Miko

Three miko in a Japanese temple.

The miko (巫女, miko</i ^?) are representatives of Japanese Shinto temples (jinja) since the beginning of the Sengoku era, enjoy a high social position and come, in many cases, from the families of priests.

History

In the most ancient times, women who had trances and transmitted the words of a god were called miko, but not in the same way as the pythoesses of the Oracle of Delphi in Greece.

Later, miko were young women who tended Shinto temples. The roles of the miko include performing ceremonial dances (miko-mai) and assisting the monks in marriage ceremonies. Today miko can be found in many Shinto temples. Their tasks include attending temple events, performing dances, rituals, and divination.

It is somewhat difficult to assign a specific translation to the Japanese equivalent of the word miko, but the terms prophetess, medium (as in the Oracle), temple attendant, priestess, nun, or sorceress are sometimes used. used.

The traditional dress of a miko is a chihaya, consisting of a scarlet red hakama (split skirt), a white loose-shouldered shirt, and a tabi.

With their ritual dance, they give rise to theatrical forms such as kabuki or shirabyōshi (dancers and singers, 白拍子) and puppets. The miko Izumo no Okuni would give rise to the birth of the kabuki theater with her dances.

In fiction

In literature, manga, and anime, miko are often portrayed as heroines who fight evil spirits, demons, and ghosts. In Western RPGs, they are sometimes treated as equivalent to Clerics and occasionally Holy Knights.

In these stories, miko are generally described as highly skilled in a variety of martial arts with the use of traditional Japanese weapons, such as the yumi (bow), tantō (knife), or one of the Japanese swords: katana, wakizashi, etc. The miko are also skilled in magic, especially the o-fuda.

In some bishoujo romance stories and comedies, miko are sometimes teenagers or attractive but very serious and temperamental girls who are incapable of relating to boys (as a kind of fear or hatred towards them).

Kuro Miko

Recently in the manga and anime there is mention of the Kuro Miko (Dark Miko), which is a counterpart to the traditional miko, often serving renegade monks or evil sorcerers (or being freed by their account) and they are usually antagonistic to the miko. Like the miko, she is trained in similar arts and can handle weapons. Kuro miko are very attached to demonology and have a strong knowledge of black magic.

Kuro miko also wear chihaya, but the colors tend to be dark (they use black and purple or black and gold schemes). In some anime series, kuro miko wear masks while doing their rituals to give effect to the ritual and to hide their identities. However, they do not exist in reality.