There is said to be an illness called miko-yami—literally, "priestess sickness." It is a type of spiritual affliction that often appears in adolescent girls, and is said to be especially common in Okinawa. It is considered a form of schizophrenia, characterized by hearing divine voices or exhibiting alternate personalities—phenomena often described as being "possessed by gods." In Okinawa, it is said that those who overcome this condition go on to become respected noro, or priestesses.
At first, I wondered why "mental illness" and "Okinawa" would be so closely linked. But as I looked deeper into the matter, I gradually came to understand that the higher number of mental illness cases reported in Okinawa, compared to other regions, may be related to the island's religious and spiritual traditions. That is, in Okinawa's religious culture, there has long been a close connection between spirituality and what we now classify as mental illness.
This religious environment has produced a great many spiritually sensitive women—women who might be described as naturally inclined toward the role of miko.
It seems that the high number of such spiritually sensitive individuals is closely tied to the prevalence of people labeled as mentally ill in Okinawa. In other words, there appears to be a direct relationship between a society that nurtures spiritual receptivity and one in which psychiatric symptoms are more visible.
Yet, before the Okinawa Ocean Expo was held, the social attitude toward these spiritually unstable women was quite different. Rather than being isolated or treated as outcasts, they lived among their communities as part of daily life. Many of them even recovered naturally, without formal treatment.
However, things changed when it was decided that the Ocean Expo would be held, and that the Crown Prince would visit Okinawa. People began to think, "We can't leave things the way they are." As a result, those who had previously been living quietly within small community groups were rounded up and placed into psychiatric hospitals. It is said that existing hospitals could not accommodate them all, leading to the rapid construction of new psychiatric facilities across the region.
Why do I bring all this up? Because I believe something very similar occurred in ancient times.
In antiquity, people were even more attuned to gods and spirits than we are today. Women, to varying degrees, seemed to fulfill priestess-like roles within their families or local communities. Among them were individuals who were especially spiritually sensitive. These were the ones who experienced symptoms of what we might call miko-yami during adolescence. Those who were able to overcome it became miko, priestesses, and were welcomed and elevated by their tribal communities.
Those who could not overcome it may have been considered mad—but even then, they were still cared for and supported within the tribe as members of the communal whole.