Folklore Notes 2
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Everything on the grounds is presided over by a group of shrine maidens called the "handmaidens."
As a man, I'm only allowed to enter certain rooms. During the day, I'm confined to my assigned chambers, but during the night I'm invited into the chambers of a woman named Kyouka.
There isn't much contact with the outside world in the manor and guests are a rarity, so Kyouka always listens to my stories raptly. The sound of her plucking her koto is as fine and delicate as her hair.
When I told her I was collecting songs, she let me hear a few of the folk songs passed on in this region.
It seems the "Sleeping Priestess" song has something to do with the shrine after all, but it is used in rituals and called the "Handmaiden's Song" here.
According to Kyouka, there are four handmaidens in the manor, who are girls of roughly five to nine years old chosen from nearby villages and then made to serve a term of duty.
They also apparently play a crucial role in the rite of the "Handmaiden's Song", but Kyouka wouldn't tell me about the rite itself.
Guessing from the lyrics, I would think the rite involves a priestess and tattoos, but it would be rude of me to pry too much.