pushes a huge boulder talk to him and defeat the IMPs, among which there is now a red IMP. Hit him with the Power Slash and make him vulnerable. Follow the arrow that will lead you to Susano's bunker and break the big vase to head to the star. Wake up the lazy person by attacking him. Drag him to the Merchant and go to his training ground. Go to Kushi, the sake maker (across the bridge on the left). Fix the mill by repainting the area with your brush. Inside the building talk to her, press the triangle to get the sake bottle and give it to Susano. Kill the enemies and boulders Susano tries with little success to tackle alone (the panel's activation window is short-lived). Exit through the cut rock and head west to Hana Valley.
Hana Valley
Open the chest on the left to get the Traveller's Charm. Destroy the IMPs and hit the fruit on the tree with a Power Slash to send it back. Face a Yellow Imp on the right after the bridge. Jump on his head and hit him with a combo, destroying his drum. Perform a sun on the stone wall, carving the part where the curse has fallen. Continue to the left, breaking through the wooden door on the left and passing it. Help Susano again, push the blue orb away and go to the puddle of the room you came from. Paint a sun in the sky behind you to illuminate the area and go to the two stars of the next constellation, where Sakigami is. You will learn the Bloom Brush technique; put it into practice immediately, drawing a circle on the tree. Go out and do the same on the other outside. Feed the beavers and make the lawn and bewitched trees bloom again.
Shinsu Field
Remove the evil from the Devil Gate (to the right of the sapling), fighting the IMPs inside, then dig and revive some clovers (the green light coming out of the ground tells you the exact spot). Feed the animals, offer the postman Traveller's Charms and try to increase your Praise indicator. Head up the hill to the Dojo area and learn Fleetfoot if you can afford it. As soon as night falls, follow the signs to reach the Pyrotechnic house. Draw a Bomb when the warning appears (a circle with a dash in the corner) and complete the constellation with two stars to meet Bakugami, god of Explosive Force. Use your new weapon, the Cherry Bomb, and move the Rat Statue outside. Proceed now to the Agata Forest: go down the hill and head to the Temple. Talk to Mika in the hut and get the Wanted Monsters List; at the exit you will immediately encounter one (the others will be faced at night in the surrounding areas). Return to the camp to dig some clovers (one reveals a chest with a bead inside) and bomb the ruined wall to the east.
Kamiki Village (Second Part)
Talk to the man at the bridge and make the 15 black trees bloom by wrapping them with a rope (circle them to bring them back to life). Many are among the crates, but some are located outside the north exit, towards Mr. Orange's location (to the right of the exit). Talk to him and help him in his dance steps by performing circles. Complete the two-star constellation to meet Hasugami and have the new power of the Water Lily (only one can be used at a time), immediately useful for reaching the chest.
Agata Forest
Go up the hill to Agata Forest and use a bomb on the ground beside the submerged tunnel to get a Coral Fragment. Proceed with the Lily Pad and throw a bomb at the ruined wall on the opposite side. Walk along the right side of the cursed area until you find a wooden ladder to the left; go down into the cave with the fortune teller and you will have a bead. Exit and go straight, keeping along the beach wall until you reach a ledge that will lead you to a tunnel and from here to a ruined wall. Throw a bomb. Revive the sapling and open the chest to get the new weapon, the Devout Beads. Find the child fishing and play the minigame. Draw a line from the hook to the mouth of the fish shadow; Once this is done, move R3 left or right (slightly) to control the movement. When the fish emerges, use the Power Slash to catch it; repeat the operation twice to get the giant salmon and take the key. Follow the signs to get to Tsuta Ruins using the key to enter.
