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A miko (), or shrine maiden, [1] [2] is a young priestess [3] who works at a Shinto shrine. Miko were once likely seen as shamans, [4] but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized [5] role in daily life, trained to perform tasks, ranging from sacred cleansing [4] to performing the sacred Kagura dance.
Women occupy a unique role in the indigenous Japanese traditions of Shinto, including a unique form of participation as temple stewards and shamans, or miko.Though a ban on female Shinto priests was lifted during World War II, the number of women priests in Shinto is a small fraction of contemporary clergy.
Kannushi (神主, "divine master (of ceremonies)", originally pronounced kamunushi), also called shinshoku (神職, meaning "employee/worker of kami"), is the common term for a member of the clergy at a Shinto shrine (神社, jinja) responsible for maintaining the shrine and leading worship of the kami there. [1]
Thus, "Shinto membership" is often estimated counting only those who do join organized Shinto sects. [439] Shinto has about 81,000 shrines and about 85,000 priests in the country. [438] According to surveys carried out in 2006 [ 440 ] and 2008, [ 441 ] less than 40% of the population of Japan identifies with an organised religion: around 35% ...
Afterwards, the mikoshi are carried to Asakusa Shrine where Shinto priests bless and purify them for the coming year. [8] When the ceremony is completed, they are then carried back and paraded through their respective neighborhoods. Sanja Matsuri's most important events occurs on the following Sunday.
A study-dedicated omamori.The logo above denotes a Shinto shrine dedicated to the kami Tenjin.. Omamori (御守/お守り) are Japanese amulets commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dedicated to particular Shinto kami as well as Buddhist figures and are said to provide various forms of luck and protection.
Shichi-Go-San ritual at a Shinto shrine A young girl dressed traditionally for Shichi-Go-San Kunisada. Shichi-Go-San is said to have originated in the Heian period amongst court nobles who would celebrate the passage of their children into middle childhood, but it is also suggested that the idea was originated from the Muromachi period due to high infant mortality.
Offerings are also made to the ancestors so that they will bless the family in the future year. [citation needed] Shinto ceremonies are so long and complex that in some shrines it can take ten years for the priests to learn them. [30] The priesthood was traditionally hereditary. Some shrines have drawn their priests from the same families for ...