Noro (priestess)

Noro (祝女, sometimes 神女 or 巫女) (Okinawan: Nuuru) are priestesses of the Ryukyuan religion. They have existed since at least the beginning of the Gusuku Period (late 12th century) and continue to perform rituals even today. They are distinct from yuta () (psychics), but are classified as kaminchu ("godly people").

According to Chūzan Seikan and Chūzan Seifu, the first priestesses were the daughters of Tentei-shi, who was a descendant of the creation goddess, Amamikyu. The first daughter became the first royal priestess, kikoe-ōgimi (聞得大君), and the second daughter became the first village priestess, noro. The god of fire gave a piece of fire from Ryūgū-jō to each noro to create a village hearth, from which each family in the village would take fire to maintain their own family hearths. The kikoe-ōgimi maintained the royal hearth. The noro were charged with conducting official rituals and ceremonies for their respective village. The kikoe-ōgimi was charged with conducting rituals and ceremonies on behalf of the entire kingdom, and traveled with the king to Sefa-utaki to worship Amamikyu.

Upon taking the throne in 1469, King Shō En made his sister the Chief Noro of his home of Izena, and his daughter kikoe-ōgimi. During the reign of Shō Shin (r. 1477–1526), the priestess system was centralized under the kikoe-ōgimi's authority and a noro was assigned to every village in the kingdom. The kikoe-ōgimi also had a new residence built near Shuri Castle so she could maintain Sonohyan-utaki.

After the 1609 invasion by Satsuma, Confucian thought entered the Ryukyuan government and began eroding the authority of the priestesses. Satsuma placed a demand on the Ryukyuan government that women were forbidden to own land, however the government ignored this demand in respect to the noro. Shō Shōken, acting as Prime Minister of Ryukyu, convinced the king to stop or scale down a number of religious rituals and ceremonies in the name of saving money and minimizing aspects of Ryukyuan culture that might seem "backwards" to Satsuma, such as the king and kikoe-ōgimi's pilgrimage to Sefa-utaki. However, local village priestesses still retained influence and power until the end of the 19th century.

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