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Name: Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome's Mother, Sota's Mother
Age: around 30
Race: Human
Weapons: None
Ms. (or possibly) Mrs. Higurashi is a character in the Japanese anime and manga series InuYasha. She is the mother of characters Kagome and Sota Higurashi, and is always referred to as Mama.
Little is known about Mrs. Higurashi's past; her first name is not even mentioned. She is portrayed as a cheerful, pleasant woman who seems quite content to keep house for her children and their grandfather; to date, it has been clarified in a separate novel that Grandpa is the father of her husband. She appears to be very permissive about Kagome's life, and does not seem to mind at all that her daughter spends long periods of time in the distant past.
In episode 69, "The Terror of the Man with No Face", Kagome's brother Sota bemoans the fact that only Kagome can go to the feudal era, and Kagome's grandfather comments that it is her fate. Kagome's mother makes a soft noise of apparent agreement. This is the only real evidence given by the series or movies to date that her mother understands what's going on, and while being concerned (like any normal parent would be), Mrs. Higurashi simply accepts that this is her daughter's karma and does what she can to make her daughter's adventures in the Sengoku Jidai easier. Since the Higurashi family is portrayed from the beginning of the series as being Shinto, as well as the guardians of several items with rich mythological/spiritual histories (the Sacred Tree, the Bone Eater's Well, and So'unga), Mrs. Higurashi's acceptance of karma without apparent struggle or rancor is not particularly surprising. Cultural differences between Japanese and American society seem to be the source of misunderstandings about Mrs. Higurashi's attitude in the fandom.
Mrs. Higurashi's husband and the father of Kagome and Sota is never shown or seen in the series. But in Shousetsu Inuyasha, a novelization of the first eleven chapters, a side note says Papa died a long time ago because of an accident, Kagome, along with her mother and younger brother Souta moved into Papa's parents' home, which was the residence on the shrine property. Jii-chan, who was the shrine's caretaker, was alone after his wife passed away. Mrs. Higurashi has only spoken about him to Kagome once in the series to date:
Episode 48, "Return To the Place Where We First Met": Kagome stands beneath the Sacred Tree, where she first met Inuyasha in the Sengoku Jidai, realizes that she loves Inuyasha, and falls to weeping. Mrs. Higurashi comes upon her crying daughter and comforts her with the story of how her husband proposed to her beneath this very tree, and that being in the presence of the tree gave her the clarity of mind to think past her initial bewilderment and accept his proposal.
Mrs. Higurashi is not only accepting of Kagome's karma, but also of InuYasha. Since Inuyasha is the only other character in the series who can travel through the Bone-Eater's Well and into the modern era, he has often interacted with Kagome's family and friends on occasions when he comes through the Well to fetch Kagome away from her modern obligations and back to the quest for the Shikon no Tama in the Sengoku Jidai. Mrs. Higurashi has always attempted to make InuYasha feel welcome, apparently unphased by his appearance or his paternal heritage, and has no qualms about entertaining him at the house while Kagome is at school or letting him spend time with Sota. This may be because she recognizes that he is the half-demon from the ancient legend about the Sacred Tree (as told by Kagome's grandfather in 'Affections Touching Across Time') and therefore an integral part of Kagome's karma. Another possible explanation is that she recognizes that InuYasha is highly protective of Kagome and much stronger than an ordinary human due to his demonic paternity, and therefore in a unique position to keep her daughter safe from the unpredictable dangers of the Feudal Era.
It is unclear to date whether Kagome has confided in her mother concerning her tangled romantic situation. While Mrs. Higurashi is accepting of Kagome's close friendship with InuYasha and likely suspects a romance, there is no evidence that she has ever been informed about Kagome's feelings, Kikyo's involvement, Miroku's request that she bear his children or Koga's professions of undying love. She has demonstrated keen instinct concerning her daughter's feelings, and has often guided her in a very subtle manner, requiring none of the particulars regarding the Feudal Era. Her appearance is similar to Nodoka Saotome from Ranma 1/2.
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