THE PATTERNS OF INITIATION IN JAPANESE SHAMANISM

The spiritual marriage with a divine being has been duly recognized and emphasized as a theme characterizing the rite of initiation for the blind mediums (itako) in northern Japan. But, the existence of this theme in Ryukyu shamanism has not always drawn the serious attention which it deserves. The aim of this essay is to highlight the theme by taking a closer look at the myths and rituals on the Miyako and Amami Islands. In this southernmost part of Japan, the candidate for shamanic vocation (variously known as yuta or kamkakarya) is mystically ''wedded'' through the rite of initiation to a heavenly or solar divinity, serving him as his ''spiritual'' wife.