leader of a nobleman's cavalcade
Archaic term for the person who led a nobleman's procession. Not used in modern Japanese.
Ancient documents record that the misaki led the procession.
divine messenger animal; fox servant of a god
Only with reading みさき
Refers to a fox or other animal believed to serve as a messenger of the gods. Reading is restricted to みさき.
At Inari shrines, foxes are enshrined as divine messengers.
Standard kanji spelling for both senses; reading みさき is the most common.
Alternate kanji spelling; can be confused with 御前 read おまえ or ごぜん.
Compound of honorific prefix 御 (mi) and 先 (saki, 'front' or 'ahead'). The exact historical derivation of the 'divine messenger' sense is uncertain.