Shamanism in Japan

, also known as the , was a shamaness-queen of Yamatai-koku in . Early Chinese dynastic histories chronicle tributary relations between Queen Himiko and the Cao Wei Kingdom (220–265) and record that the Yayoi period people chose her as ruler following decades of warfare among the kings of Wa. Early Japanese histories do not mention Himiko, but historians associate her with legendary figures such as Empress Consort Jingū, who is said to have served as regent from 201 to 269.

thumb|Modern miko in Meiji Shrine, [[Tokyo, in 2000]]

thumb|right|250px|An itako at the autumn Inako Taisai festival at Mount Osore, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.

Indigenous Ryukuan Religion

refers to the animistic religion of Jōmon period Japan which is the alleged basis of modern Shinto. The search for traces of Koshintō began with the "Restoration Shinto" in the Edo period, whose goal was to remove any foreign ideas and worldviews from Shinto (specifically referring to Buddhism). Some movements which claim to have discovered this primeval way of thought are Oomoto and Izumo-taishakyo.

traditional Japanese method of laying a curse

priestess of the Ryukyuan religion