Tsuta Ruins
Go through the door, fend off the cursed fruit and make the trees bloom again when you have stunned them. Jump on the wall until you get to the ledge and use the Lily Pad to get to the next one. You will be attacked by an orc that you will have to deal with bombs and Power Slash. Once stunned, draw a circle around its bud and expose its inner core. After defeating him, place the orb on the ramp, in a useful position to open the door. You will encounter two other orcs: attack them one at a time and destroy them. Use R3 to see the sky; trace a sun, jump over the mushrooms to the ledge and pass the wall to your right as soon as you drop a bomb. Run across the bridge (with the square), fall back under the closed door and talk to Blockhead. Attach it and hit the bright spots with the brush for a second. Taking the key, head to the trunks and from there to the closed door (bomb it from the last statues to have a bead inside the cave). Continue on to the half-destroyed bridge and write in the opening to put it back. In the next room, face the Beasts at the Devil Gates. Once this is done, draw a sun in the sky, climb the mushrooms again and go around the corner, smashing the statues. Take the map from the chest, jump into the water (if you bomb the wall you will have a bead) and use the Lily Pad, fall back into the hole and go through the door. Write in the haunted lawn areas and create the constellation that you will need to meet Tsutgami and acquire the Vine (to use it you will need to make sure you are connected). Use it immediately to reach the door above and hoist yourself to the head of the statue. Grab the flying buds on the four yellow hooks with the Vine and fall back. Continue on the path with the indication of the Taka Pass and a minigame on a log. Trace the Vines, connecting the buds of the river to the hooks of the trunk (trying to be precise). The action becomes fast and you will have to guess in advance where the next bud appears (by pressing R1 a moment before). Finally proceed on the bridge.
Taka Pass
Continue to the left and blow up the wall to meet Waka again. This time he is a little tougher and can also teleport, but hitting him and throwing him several times at your bombs will take him down. Go up the ramp and go right, follow the edge and paint a bridge that leads to the sapling. Revive the latter and jump to the lower level, heading left to Kusa Village.
Kusa Village
Run up the ramps to the large house with the woman outside; talk to her and defeat the Imp. She will now ask you to find five Canines (buy some meat from the store to feed them). The first is with the child with the ruined flowers; the second near Susano, above the wall with a ladder; the third among the bamboos at Mr. Bamboo's house (at the end of Susano's path), where you will also find a bead inside; the fourth on the way to Fuse's house; grab hold of the grain and enter the cave. Return to Fuse and prepare to fight for the last Canine. Keep jumping and throwing bombs between you and its line of sight - when it loads it will hear a bang!
Sasa Sanctuary
Talk to the sparrows north of Taka Pass. Come back here and go left at Cutter's house (at night). Jump to the roof on the right and bomb the tiles, fall back and drag the witch to the moonlight by grabbing her with the triangle. Defeat the old thugs (no Power Slash needed) and take Chun back to the Shrine. Go to the sulfur spring on the right, where there is a minigame. Dig the triangle into the colored and illuminated blocks, using the bombs and the Power Slash with the others at the bottom. The God of Water, Nuregami, appears from whom you can learn the Waterspout and Power Springs. Look down, draw a stream from the source to the great bamboo cane and exit through the open door. Go up the ramps, meet the crying sparrow, smash a bamboo and defeat the Canine. Always pay attention to its charges: a moment before it turns yellow. Use the bombs and the Power Slash, but don't fall into its holes. Return to the shrine, go up the stairs and take the elevator to get some rewards. In one of the rooms, dotting the doll's eye, you will find a bead. There is also a Merchant to buy something from.
Agata Forest (Second Part)
North - east of Tala Pass, go up the ramp to the left of the wall to meet Kushi at the spring. Fill his bucket by tracing flows from the source to the object. Help Susano kill the imps, then return to Kokari who is still fishing in the center of the area (search the ground at night for a light: you will find a bead). Another fishing game, similar to the previous one, then a three-star constellation. You will meet Yumigami, god of the moon, who will teach you the Crescent Brush technique (a curved line from heaven to earth). Face a new duel and go to the fortune teller, extinguishing the fire for a bead. Exit at Shinsu Field and from here go to Kamiki Village.
Kamiki Village (Third Part)
Remember Hayabusa, the former digging - hole ruler? Talk to him and face him; dig more holes than the others, so watch out for these and the unearthed rocks, using the slash and bombs to knock him out.
