TommyT Report This Comment Date: January 02, 2006 04:02AM
Mikos (Shinto shrine maidens) are treating visitors "Omiki".
Omiki is Sake (Rice wine. Japanese liquor) what offered for "Kami"
(Japanese Shinto's Gods and Goddes). And Shinto events like new year's visiting,
Omiki treat for visitors.
[Miko] (Shinto shrine maiden)
From Wikipedia. ( [
en.wikipedia.org] )
Miko are young women in the service of Shinto shrines of Japan.
The Miko tradition dates back to the ancient eras of Japan. In ancient times,
women who went into trances and conveyed prophecy or the words of god were
called Miko, not unlike the Oracle at Delphi of ancient Greece.
Later, miko were young female attendants at Shinto shrines and temples. They
were often the daughter(s) of the priest who presided over a given shrine. Roles
of the miko included performing in ceremonial dances (miko-mai) and assisting
priests in various ceremonies, especially weddings. The tradition continues and
today miko can be found at many Shinto shrines. In modern times most Miko are
part-time employees or volunteers. Their duties include assisting with shrine
functions, performing ceremonial dances, offering Omikuji (a type of fortune
telling), and staffing shrine shops.
It is somewhat difficult to assign a strict definition or English equivalent to
the Japanese word "Miko", though "shrine maiden" is most
often used. Other terms that have been used as equivalents are Prophet, Medium,
Priestess, Nun, witch, or Sorceress. It should be noted that although Shinto has
female priests - the term "priestess" is not used in Shinto - they are
not the same as miko. It is also important to note that miko do not have the
same degree of authority as that of an actual priest, although they can serve as
the senior cleric of a shrine if no priest is available. The unique exception to
this is that in ancient times, the prophecy revealed by Miko was considered to
be handed down directly from Kami (God).
Supposedly miko were virgins, though it is unverifiable if this was true. It is
probably true that when a woman who was serving as a miko married she abandoned
her duties at the shrine in order to be with her husband and new family. This
rule has since been mostly removed in modern times, though most still leave the
service of the shrine or train for the priesthood should they wed.
The traditional costume or dress of a miko is a chihaya, which consists of a
scarlet red hakama, either pants or a skirt; a white kimono shirt with swinging
sleeves (and oftentimes red trim); and tabi. Occasionally, some shrines, such as
the Tsurugaoka Hachiman Shrine in Kamakura, dress their miko in other colors. It
is also common for Miko to wear hair ribbons or ornaments, usually colored
either red or white.
etc...
shaDEz Report This Comment Date: January 02, 2006 08:51AM
i thought =mi= translated to "beauty" and =ko= meant "child
of" or is that just in nameing girls
zxz555 Report This Comment Date: January 02, 2006 10:25AM
I´ll wager there´s not one maid in that room.
TommyT Report This Comment Date: January 03, 2006 12:28PM
That's very nice explanation shaDEz!
Thank you!
There were many Mikos in That shrine not only this room. About 50 Mikos in here
and there.
Hakusan Jinja is the most big and famous shrine in Niigata city.
Anonymous Report This Comment Date: January 11, 2006 08:56PM
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Anonymous Report This Comment Date: February 23, 2006 04:04PM
Next beautiful picture please! Tommy!
