mikoshi means A raised ceremonial litter used to transport a Shinto deity between shrines. It carries an Arena rating of 1406, earned across 8 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mikoshi ranks #626 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #646 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #2,070 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,247 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words.
Why “mikoshi” is a great word
A portable shrine, typically a raised and ornate litter, used in Shinto festivals to ceremonially transport a deity between shrines or through a community. Its name carries its sacred purpose: from the Japanese 神輿 (mikoshi), from 神 (mi, "divine, august") + 輿 (koshi, "palanquin, sedan chair, litter"). Unlike a palanquin—a secular, functional litter for human transport—or a jinja—a permanent, static shrine building—the mikoshi is a vessel of divine motion, a temporary dwelling for a kami on the move. It is the deafening, rhythmic chant of the bearers, the glint of gilt phoenixes swaying above a sea of shoulders, and the palpable surge of a community lifting its god—and thus itself—into a shared, ecstatic present. It is faith made kinetic, a brief and roaring proof that the sacred can be carried.
Etymology
From Japanese 神(み)輿(こし) (mikoshi, “divine sedan”).
noun
- A raised ceremonial litter used to transport a Shinto deity between shrines.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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