Category:Shrine Maidens

A shrine maiden or miko (巫女) is a term that refers to altar girls of the Shinto religion. They live and work in a Shinto shrine. Shrine maidens are generally virgins and take various rites of purity and chastity, and undergo various forms of physical and mental training. They also practice sealing and purification rituals, which are highly form-based and symbolic, and are used to bless, purify, or exorcise vengeful spirits.

The main weapon that shrine maidens use is the gohei (pronounced goh-hay), which is a wand with elaborately folded paper called shide (pronounced shee-day). Other common tools are small rectangular sheets of paper used for sealing called ofuda, which are elaborately painted with various mystical symbols and rites of sealing.