child from the city
Only when written 市子
Archaic meaning, restricted to the 市子 spelling. Literally 'city child', but not used in modern Japanese.
The village sorceress went into a trance and gave advice to the people.
In old documents, 市子 can refer to a child who came from the city.
巫女 is the standard term for a shrine maiden or female shaman, while 市子 is a less common synonym often used in folk contexts.
Primary kanji spelling for the sorceress/medium sense; also used for the archaic 'child from the city' sense.
Alternate kanji spelling for the sorceress/medium sense, emphasizing the shamanistic role.
Alternate kanji spelling for the sorceress/medium sense, literally 'god shaman'.
The derivation is uncertain. The kanji 市 (market/city) and 子 (child) may reflect an old association with itinerant fortune-tellers, but this is speculative.