Miko

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Miko in Kasuga Taisha
Two miko follow two Shinto priests as they prepare for a wedding in Meiji Shrine in Tokyo .
Ritual dance of a miko in the Meiji shrine

Miko ( Japanese 巫女 , also read Fujo or Kannagi ) are women, often of a young age, who mostly work in Shinto shrines and perform both religious and practical activities.

The miko tradition goes back to the oldest history of Japan . Originally, miko ( 神 子 , literally: God's child ) was the name for shamans who put themselves into a trance and made prophecies or who were the mouthpieces for the gods.

In the shrine Shinto , Miko were originally involved as chief priestesses. The organization of the shrines, which began at the end of the 7th and beginning of the 8th century, made them lose this position to a large extent.

From this time on, the meaning of the word for young workers in Shinto shrines or temples was narrowed . Often it was the daughter or daughter of the presiding priest . The role of the miko at that time consisted mainly of performing ceremonial dances ( miko-mai ) and assisting the priest in various other ceremonies, especially weddings.

Since the modern age, Miko have mostly been part-time employees or volunteers, but they take on the same duties as originally. In addition, they also often act as sellers of Ema , Omikuji and other religious objects and relics available in Shinto shrines .

The office of a miko is traditionally linked to the fact that she remains a bachelor . Usually a miko leaves the shrine where she works and gives up her job there when she gets married.

The traditional clothing of the miko is a chihaya , consisting of a scarlet hakama , either as pants or as a skirt; a white kimono shirt with ruffled sleeves and often red hems; as well as Tabi . In addition, it is also common to wear a miko, bows or other ornaments in the main hair, usually in red or white.

Miko are a popular subject in Japanese popular culture such as movies, anime , manga, and computer games.

See also

literature

  • Haruko Okano: The position of women in Shintô. A religious phenomenological and sociological investigation. Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-447-01747-3

Web links

Commons : Miko  - collection of images, videos and audio files