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Writer w/ question to ensure accurate representation of culture

rialovee

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Hi, I'm an American who writes romantic fantasy. One of my characters is a priestess, whom I imagine wearing the garments of a Shinto priestess. I tried to Google what said garments were called, but there were too many mixed answers for my liking. I thought perhaps an actual Japanese person on here could tell me what you would call them. I getting the sense that there were multiple versions or types of garments priestesses would use for different occassions, so I'll narrow it down by saying that I'm imagine Kikiyo's outfit from Inuyasha. I appreciate any assistance anyone could give me in properly identifying these garments. Thank you.
 
Welcome to the forum! As a copyeditor of non-fiction books who does a lot of fact-checking, I'm impressed with your dedication to getting things right! I suggest going with the terminology in this article. I've done some freelance work for nippon.com and have always been impressed with their commitment to accuracy. The article is also written by a Shinto priest.
 
Thank you!
 
As in the wikipedia page linked below, it's just called 巫女装束 miko shōzoku, meaning "shrine maiden's clothing".

 
I totally agree! I've used nippon.com for research before, and their articles are always well-sourced and reliable. Having input from a Shinto priest definitely adds credibility. It's great to see such dedication to accuracy - this kind of attention to detail really makes a difference!
 
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