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Nov 21 2018 12 Comments

Portrait of a Shinto shrine maiden

Miko, or Shinto shrine maidens, can often be seen selling amulets, taking part in ceremonies, or swiftly moving from one building to another. Young, identically dressed women who once had important roles within the religion, but nowadays are generally just University students helping out on a part-time basis.

Still, regardless of their status, or level of training, getting the chance for a quick portrait isn’t a common occurrence. At least not for me it isn’t, anyway. So here — in monochrome as it seemed best suited to the almost timeless nature of her position — is a rare photo of a Miko quietly going about her business.

portrait of a Japanese shrine maiden or miko

Categorized: Culture, Photography, Religion

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn says

    11/21/2018 at 10:34 am

    This is so beautiful. I can sense the calmness which today is totally what I need. Thank you! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/21/2018 at 8:59 pm

      You are more than welcome. Very happy to have helped!

      Reply
      • Martin B says

        11/21/2018 at 11:32 pm

        @jenn, Exactly my reaction as well, it’s the sort of scene that makes you want to stop and do nothing, just enjoy the peace of the surroundings.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          11/23/2018 at 8:24 am

          Really nice to hear that aspect of the photo comes through.

          Reply
  2. Harry says

    11/21/2018 at 2:00 pm

    Very cool shot. I really enjoy these occasional shots of traditional Japan you show us. I like you bar series but sometimes a quieter moment is welome! 😉

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/21/2018 at 9:01 pm

      Cheers. Certainly nice to mix things up a bit, plus scenes like this don’t arrive all that often, so good to document them when they do.

      Reply
      • John Van Hecke says

        11/21/2018 at 10:53 pm

        I too like the shots of tradition. I have scenes in my memory that you have given me of bonsai, archery and the shinto men. I know I’ll remember this, a Miko, something I was totally unaware of prior to your photo and explanation. Thanks Lee! You have enriched my life little by little.

        Reply
        • Lee says

          11/22/2018 at 10:09 am

          That’s nice to hear. Really nice indeed. Those scenes you mentioned I genuinely enjoyed shooting, so it’s great to hear that other people get some pleasure out of them too.

          Reply
  3. Olivier says

    11/21/2018 at 8:18 pm

    Hello,

    this is a nice portrait, very inspiring.

    Olivier

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/21/2018 at 9:04 pm

      Thanks Olivier. Very happy to have got the photo. A scene I’d never seen before. Definitely a case of being at the right place at just the right time.

      Reply
  4. cdilla says

    11/22/2018 at 12:36 am

    There is something tranquil about quitely going about a simple task as well as you are able, and your photograph captures that feeling perfectly.

    Thanks for the background too. I have occasionally been confused between Miko and Maiko – and will probably still mix them up from time to time, but now I have less excuse to do do.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      11/22/2018 at 10:11 am

      You are welcome. Didn’t know much about them myself to be honest, so a good little learning exercise.

      Good to hear that tranquility comes through. Not always possible with a photo.

      Reply

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