Because the large-scale temples of the Shingon and Tendai sects of Buddhism for practicing asceticism were located in the mountains and closed to women, these chigo were often involved in homosexual relationships as 'a female role in a male society' (except for the upper chigo).
真言宗、天台宗等の大規模寺院は修行の場であるため山間部にあり、また、女人禁制で有るため、このような稚児はいわば「男性社会における女性的な存在」となり、しばしば男色の対象とされた(但し上稚児は対象外)。