Kannagi (Shinto)
Kannagi are Shinto shamans. The term has a few different writings, one is the 巫, character in common with Miko, however the term is gender neutral and linked to the Chinese Wu shamans. Overview. A kannagi represents the act of communicating with a devotee of a deity, or a possession of a deity, or a God, or a person who serves in that role. For more information, see Shaman (Fu, Kan-nagi). Kumagusu Minakata, in his book "Ichiko ni kansuru koto", refers to Priestesss serving shrines as "kannagi", and to walking priestesses as "miko". Depending on the shrine , the word "kannagi" is used to refer to a miko who serves the shrine, and the word "miko" is used to refer to a walking miko. (Ōmiwa Shrine), Waka (Shiogama Shrine), Tamayorihime, Osame (Katori Shrine), Osome (Kibitsu Shrine), Itsukiko (Matsuo Shrine) Suwa-taisha, Kibitsu Shrine, Kunio Yanagita says that these two types of maidens were originally the same person, but were later separated, because there are other names for walking maidens, such as Oichi of Suwa Shrine, Sou-no-ichi of Atatsuta Shrine, and Waka of Shiogama Shrine.