Out-Of-Character (OOC) Section
IN-GAME NAME (IGN):
MomRP
DISCORD NAME & TAG:
satan_miu
WHAT IS YOUR TIMEZONE?:
EST
LIST ANY PREVIOUS BANS:
N/A
DO YOU HAVE A MICROPHONE?:
Yes, I do have a mic
DESCRIBE YOUR ACTIVITY ON THE SERVER:
I have been inactive for a while but that was due to personal issues, I am currently coming back online more frequently, at least to the fullest extent I can. I am available and come online more often. However, if I had to scale it. My activity is around 1-2 hours per day which is getting more worked overtime from how frequently I am getting online.
WHAT POSITION ARE YOU APPLYING FOR?:
Maiden
WHAT KNOWLEDGE DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE OF SHINTOISM AND ARE YOU PREPARED/WILLING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE RELIGION?:
I have studied Shintoism in-depth, and I hope to gain further understanding through this application. I am eager to learn more about Kamis as I'm more well-versed in their rituals in general and what happens during them. A few of the fundamental principles of Shinto include the value of purity, harmony, respect for nature, and reverence for the family from what I know of. There are numerous gods or spirits that have their own shrines where people can bring them food, money, along prayers. However, the rituals I have knowledge of may be out of date at least in terms of this faction, and willing to learn new things I never knew of Shintoism along with their adaptation.
A few things I do know for sure that happen within Shintonism are Kami offerings at the bell, Adoration [bowing to the altar], Kagura, which is entertaining the gods with a traditional dance and music ritual dedicated to the gods of Shinto, Tarot card readings, cleansing yourself before stepping a foot into the shrine area, along with tea rituals. Shinto consists in participating in festivals, rituals, and praying to the kami. The many practices, attitudes, and institutions that have developed to make up Shinto revolve around the Japanese land and seasons and their relation with the human inhabitants.
WHAT MAKES YOU STAND OUT FOR THIS ROLE OVER OTHER APPLICANTS?
In comparison to other candidates, I stand out for this position because I have previously focused on topics linked to maidens and priests and have studied them while attempting to better my understanding of Karakura, which is a component of it. I also hold Shintoism in high regard, despite what other people may think. I'm eager to learn more about the religious and cultural factors that contributed to Japan's unique identity, especially the lore surrounding Karakura. However, in some circumstances, I will try to learn things on my own if I can't ask others for assistance since they could be unavailable or unable to while being a hard worker.
Other than that, I have been in other factions in general. This includes being a Professor and EMS worker, regardless of that, it wouldn't be my first being in a faction, and know how to act accordingly in situations for the most part that may arise in the shrine accordingly if it came to be a situation that shouldn't be taken light-heartedly. Training will be me most likely easy as it's remembering such things to carry out as my interest is primarily to stay as a shrine worker I enjoy visiting the shrine often as a citizen as the shrine workers seem friendly while doing their duties.
DO YOU ACKNOWLEDGE YOU WILL HAVE TO ATTEND MANDATORY TRAINING TO BE TAUGHT MORE ABOUT SHINTOISM AND THE ACCORDING PROCEDURES?:
Yes, I know that I will have to attend the training and be taught more about Shintoism along with the modern procedures that you may have laid out so I can take the exam to my fullest accomplishment and pass with flying colors.
In-Character (IC) Section
SECTION 1: Character Details
CHARACTER FULL NAME:
Ikuko Goto
CHARACTERS TITLE (E.g. Mr. Mrs. Miss):
Ms.
CHARACTERS AGE (E.g. 21-80):
29
CHARACTERS MARITAL STATUS:
Single
CHARACTERS NATIONALITY:
Japanese
CHARACTERS PHONE-NUMBER:
030-560-2152
WHAT IS YOUR MOTIVATION FOR APPLYING TO WORK AT THE MONASTERY?:
“Even though I have never worked at a shrine, I have always wanted to be a Maiden. Although I was born in Morioka, I was raised in an area with many shrines and traditional buildings in general while traveling to Gimpo pretty often. My grandmother on my mother's side was very interested in religions and taught me their symbolism. I want to take a major step for myself and take the long shot to follow in my grandmother's footsteps and teach younger generations of this lovely religion, to also experience and love it as I always had a liking to Shintonism. The religion is slowly fleeing away from our generations as time passes, I believe teaching them Shintoism is a great thing to do to not let this lovely religion die down. They do not need to go into Shintoism, however knowing that this religion is a part of the city is a bigger step to remember for future generations to come.”
TELL ME WHAT HISTORY AND INFORMATION YOU KNOW ABOUT THE SHINSEI SEINARU MONASTERY:
“The Shinsei Seinaru Monastery, built in 744 by Buddhist monks, is a prominent Shintoism worship site in Karakura. It features various buildings, including a tea house, gift shop, dojo, and living area for workers. The oldest building, known as the "burnt area," is believed to be built closest to the heart of the Kami and protected by its protection. The monastery has been burned down twice in history, first in 1176 due to a rebellion by monks. In 1228, it was rebuilt and survived for 350 years before being destroyed in 1617. The second destruction was to send a message to Karakura's people, and the Monastery remains a symbol of hope and history.”
WRITE A LETTER TO THE MONASTERY LEAD :
Dear Inari Kyohanashima,
I hope my letter finds you properly as the delivery shall be sent on time. I wish to be a maiden at Shinsei Seinaru Shrine. Even though I do not know the information to the fullest of the monastery, I do know a big chunk of the history of it. I strive to learn more and eventually improve as a person in general with any new knowledge you put upon me that I must be aware of in general. I understand that the initial stages of knowledge may be difficult, but I will work hard to learn what is required of a priest. I can get to and assist around the shrine as often as possible, while also polishing my old comprehension of rituals if anything has changed.
