The Asuza-Miko are a compact of hunters who specialize in rooting out supernatural corruption among the miko, Shinto shrine-maidens. Many are former miko or daughters of miko families who were forbidden from practicing during the Tokugawa Shogunate; this outsider status allowed them to recognize miko who were possessed by ghosts, spirits, or worse creatures.
Overview[]
Early Edo is a complicated time to be a Shinto priestess. As the Tokugawa Shogunate works to codify and organize the folk religions and temples of Japan, a sort of turf war rises up around who would claim control over the female shamans who have seemingly always practiced on the islands. The full flames of that war are still over the horizon, but it is as if the miko of Edo know that they will be pawns in a battle between houses, clans, and most of all, monsters.Nearly a hundred types of miko reside all over the islands, with varying practices, rights, and responsibilities from Hokkaido to Okinawa. The Azusa are only one type, and many of the mare not monster hunters, while it’s possible that other shaman women are on the Vigil. Most certainly, some other shaman women are with the enemy.
Purpose[]
It used to be that if a thing needed doing, the miko in the area would do it. If a god needed dealt with, an ancestor appeased, spiritual corruption cleansed, a shaman could handle it. But now, Japan is united, and men are busy arguing over who can do what and where. As the miko were forced to become specialized so that the shogunate could be strengthened, ancestor-appeasing specialists were driven from the temples, and the temple-bound miko focused more and more on appeasing the gods and spirits as they were discouraged from speaking to the dead. This imbalance left many young miko vulnerable not just to possession by the gods, but also by demons and monsters. As a result, there is a corruption inside many miko families. And as they travel from shrine to shrine, performing sacred dances and cleansings, the monsters that feed on them, literally or figuratively, are protected and empowered to cause all sorts of evil. The Azusa Miko, the bow shamans, were forced away from the temples, and forbidden from publicly practicing for the gods, leaving them to fortune tell and speak to the dead. Perhaps it was this separation that allowed the Azusa to spot the patterns of corruption and manipulation among their sister shamans. Now, Azusa devote themselves to hunting down and rooting out corruption and supernatural influence over their fellow miko, and other priests and practitioners, wherever they can get away with it. This is in addition, of course,to their primary role of appeasing the ancestors and exorcising malicious spirits.
Organization[]
Sayaniwa: When a miko enters into a ritual trance as a medium, the messages she utters may be incomprehensible. The Sayaniwa traditionally acts as a sort of interpreter. For the Asuka on the Vigil, Sayaniwa act as mood readers, trained to spot approval and disapproval; they have developed this talent to read strange behaviors commonly associated with monstrous intrusion.
Reibai: Literally “spirit go-between,” Reibai are expected to keep one ear and one eye in the spirit world. Often, despondent ghosts are the first warning signs of supernatural manipulations — beloved ancestors do indeed watch over their families, and can see things mortals cannot. They hear rumors, too, and sometimes recall the ancient names and behaviors of all-too modern monsters. The Reibai keep attentive, and keep the dead happy so that they will keep protecting the living.
Geki: While not strictly miko, Geki, male shamans, often practice alongside their sisters, wives, and mothers in service of the spirit world. Their talents are equal to the miko, though different rituals require differently gendered practitioners;they’re still a part of the compact. Besides, when a person is rampaging and violent due to a fox spirit possession, it’s nice to have a man around.
References[]
- CofD: Chronicles of Darkness: Dark Eras, p. 311-312
