Honne

In Kiren, a ***honne*** is a temple maiden or a supplementary priestess. In ancient times honne were once seen as being akin to shamans, often communicating with spirits directly. However, since the 17th century their status has waned considerably, and they have grown to become associated with daily temple duties, trained to assist priests in sacred cleansing, performing dances and songs, or even, in modern times, working at reception desks to welcome visitors to a temple.

## Appearance

A *honne* will traditionally wear a white robe, tied at the waist with either a silver, blue or white sash depending on their experience and age, and wearing their hair loose and long. In Kiren, the colour white symbolises purity and divinity. While performing dances, *honne* will don a special cloak made of a fine fabric called *yossaro* which is usually blue or red in colour, along with matching hair ribbons. *Honne* will typically go barefoot while walking within the temple, as is customary of all who enter such a building. However, when walking outdoors, they will wear traditional six-inch-tall kaga sandals.

Traditional tools used by the temple maidens in their rituals include bells, drums, torches, bowls of salt water and/or salt, silk streamers, hazelwood canes, and wooden balls or beanbags.

## History

*Honne* were once highly revered women of their communities who channeled the spirits or invoked their presence in order to communicate divine will. They were trained in the art of dream divination, and could help to interpret strange or disturbing dreams. In exceptional circumstances, *honne* could even interpret the words of a possessed person to make them comprehensible to others present. The traditions of the *honne* date back to the prehistoric period, when female shamans would go into 'trances' and 'convey the words of the gods'.

The early *honne* were important social figures in Kantonese society, and some of the few women who held real power. Typically, *honne* were trained from the age of 16, being considered 'matured' by the age of 30. It was believed that the older a temple maiden grew, the wiser and more powerful she became. However, this gradually changed around the 1300s, and it became common belief that *honne* should be young women, even prepubescent girls, as dancing and performance became more of a focus in their work. Until the 1300s, it was customary for *honne* to be polygamous. However, this changed drastically as new values entered Kantonese society, and by the 15th century, they took to swearing vows of celebacy. The only exception to this vow was that, if their union was approved by the gods, a *honne* could marry what was roughly her male counterpart, the *hotō*. However, as the latter began to die out and became all but non-existent by the late 1400s, *honne* were eventually expected to be lifelong virgins.

With the limiting of their sexual and emotional expression and once-important role in the community, *honne* soon became shadows of their ancient ancestors by the 1500s. No longer having the skills to induce trances, embody spirits or interpret dreams, they became little more than eye-candy for the spectacle of a temple ritual, performing gaudily with expensive clothing and numerous props. In some communities, particularly in the south of Kanton, *honne* could quickly become celebrities in their own right, and the most famed women would even go on tours, performing in different areas and earning money through donations. Though not as heavily idolised as the stylish *meiri* of the pleasure districts, or the high-ranking courtesans of the Imperial Court, many *honne* became popular role-models in their own right, representing pioty, elegance, modesty and an innocent kind of beauty. They rejected modern, flashy fashions and appealed to the old-fashioned, traditional tastes held by the rural population.

Unfortunately, like most women in feudal Kanton *honne* were very rarely able to live independently. They were given food and board by their local temple, and they might have received a small monetary payment occasionally, most often after a successful festival or during a holiday, when temples were at their wealthiest. However, because they could not get married (and in many instances were not even allowed to interact with men outside the religious caste), *honne* remained reliant on their temples and often led cloistered, frugal and repressed lives. Although there is no record of *honne* being preyed upon by priests or monks who lived around them, it is safe to assume that this was not at all an impossibility. But the *honne* found strength and solidarity in each other. A temple could easily hold around five to ten *honne*, who would live under the same roof and perform together in groups. These women were probably incredibly close, having spent most of their years as adult women living and working together.

## Contemporary *honne*

Modern-day temple maidens are often seen at Kiren temples and shrines, where they assist with functions, events, and participate in the daily routine and upkeep of the building. Depending on their experience, *honne* can perform ceremonial dances, offer fortune telling, sell souvenirs, and assist priests in traditional rituals, which are usually conducted for the interest of visitors. Of course, contemporary *honne* are not expected to work without pay, and can now expect to earn a modest wage in their position. There may be around three to five *honne* at one temple, with larger establishments employing more.