Kikoe-ōgimi

Kikoe-ōgimi (聞得大君) was the highest ranking noro priestess of the Ryukyuan religion during the period of the Ryukyu Kingdom.

The position of kikoe-ōgimi was formally established during the reign of King Shō Shin (r. 1477-1526) in order to centralize the religious order. Only a royal woman could be appointed as kikoe-ōgimi.

After Ryukyu's annexation by Japan in 1879, this position was formally abolished, but the last kikoe-ōgimi continued her role until her death in 1944.

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