Miko - History of Mikoism

History of Mikoism

Miko traditions date back to the ancient Jōmon era of Japanese history, when female prophets who would go into “trances and convey the words of the gods” (the kami), an act comparable with “the pythia or sibyl in Ancient Greece.”

The early Miko was an important social figure who was “associated with the ruling class.” “In addition to her ritual performances of ecstatic trance,” writes Kuly, “ performed a variety of religious and political functions.” One traditional school of Miko, Kuly adds, “claimed to descend from the Goddess Uzume.”

During the Nara period (710–794) and Heian period (794–1185), government officials tried to control Miko practices. As Fairchild notes:

In 780 A.D. and in 807 A.D. official bulls against the practice of ecstasy outside of the authority of the shrines were published. These bulls were not only aimed at ecstasy, but were aimed at magicians, priests, sorcerers, etc. It was an attempt to gain complete control, while at the same time it aimed at eradicating abuses which were occurring.

During the feudal Kamakura period (1185–1333) when Japan was controlled by warring shogun states:

The Miko was forced into a state of mendicancy as the shrines and temples that provided her with a livelihood fell into bankruptcy. Disassociated from a religious context, her performance moved further away from a religious milieu and more toward one of a non-ecclesiastical nature. The travelling Miko, known as the aruki Miko, became associated with prostitution.

During in the Edo period (1603–1868), writes Groemer, “the organizational structures and arts practiced by female shamans in eastern Japan underwent significant transformations.” Though in the Meiji period (1868–1912), many shamanistic practices were outlawed:

After 1867 the Meiji government's desire to create a form of state Shinto headed by the emperor—the shaman-in-chief of the nation—meant that Shinto needed to be segregated from both Buddhism and folk-religious beliefs. As a result, official discourse increasingly repeated negative views of Miko and their institutions.

The Shinto kagura dance ceremony, which originated with “ritual dancing to convey divine oracles,” has been transformed in the 20th century into a popular ceremonial dance called Miko-mai (巫女舞) or Miko-kagura (巫女神楽).