In ancient Japan, how can a girl become a miko or priestess?

Question:

Like how can they enter the Shinto temple to become priestess or miko as they are called in Japanese? Is there a certain age needed? Can a priestess marry? What do they do other than praying? Do they study some things? What are they called if they are not yet priestesses like are they called apprentice?

Please i need all the details i can get. Wikipedia doesn't have any.

Answer:

In ancient times, miko were more like oracles than priestesses. Not much is known about how they did things because the Japanese never had writing till it was imported from China in the 6th century.

In modern Japan:

- how can they enter the Shinto temple to become a priestess

The typical way is to graduate from a Shinto university. Priests and priestesses are often from a priestly family.

- how can they enter the Shinto temple to become a miko

Apply at the shrine. (Note that temples are Buddhist, not Shinto)

- Is there a certain age needed

Miko are not older than 25. No age restrictions on priests or priestesses but most are college graduates so that kind of puts a lower limit on the age.

- Can a priestess marry

Certainly. I don't know the statistics, but I'd guess 99% are married.

- What do they do other than praying

Miko do administrative functions and help with shrine events. Today the Miko's most important ritual function is the kagura dance. Priestesses do the higher level administrative functions (just like priests). A lot of what they do is determined by the size of the shrine. Some, like Ise Jingu or Fushimi Inari Taisha, have over a hundred priests and priestesses and are run like a company. Others just have a priest/priestess and their spouse (who is likely also a priest or priestess) and have part-time mikos when needed.

- What are they called if they are not yet priestesses like are they called apprentice

University students, usually. There are many grades of priests/priestesses. A person starts as a low-grade priest and works their way through the various levels. It's almost always based on seniority because Japanese culture is traditionally seniority based.

- Wikipedia doesn't have any

Wikipedia is generally the last place to look because anyone can write or change anything about the content--including those who dislike something about the topic.

Some better sources are:

http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwor…
http://www.davidchart.com/Blog/2011/04/2…
http://www.greenshinto.com/wp/
http://www.tsubakishrine.org/
http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english…
http://www.fushimiinari.com/ (Japanese language only)