Asakura Kino

Asakura Kino (麻倉木乃, Asakura Kino) is a fictional charater in the manga and anime series of Shaman King. She is a master Itako who trains young girls in the art at Osorezan.

Appearance
Short and stubby like her husband, Kino constantly wears the traditional robes of her family, and uses sunshades to hide her blindness. Because of a bad back she uses a cane.

Personality
She is short-tempered and practical like her apprentice, Anna Kyōyama. Like Yoh fears Asakura Anna, Asakura Yohmei does also fear Kino. However she is mostly a calm person with the wisdom and knowledge gained from her old age.

Abilities and Powers
She is a master Itako and have learned to see things around here clearly although she is blind.

Shamanic Spells and Techniques
The ability to summon a spirit anytime and anywhere, given that she knows something about who she is summoning.
 * Kuchiyose (口寄せ-Invoction)

This is a prayer used by Kino to banish spirits to heaven. Yoh even used this prayer against the Silver Arms but it did'nt affect them because, as Silva says it, those who doesn't understand it is unaffected.
 * The Prayer

"I AM GOD, FLAWLESSLY BORN LEADER OF MEN, SAVIOR OF WORLDS! I AM THE THE LAW, FLAWLESSLY KEPT, POWERFUL SCRIPT, HARSHLY ENFORCED! I AM A SOUL, FLAWLESSLY SAVED, NOWHERE TO GO, OUT OF MY PLACE!" -The Incantation

Past
She was born on March 24, 1924.

While most itako are partially blind from an early age, Kino was not born blind at all. She lost her vision during World War II and became completely blind. With very few options left, she chose to become an itako. As the level of her spiritual ability rose, she caught the eye of the Asakura family and was later asked to marry Asakura Yohmei, Yoh's grandfather.

Living in Shimokita
Instead of living at the Asakura family home in Izumo, she chooses to live in Shimokita, in the Aomori prefecture, near Osorezan. She runs what is ostensibly a traditional Japanese inn, the "Yasui Ryokan". In reality however, she uses the inn to house her apprentices.

When Kyōyama Anna was abandoned as a child, Kino sensed the amount of spiritual power Anna possessed and took her in. Training her as an Itako, Kino was impressed by Anna's potential and suggested that she should marry her grandson Asakura Yoh.

Anime/Manga Difference
Like in the manga she, in the anime barely makes and appearance. Also because the backstory of Yoh and Anna is never mentioned it is not mentioned either where she lives nor what her specialty or her past history. Her only significant part in the anime is when she prepares the 1080 Prayer Beads to bind Asakura Hao.

Trivia

 * A running gag in the anime is when ever Yohmei does something wrong, Kino will hit him in the face with her cane. She may be blind but she can still hear Yohmei.