Itako
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Itako, also known as ichiko or ogamisama, are blind women who train to become spiritual mediums in Japan. Training involves severe ascetic practices, after which the woman is said to be able to commun
An itako at the autumn Inako Taisai festival at Mount Osore, Aomori Prefecture, Japan.
Osorezan and Lake Usori. Aomori prefecture, Japan.
A statue of Jizo at Osorezan
Mount Osore
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Mount Osore is the name of a Buddhist temple and folk religion pilgrimage destination in the center of remote Shimokita Peninsula of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of northern Japan.
Itako
…to itako apprenticeships up until the start of the Meiji era, which outlawed itako rituals outright. Today, itako are most commonly associated with Mt. Osore in Aomori prefecture. There, itako gather for an annual festival to channel the dead for thousands of tourists. Itako perform ceremonies to communicate…
The main hall of Osorezan Bodaiji temple in autumn.
Sōmon gate of Bodai-ji
Temple complex buildings at Osorezan, in autumn.