What is an Onakama? An "Onakama" is a folk shaman (fugeki) who performs spiritual mediumship, incantations, and divination, primarily in the Mogami and Murayama regions of Yamagata Prefecture. They are similar to Itako and Mikosama in other parts of the Tohoku region...
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Hinoemata Village is located in the southwesternmost part of Fukushima Prefecture. It is situated in the mountainous region between Mount Hiuchigatake, Mount Aizu-Komagatake, and Mount Taishakusan, the highest peaks in the Tohoku region...
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Examples of Itako Spells: As mentioned earlier, Itako chant various incantations, or spells, when performing shamanistic rituals such as spirit mediumship. But what exactly are these incantations like...?.
The Training Process to Become an Itako We've looked at examples of the shamanistic practices performed by Itako, but what kind of training is necessary to become an Itako? Currently, new Itako...
Introduction While reverence for intangible things like "prayer" and "faith" is still valued today, in the past in Japan, these were even more closely intertwined with daily life. That...
Mishima Town, Onuma District, Fukushima Prefecture. This municipality is located in a region commonly known as Oku-Aizu, very close to the border with Niigata Prefecture. Here, you can find one of the 12 well-known types of kokeshi dolls...
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What is Kasedori? Kasedori is a folk event held annually on February 11th in Kaminoyama City, Yamagata Prefecture. Originally a "visitation ceremony for the New Year's deity," it was held during the Little New Year (although there are various theories, it is generally considered to be from January 14th to 1...).
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In the Motoyoshi district of Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, there is a place known as "Poppo-sama's Grave." The legend surrounding this grave is that of an unidentified figure known as "Poppo-sama." The Motoyoshi area...
![Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu [Part 2]](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/aiki_tkd03-600x420.jpg.webp)
A reorganization or birth of Daito-ryu? The traditional story behind the transmission of Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu is that it was inherited and spread nationwide by Saigo Tanomo, a former chief retainer of the Aizu domain.
![Daito-ryu Aikijujutsu [Part 2]](https://jp.neft.asia/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/aiki_tkd02-600x420.jpg.webp)
What is the Oshikiuchi, a martial art reserved for the Aizu domain that is said to be the origin of Daito-ryu? According to Daito-ryu tradition, the school is based on the Oshikiuchi, a martial art used in the palace and kept secret from outside the domain, and this was re-created...