Sincerely,
Ikuko Goto
BACKSTORY (100+ Words):
Ikuko was born in Morioka, Japan. However, her mother was Korean and often took Ikuko to Gimpo, where her grandparents resided for the most part. Her mother was against the religious means that were a part of the family, however, Ikuko was interested regardless and started to have a close bond with her grandparents. They shared interesting topics and experiences, lessons of religions she always wanted to have more of. This connection led her to learn more about Korean and Japanese religions, including Shintoism. However, her mother was against it which led Ikuko to attempt and look into other job opportunities, majoring in culinary as it somewhat had the same interests she enjoyed. In the long term, she started to dislike it when in college as it didn't give her the same motivation as it did learning religions.
While in school she learned different things but I didn't really stick out to her and stick to her in general, it was something that she had to deal with but her grades were significantly higher than average as if she were to be someone who was interested in the subject in the first place. However, it was all just for her to have her parents not worry about her education too much and limit her visitation to her grandparents, this is because staying away from my grandparents in general meet her upset he didn't get to have the information she could to know and knowledge yourself and along with their close-knit bond that they formed over the years since she was a child. In college, it was the same way but this time it was her and touching to grow within the major and not fail due to not wanting to have her parent's money to be wasted over nothing, they made sure that she could have a dormitory, furniture, and more to live comfortably within the campus.
Every year and every second she was learning and majoring in law which made her solely rethink her life choices due to the fact that she didn't like this. This was slowly turning into the normal thing that was within her elementary, even grade school. Ikuko hated every part of it because she wanted to escape from this harsh reality that she never had been interested in the first place. It was something that felt unreal as her desire to learn slowly drifted away but she still forced herself to go through with the trimesters. While living in college and majoring in culinary she also minored in learning different languages, this included Russian and French. She already knew Korean as it was the easiest for her to obtain due to her young age of being exposed to such things along with the desire to learn such a language. When she learned all these languages she started to realize the cultural importance of it along with how the language brings on different things like speech patterns and slang.
Ikuko decided to move to a smaller city in Japan after graduating where there were many shrine sightings she could go to, after a bit of staying there she realized that Shintoism was a part of their everyday life even if it was a small understanding of this religion. She wanted to see different shrines, learn more about them and see Kami shrines, dedicated to such gods. Her final destination was moving to Karakura as she heard there was a shrine she had never been to which piqued her interest, however moving there she realized younger age groups didn't know Shintoism that well. It made Ikuko think through a lifelong decision she'd never regret til this day and decided to devote herself to the religion to teach younger generations about Shintoism, believing becoming a Madien would be best suited to learn the ways of the Shinsei Seinaru Monastery to appropriately teach people and spread knowledge of the Monastery to others, the history, and beliefs the shrine workers hold so the religion holds out.
SECTION 2: Self-Knowledge Details
What duties do Shinto Priests and Maidens have?:
The Priests usually manage more direct contact with the gods, if it’s coming to officiating weddings, ceremonies, and sealing ghosts, they occasionally go into the city. Maidens are the same way with going into the city occasionally, but usually, their duties remain in the Monastery and don’t travel out of it. Their tasks can differ from general groundwork around the Shrine to small rituals. Priest and Maiden's work is fairly the same, though Maidens often do the traditional dance which is called the Kagura dance. They often make sure the shrine is cleaned and safe, which Priests also do universally.
What are the steps needed to be taken at the purification before entering the Shrine?:
One must walk up to the bail of water, rinse, take a ladle, and rinse one hand, then do the same with the other. Put some water in your mouth with the spoon, swish it around, and spit away from the bail of water.
How are offerings to a Kami performed?:
The person places their offering, usually 100 yen, into the offering box. The Priest or Maiden will ring the bell, alerting the Kami that an offering has been made. One must bow twice, clap twice, think or say your prayer, then the prayer is sealed.
How do you perform a tea ceremony ritual?:
A traditional Japanese tea ceremony involves preparing the room for the event, changing the Japanese mats, and rearranging the room. The host cleans the room and ensures all supplies are available. After guests settle, the host brings in the Japanese tea ceremony set and ritually cleanses each tool, including the tea bowl, to preserve the expensive tools' longevity. Depending on the occasion, they offer different types of light foods. The host prepares a thick matcha tea in the tea bowl, blended in a ratio of 3 teaspoons of matcha to 1 cup of hot water. The tea is kneaded and mixed with the matcha whisk and passed to the guest of honor. The guest cleans the bowl with a cloth/napkin, and the tea is passed around while turned around 90 degrees. This continues until everyone has had an opportunity to drink from the same tea bowl. After sampling the thick matcha tea, the tea is returned to the host for cleaning. The host prepares thin matcha tea, blended in a ratio of 1 tsp matcha to 1 cup of hot water, and whipped with a bamboo whisk until smooth. The host cleans the tea set a third time, and the guest of honor often requests to examine the utensils to admire their craftsmanship. The tea ceremony concludes, and guests depart the tea house, bowing to each guest.
Explain what a Tamagushi, Ofuda, and Kagura Suzu are and what they're used for:
Tamagushi- it is a form of Shinro offering made from sakaki-tree branches decorated with strips of washi paper, silk, or cotton. They are used for weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies at the Shinto shrines. It is sometimes used to seal or exorcise spirits.
Ofuda- An Ofuda is a talisman made of many materials like cloth, wood, paper, or even metal. It is often put at sites of sealed spirits and is used to ward off ghosts.
Kagura Suzu- Kagura Suzu is a set of twelve bells used in the Kagura Dance. It is said that ringing them calls kami, allowing one to acquire positive power and authority while repelling evil.
(OPTIONAL) Based on your character; which other Kami would they worship?:
Okuninushi, the god of agriculture and medicine
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