For context, I am trying to write a story about a girl running to a shrine to seek help in banishing a demon chasing her. She runs to a small shrine on the outskirts of the suburb she lives in and seeks the help of a priestess. However, I don’t know the accuracy of this, let alone the terminology to use. I’m not sure if small shrines can provide aid to banish evil. I don’t want to make a mistake in writing this.
What I am trying to learn is:
What are small shrines called?
Who runs small shrines and what are their names?
Where do you find small shrines?
Can they ward off evil?
How do you refer to the person who runs these shrines and what is the proper conduct?
1 comment
My friend is a priestess of a small shrine. Some Shinto sects do not allow females in its priesthood, but my friend’s shrine does. Those shrines do conduct ceremonies to ‘expel’ evil spirits and cleanse the location of bad luck, but I don’t think of shrines helping people so much. It is more of Buddhist temples’ job to rescue and assist people in need.
Shrines are everywhere. Small ones as well as large ones are run by Kan-nushi.かんぬし(神主 in kanji), although I don’t know much about the hierarchy above that level and it depends perhaps on which school of Shintoism the particular shrine belongs to.
I would read a book or two on Shintoism ethnography, if I was writing what you described.