FAQ — Oracle, Tarot & Power Stones

A.Yes. Miko Oracle is a deck especially suited to beginners. Unlike the 78 cards of Western tarot, the Shinto tarot Miko Oracle is built from 22 deities alone, so there is far less to memorise and a much lower threshold before the first card is drawn. Each card carries the name of a deity — Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and others — that grasping the meaning becomes intuitive. Those who have never touched tarot can use it simply as an oracle.

A.Western tarot has 78 cards (22 Major Arcana plus 56 Minor Arcana) and traces its origin to 15th-century Italy. The Shinto tarot Miko Oracle has 22 cards, with the 22 deities of Japanese myth as its motif, painted in the Yamato-e manner so it can be read through a Japanese aesthetic. If Western tarot speaks of human experience and fate, Shinto tarot is better understood as an instrument for listening to the voices of the gods.

A.The basic spreads — one card, three cards, the Celtic Cross — can all be used in common. A Shinto-card reading, however, carries a strong sense of a message from the gods, so a simple reading that does not use reversals is recommended. Western tarot traditionally reverses meaning between upright and reversed positions. Miko Oracle takes no reversals; the 22 deities speak directly.

A.For beginners, the one-card daily draw is recommended. Draw one card each morning and note it in a journal as the theme of the day; the words of the gods settle into daily life. The three-card spread reads through a structure such as past-present-future or situation-action-result, and works well for a specific question. Moving on to the three-card spread once comfortable is a natural progression.

A.Even a result that feels bad does not mean the future is fixed — it only shows the flow most likely to occur as things stand. What the gods reveal is a warning, information for changing course. Avoid drawing the same question again and again; instead, ask once more with a single card, this time how to move. Divination exists not to frighten, but to allow a fresh choice.

A.No medical effect can be guaranteed. Minerals do, however, carry their own vibration, colour, and hardness as physical properties, and have served for over 5,000 years as catalysts that shift the awareness of the one who wears them. Stone Artistry HISUI treats stones not as magic tools but as a mirror — a way of placing one's own will upon the stone and confirming it. The lineage of jade is told in full on the Why HISUI page.

A.There are three ways. First, choose the stone drawn to by instinct — the oldest and most accurate method. Second, derive a guardian stone from a birth date or star sign. Third, choose by purpose, from the matter to be resolved: love, work, health. The Stone Artistry HISUI stone collection also offers a guardian-stone diagnosis, proposing the stone that protects each person from their day of birth.

A.The right method differs by the kind of stone. Stones that tolerate water — quartz, rose quartz, and the like — can be cleansed under running water. Moonlight bathing is universal and safe for every stone; placing it at a window on the night of a full moon is most recommended. Salt and smoke (white sage) are powerful but can mar the surface of some stones, so check beforehand. Once or twice a month is a good guide.

A.Jadeite is the oldest sacred stone the Japanese have used in prayer since the Jomon era 5,000 years ago, and the material of the Yasakani no Magatama, one of the Three Sacred Treasures. In 2016 the Japan Association of Mineralogical Sciences formally designated it the National Stone of Japan. Harder than steel, the jadeite of Itoigawa holds one of the oldest working histories in the world. As the stone that holds the kami, it carries historical, mythological, and material strength together. The full story is on the Why HISUI page.

A.From of old, the left hand is called the receiving hand and the right the releasing hand. For protection, absorption, and healing, the left; for drive, expression, and cleansing, the right. Worn on the non-dominant hand it tends to be less in the way, which is the practical recommendation. When stacking several, keep wishes turned inward on the left and wishes sent outward on the right to stay organised.

A.The 22 deities of Miko Oracle are selected chiefly from the major gods of the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki. Beginning with the Three Noble Children — Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, Susanoo — through the creators Izanagi and Izanami, the land-makers Okuninushi and Sukunabikona, and others, the set covers the structure of the myth symbolically. The number 22 matches the Major Arcana of Western tarot and is the ideal frame for reading a mythology.

A.Rendering Shinto-tarot art in a Western manner would thin the essence of the gods. Yamato-e is a uniquely Japanese painting style that has continued since the Heian period, a technique that developed in part to depict the deities. Miko Oracle revives that tradition for the present day, offering visuals in which the stories of the gods and the Japanese aesthetic align. The commitment to reading the gods through a Japanese sensibility begins with the art itself.

A.Miko Oracle is in final adjustment, with pre-orders to open soon. Release news is announced on social channels and the official site as it develops. Registering for the Stone Artistry HISUI newsletter, or on the pre-order page, brings priority word. Early reservers are set to receive privileges including a limited guidebook and a one-month free reading.

A.Miko Oracle is planned at a standard tarot size (about 70 mm by 120 mm). The material is a fine card stock balancing durability and feel, with a matte finish that resists fingerprints. A dedicated paulownia box — the traditional vessel for sacred objects — and a colour guidebook to the 22 deities (B6 size) are included.

A.There are three basics. First, the one-card daily draw, as a guide each morning. Second, the three-card spread, reading past-present-future or situation-action-result. Third, the divine inquiry — putting a question to a particular deity and drawing a single card. Full guidance is in the included booklet, and once comfortable the deck extends to complex spreads such as the Celtic Cross.

A.The Witch HISUI is the keeper of a single witch's atelier tucked quietly into the southern countryside of Miyagi Prefecture. She weaves dark-romantic power-stone bracelets and the tarot and Shinto tarot decks Noctéline Oracle and Miko Oracle. She does not cast spells; she carries the 5,000-year tradition of jade craft and, on the night of the full moon, weaves the stones with prayer. The Why HISUI page tells more.

A.Stone Artistry HISUI is the name of the brand as a whole; Noctéline Oracle is the name of the Western-tarot-style oracle decks the atelier creates. Noctéline, meaning the witch of the night, weaves a tarot of dark-romantic motifs — the poisoned apple, the old castle, moonlight. Miko Oracle is the Shinto tarot from the same atelier, taking Japanese mythology as its subject. HISUI is an atelier that weaves the oracles of both East and West.

A.Pieces can be purchased through the official Stone Artistry HISUI platforms — the BASE store, and the handmade marketplaces Creema and minne. Bracelets can be made to order: share a birth date and wishes, and a guardian stone is selected and the piece crafted. Miko Oracle pre-orders open soon.

A.Sales currently run through minne, Creema, and BASE (shipping within Japan). International shipping for Miko Oracle is under consideration for the official launch and will be announced here once confirmed.

A.Yes, individual readings are accepted. Readings using Noctéline Oracle and Miko Oracle are available, by email, by chat, or in person (near Sendai only). Fees vary by method and by the question, and a first consultation is free. Use the contact form and note that a reading is wished for.