Miroku

Summary
"Miroku" is the Japanese form of the Sanskrit name "Maitreya" which means "the Buddha of the Future".

Miroku is typical of the wandering Buddhist priests, often called hōshi (法師)  while Kagome's grandfather and Kikyou are typical of the Shinto Shrine priest/priestess.

He is first introduced when he detects a Jewel Shard being held by Kagome and kidnaps her in order to steal the shard.

Miroku is a "lecherous monk" - It is historically documented that during this time period certain Buddhist Monks and Monastaries were notorious in their promiscuousness. Whenever he meets a beautiful young lady he asks "Would you consider bearing my children?"

His great-grandfather was cursed by Naraku, the chief antagonist of the InuYasha series. Whilst battling Naraku, Miroku's grandfather was pierced though the hand creating the Wind Tunnel. This curse has been passed down from father to son, and thus to Miroku. Miroku is able to control the wind tunnel by sealing it with prayer beads.

If Miroku uses his wind tunnel in the prescence of strong demonic poisons, the wind tunnel will suck in the poison and spread it throughout his body. As a spiritually powerful Buddhist monk who regularly battles demons and exorcises spirits, a little bit of the poison won't kill him; however if he absorbes too much it will incapacitate or kill him.

The curse of the Wind Tunnel is that it slowly grows larger with time and use; ultimately this Wind Tunnel will grow out of control and consume him, like his father and grandfather before him. His only hope is to find and destroy Naraku first, and hope that with the death of Naraku the curse will be lifted.

Background
Miroku was raised and trained by an eldery Buddhist monk named Mushin (tr: Dream Mind) who became Miroku's gaurdian when his father was violently swallowed by by the Kazaana.

Prior to meeting Inuyasha and Kagome, Miroku traveled the countryside performing (as he viewed it) his Budhhist duties towards the people he meets on his Journey. This includes praying for any who ask, comforting the sick and dying, and (his particular specialty) exorcising unwanted spirits and deamons, sometimes destroying them in the process. These exorcisms should not be confused with the work done by the  Daemon Slayers  such as Sango.

As a Budhhist monk, one of his main concerns is that the spirit or soul of the individual (even daemons) should "find rest" and pass peacefully into the "next world". Without this, the spirit is doomed to wander this world, often in a malicous or malevolent form, and further can be taken over by daemons.

In addition to these duties, Miroku is constantly searching for Naraku, the daemon that cursed his family with the Kazaana (Wind Tunnel); for if he does not find and destroy Naraku, Miroku will be consumed by the curse as his father and grandfaher were bekore him.

Weapons
Besides his spritual powers (aura, spiritual energy, etc) Miroku employs three devices:

Wind Tunnel - Kazaana : a curse place upon Miroku's grandfather by Naraku during a battle, and passed down through all males in Miroku's family. The curse pierced the palm of the monk and resulted in a hole or void into another dimension which sucks everything into it creating a terrible sucking wind in the process. While Miroku has leveraged this curse into a formidable weapon, the Kazaana is difficult to control. Miroku has learned to seal it with a Budhhist Rosary until he wishes to unleash it's power, but it slowly grows larger with time and will eventually consume him.

Staff - Shakujou (see below under "Attire" ): In Japan the shakujou Staff is still used by monks, pilgrims, and practitioners of Shugendou ( a school of Buddhism teaching spiritual practices in the mountains). A yamabushi or mountain priest may use it for magic or exorcism, as does Miroku. In the Shingon and Tendai sects, the shakujou is used as a ritual object in special ceremonies, much like the Tibetan Dorje

Sacred Sutras - Ofuda: these "paper charms" are strips of paper upon which special prayers have been written and prayed over, imubuing them with spiritual power and energy against specific evil. Each Ofuda has a special prayer, and thus is tailored for a specific purpose such as general protection, good luck, safe travel, removing a ghost or spirit, or sealing off a daemon or spirit. Miroku uses them in his work to "exorcise" ghosts and deamons from homes and people. Similar Ofuda are used by Kagome's Grandfather early in the series after Kagome returns from the Feudal era for the first time. Grandpa (a Shinto Priest) attempts to seal off the "Bone Eaters Well" with numerous Ofuda but as we saw from Inuyasha's arrival, Granpa's Ofuda were not strong enough to stop him.

Attire
Miroku's Robes:

Miroku wears a dark blue or purple two-piece robe typical of a Japanese Buddhist Monk. Periodically he appears with leggings. He always wears woven rice-straw sandals. On occasion he wears a rice-straw hat typical to the era.

The robes of most wandering monks are actually quite poor and ragged - often stitched together out of whatever pieces of cloth a person might give them on their travels. Miroku's robes are quite extravagent and expensive compared to most itinerant monks. However this is consistant with his tendency to loot the wealth of greedy merchants whose homes he rids of demons and ghosts.

Miroku's Staff: Shakujou

Miroku carries a pilgrim's staff (shakujou) topped with a metal finial with two sections, each with three rings, (for a total of six rings), which represent the Six States of Existence -- the cycle of samsara, of suffering and reincarnation. In former days the same staff became one's grave post if one died on the way. Thus the top of the staff is designed like a Buddhist grave post.

The shakujou's metal rings were originally used by traveling priests to alert small creatures to keep them from accidentally being harmed by a priest when walking in the woods (this is consistant with the Buddhist teachings to kill no living creature). It was also used to frighten away dangerous snakes or beasts that the priest might have encountered. When begging, a Monk rattled this staff to announce his arrival at the door or gate of a household without breaking his vow of silence.

Miroku's Rosary: Nenju (Also called juzu )

Miroku carries a string of beads or a rosary, used for Buddhist prayer and invocation. Usually associated with a chant repeating the name of Amida Nyorai. The most common type has 108 beads. The nenju carried by Japanese Buddhist monks were typically made of 112 wooden beads.

Originally rare and made of semi-precious stones, the spread of Buddhism brought wider use of nenju from the Heian Period (8th-12th century) through the Kamakura Period (12th-14th century). By the Warring States era, most poor monks carried wooden beads. The number "108" (a sacred number in many Buddhist traditions) represents the number of earthly passions and desires that blind and delude us, entrapping us in the Six States of Existence (the wheel of life, the cycle of samsara, the cycle of suffering and reincarnation).

Miroku makes further use of his nenju to seal off the Wind Tunnel in his hand.

Miroku's Tekko The arm protectors worn by Miroku and Sango are called Tekko. Miroku wraps the Tekko over the Wind Tunnel, then seals it with his Nenju (rosary).

Miroku's Tanuki (Raccoon-Dog) Companion:

The Tanuki is a real animal. It is often confused with the badger (ana-guma) and the racoon (arai-guma). However it is actually an odd species related to dogs that can grow up to nearly two feet in length, with stripes of black fur under its eyes. The Tanuki is native to Japan, southeastern Siberia and Manchuria.

The Tanuki (Raccoon-Dog) is technically neither a racoon nor a dog. The Mythical Tanuki, much like the Fox Demon (Kitsune), is another Trickster. This Racoon-like Dog is a lesser yokai with shape-shifting powers ( a henge ) and is associated with Gluttony and Boozing.

Tanuki can transform into any shape (living or otherwise), but often disguise themselves as a monk or a tea kettle to play tricks on humans. They cast powerful illusions and are known to turn leaves into fake money or horse excrement into an extravagent meal. Like the Kitsune, the Tanuki's powers of illusion are slightly flawed - sharp eyes reveal the true nature.

Tanuki love sake (rice wine), and are often seen with a sake bottle in one hand (usually purchased with fake money made from leaves) and a bill it never pays in the other.