Need advice on rolling up and roleplaying a "Shrine Maiden" character.
A GM is trying to get together a GURPS game about modern day fantasy/sci-fi demon fighters or some shit. I've decided I want my character to be a miko/shrine maiden. Can anybody with a better knowledge of Japanese culture tell me how I should generally stat this character and what her skills/powers should be like? I know I could just read the Wikipedia entry on "real" shrine maidens, but I have no idea how they've been portrayed in folklore and popular media (other than forever sweeping things up).
From my knowledge of Japanese culture, they have sex almost constantly and have pensies about 67% of the time. So, like any other Japanese girl.
>>44385438
In truth most shrine maidens are generally not much more than cleaning/working staff and for shrines and servants for higher religious figures. They are involved mostly providing music, singing and dancing for religious rituals. Also if they happen to be beautiful that was seen as an advantage to make the shrine popular. Unlike their popular portrayal in anime, they are not all young and beautiful. Some live at their shrine until their old age.
Their "spiritual duties" are not fixed at all because Japanese shinto religion was never institutionalized so there is no standard. Every shrine had pretty much their own idea on how shit works. Shrine maidens did minor religious activities that higher people didn't have time to (or they client couldn't pay for) like fortune telling from cards, tea or other stuff occasionally blessing family altars or homes, cleansing evil from cursed/haunted locations and objects etc.
In short there is no standard and animu uses them quite liberally. Popular culture like animu generally portrays them as being pure, disciplined and wise girls that are devoted to their shrine and protection of humanity against the supernatural monsters. Their main abilities tend to be sealing/dispelling/banishing evil spirits/energies. Often using paper seals, little papers cards with complex kanji runes, that can block/seal supernatural energies when stuck on a surface like a door/window or on the forehead of a possesed person.They are traditionally portrayed as archers with arrows that have magical effects.
>>44387363
OP here - I'm still around. Thanks Anon, good to know that I more or less can just make a lot of shit up but there's still some influences to keep a Japanese flavor to it.
>>44387363
They often use these wooden wands "Gohei" which are decorated with elaborate zig zagging paper patterns usually white but can be decorated with runes or patterns of colors.
The belief is that waving this wand can scare/repulse evil.
>>44387412
Not that guy, but if you want a Japanese flavor to your shrine maidens, study up on your Shinto lore, and make a character with a similar belief structure.
>>44385438
>>44387363
also depends on how far back you go.
You can look up "Shinto Priest" duties and such if you want another idea and go by ANCIENT (we're talking around the time of the Ashikaga Shogunate here) standards when they were equals with their rank translating roughly to "Shamaness".
The more helpful things you can do is read up a little on Onmyodo mysticism, Shinto faith, and Buddhism (generally along the lines of Zen and Amida which tend to be the relatively more esoteric branches of Buddhism)
Further more: if it makes you feel better you could go to Japan and ASK Japanese people what Miko are and most of them will shrug and probably say "look cute?"
AHA! I found my primary source on Shinto stuff and miko.
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto-priesthood.html
wikipedia, debatable in it's accuracy, still also has interesting stuff though:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miko
Namely this part:
"The Japanese word miko or fujo — “female shaman; shrine maiden”[11] — is usually written 巫女[11] as a compound of the kanji 巫 "shaman", and 女 "woman; female".[11] Miko was archaically written 神子 (lit. "kami/god child")[11] and 巫子 ("shaman child").[citation needed]
Miko performed in Japan throughout history. The term Miko means possession by gods and spirits, and while originally perhaps all Mikos employed ecstasy, the term gradually came to include many groups which did not use ecstasy. Mikos performed both within the shrines and outside of the shrines, divining, driving out evil spirits, performing sacred dances, etc., the purpose of which was to serve mankind by preserving life and bringing happiness to man.[12]"
So, traditionally, Miko are channelers of Divine power... Which basically means they're no different than most DnD clerics except probably spamming commune a lot more.
>>44387412
You are pretty much correct at that.
One popular element are the zigzagging paper streamers called "Shide" which have the magical effect of repulsing evil. Usually it is seen a everywhere even today in real life Japan.
>>44387363
I once made a character with powers taken from Mikos from Inuyasha.
The powers displayed by Kikyo, Kagome, Tsubaki, Midoriko, Hitomiko... are a cool inspiration for a neat character.
>>44387504
So they were summoners and channelers, or basic bitch clerics.
>>44387543
Pretty much novice female clerics.
>>44385438
Like this, but with out the being a guy part.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgnQqVc0-VI
>>44387543
pretty much, though if one wants to play with that what you end up with are Miko who basically can become divine Avatars ala Guild Wars Dervishes and wreck peoples' shit with the power of the Gods.
>"Wonder Miko powers, ACTIVATE! Form of: AMATERASU!"
>"TASTE THE POWER OF THE SUN!!!"
Lazy and overpowered asshole.
>>44387159
tfw no miko futa gf
>modern day
remember that modern-day shrine maidens are basically part-time employees at the shrine.
that's why anime always has that one schoolgirl dressed as a western nun, they assume abbeys work the same way.
>>44389955
>remember that modern-day shrine maidens are basically part-time employees at the shrine.
To be honest, a lot of shrines in japan are privately owned, and the Miko there are either daughters, or other memebers/friends of the family, stopping by whenever they are needed.
In larger shrines, they are usually normal long term employees.
You can meet some quite fascinating people among them, especially around the more important and sacral places.
>>44390065
>>You can meet some quite fascinating people among them, especially around the more important and sacral places.
Hell no those people are CREEPY as fuck!
>>44390559
Creepy? What would be creepy about having your nation's religious beliefs at heart?
>>44391870
How is it different from your own gods? People believe in imaginary things. That's always a bit weird IMO.
That said, shinto is less creepy than most of the alternatives.
>>44389265
More likely to be a trap.
This thread makes me want to make sisters of battle: shrine maiden edition
>>44393814
Maybe they'd be part of the /tg/-fan "Sons of the Emperor" Chapter? Or rather from the same world of "Space Japan"
>>44387159
After a brief search of Gelbooru and Danbooru, I have determined that this is the most accurate, most truest answer.
>>44387456
>Further more: if it makes you feel better you could go to Japan and ASK Japanese people what Miko are and most of them will shrug and probably say "look cute?"
heh
