noun
vessel for a spirit; medium
In Shinto and folk religion, a child or doll used by a shaman or miko as a vessel for a spirit invoked during rituals. The term is specialized and not used in everyday conversation.
巫女は憑坐に神を降ろした。
The miko invoked the deity into the spirit vessel.
この人形は憑坐として使われていた。
This doll was used as a vessel for a spirit.
The term よりまし is composed of より (寄り, 'drawing near') and まし (坐, 'seat' or 'vessel'), referring to something that a spirit draws near to and occupies. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji spellings reflect this concept.