In Shinto tradition, miko and performers enter trance in kagura dances to channel kami (spirits), using music and movement for purification and prophecy. Integral to shrine festivals. It mattered by maintaining animistic ecstasy within syncretic Japanese spirituality.

Japanese Shinto kami possession and Kagura dance, dating back to 500, influenced Noh theater and the poetic forms of tanka and haiku. This cultural interplay resonated in modern Japanese poetry, emphasizing the beauty of transience and the spiritual connection to nature.