Gale Shrine
Talk to Fuse again in Kusa Village (which you will reach via Agata Forest and Taka Pass; use the map or Mermaid Spring at the Dojo). Go inside and hit the chests at the bottom of the tank for some treasures. Go right, face the Chimera in the Devil Gate (until its color fades) and tear it to pieces. Take the key and go right, on the walkways with the mills, until you reach the closed door of the elevator. Throw a Cherry Bomb in the center to climb up (if you stay away from the stone you can go under it for a bead). After a second fight with a Chimera, on the first floor you will find another key: return to the elevator and go up to the second floor with the object, dragging yourself up the narrow stairs to the top. Trace the eddies in the opposite direction (you will see a warning) and you will come to another triple constellation. The god of the wind, Kazegami, teaches you the Galestorm Brush technique. Use it immediately on the crate you see on the way back and make your way to the walkways again (stop on the first floor and break the crate for a bead). Use the Galestorm on the first mill again (stay to the side to trace the wind path) and exit left. Continue on the wooden structure holding on to the buds, until you reach the large banners. Wave them with the Galestorm and jump to the platforms. Continue in big leaps to the boss.
Moon Cave
Visit the festival at Kamiki Village. After the cutscene chase Kushi, lead her to the cave (southeast of Shinsu Field) and jump into the chasm of fate. Behind you, in the Calcified Cave, you have to find the Devil Gate and kill the Black Imp (with combo and Power Slash). Take the Mask out of the chest and customize it. The IMPs will let you through. Go to the kitchen on the right and join the two buds to the hooks of the cauldron. Take the key Ajimi gives you and go out the other side. Look up and pull yourself up on the bud; on the opposite side you see more, but you will fall as soon as you reach them and you will have to be quick to reactivate the brush (you can adjust the paint with R3 to locate the next bud when you fall). At the bottom, hit the eye and move on. A fight at the Devil Gate will give you the Ogre Liver. Go back to using the buds and draw a Power Spring up, starting from the small tub. Climb on the ledge, perform another Power Spring, go left, cross the bridge and back up to make it collapse. You will find another Devil Gate, but nothing impossible. Draw a Watersprout from the tub to the giant bamboo as before, then a Power Spring from the tub to the hole to drain the water. Go into battle with a Black Imp. Hit the eye and perform a Power Spring on the tub next to it; jump to the elevator in the main room and hit the IMP without relics until you reach the bottom. Head left to take another fight, then line up with your eyes. When you have them all visible, throw an advantageous Power Slash with R3. Face another Big Mouth: bomb it and hit it, it will die in seconds. Another triple constellation and you will find Moegami, goddess of Flames, who will teach you the Inferno painting technique (a line that goes from fire to ice). Melt the ice wall to the left of the next room using the torch flame, then bomb the wall for some treasure. Talk to the elevator imp and go up to the room with the Devil Gate; contains two Ice Mouths (bombs are very effective) and gives you the Lips of Ice. Melt the ice wall with Hell and you will still be in the kitchen. Exit the main entrance, go around a wall of ice where there is a blue-green bud that eats you and spits you towards a ledge; from this point, with a Power Spring, you will return to the broken bridge room. Put it back in order with brushstrokes and melt the ice with Hell. Defeat another Ice and Fire Mouth (rely on the bombs again), grab the Eye from the chest and use the Hell on the ice opposite to get a key. Cross the bridge with the item and head left to unlock the locked door. Grab the rock ball and drive it to the right (hit it only when you can move it in a straight direction). Center the Eye to see an invisible path; use the Galestorm to see it again if necessary and move the ball slightly to the right to the appropriate spot to open the door. Climb to the bud and operate the Galestorm to move the flags and gain the platforms that will lead you to the next ledge and the cannon. Use Hell on the spinning spindle to face the wall in the main entrance hall (stand behind this and light it while it is oriented to your right). Go through the crumbling wall, use the Galestorm, drop the fire globe and continue along the tunnel. With Hell against ice selected, go through the Devil Gate; secure the last ingredient for Ajimi and bring it to him.
