Miko

Miko () they are crew members of the temples (Jinja) from the beginning of Sengoku Period. In old times, the women who had critical moments and that transmitted the words of a God was call miko, but not in the same way like pitonisas of in .

Later, miko was young women who took care of the Shinto temples. The rolls of miko include to carry out ceremonial dances (miko-mai) and to attend the monks in the marriage ceremonies. Nowadays they are possible to be found to miko in many Shinto temples. Between its tasks they are attending the events of the temple, to make dances, rituals and the divination.

He is something difficult to assign an equivalent specific translation to the Japanese of the word miko, but the terms , medium (like in the Oráculo), assistant of the temple, priestess, nun or wizard sometimes is used.

Supposedly miko always was virgin during all their life, but this is enough far from the reality. It is probable that a woman who served like miko, when marrying, leaves her tasks in the temple and takes care of its husband and his family.

The traditional dress of one miko is one chihaya, that consists of one (divided skirt) of scarlet red color, a white shirt with loose shoulders and tabi.

In the fiction

In Literature, and frequently presents/displays to miko like that fights against the bad spirits, demons and ghosts. In roll games western, sometimes Holy Horsemen are treated in equivalent classes like Clergymen and occasionally.

In these histories, miko is described generally as very capable in a variety of martial arts with the use of Japanese conventional weapons, like yumi (arc), as much (knife), or some of the Japanese swords: , , etc. Miko also is capable in the magic, specially in o-fuda.

In some romantic histories and comedies bishoujo, miko sometimes is adolescent or small attractive but very serious and temperamental that is incapable to be related to boys (like a species of fear or hatred towards them). Nevertheless there are exceptions like in the series , in which miko fell in love with Inuyasha, being this one half demon (hanyou).

Kuro Miko

Recently in the sleeve and it animates is mentioned to Kuro Miko (Dark Miko), which contraparte of miko is one traditional, frequently serve apostatized or bewitching monks malignant (or they are free by his account) and who generally are antagonistic of miko. Like miko, it is trained in similar arts and can are marksmen. Kuro miko very is become attached to and has a strong knowledge of .

Kuro miko also uses chihaya, but the colors tend to be dark (they use the black schemes and purple or golden black and). In some series of it animates, kuro miko use masks they mientran make its rituals to make effect in this one and to hide its identities. Nevertheless they do not exist in the reality.