are the

deities A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

divinities Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine

, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shint ...

religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the spirits of venerated dead people. Many ''kami'' are considered the ancient ancestors of entire

clans A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, mea ...

(some ancestors became ''kami'' upon their death if they were able to embody the values and

virtue Virtue ( la, virtus) is morality, moral excellence. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is Value (ethics), valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. In other words, it is a behavior that sh ...

s of ''kami'' in life). Traditionally, great leaders like the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...

could be or became ''kami''. In Shinto, ''kami'' are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and

good and evil In religion, ethics, philosophy, and psychology "good and evil" is a very common dichotomy. In cultures with Manichaean and Abrahamic religious influence, evil is perceived as the dualistic antagonistic opposite of good, in which good shou ...

characteristics. They are manifestations of , the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. ''Kami'' are believed to be "hidden" from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own: . To be in harmony with the awe-inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of .

Etymology

''Kami'' is the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

word for a deity, divinity, or spirit. It has been used to describe

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

, God, supreme being, one of the Shinto deities, an

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

, a

principle A principle is a proposition or value that is a guide for behavior or evaluation. In law, it is a rule that has to be or usually is to be followed. It can be desirably followed, or it can be an inevitable consequence of something, such as the l ...

, and anything that is worshipped. Although ''deity'' is the common interpretation of ''kami'', some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term. Some etymological suggestions are: * ''Kami'' may, at its root, simply mean ''spirit'', or an aspect of spirituality. It is written with the kanji , Sino-Japanese reading ''shin'' or ''jin''. In Chinese, the character means ''deity''. * In the

Ainu language Ainu (, ), or more precisely Hokkaido Ainu, is a language spoken by a few elderly members of the Ainu people on the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. It is a member of the Ainu language family, itself considered a language family isolate ...

, the word ''

kamuy A ''kamuy'' ( ain, カムィ; ja, カムイ, kamui) is a spiritual or divine being in Ainu mythology, a term denoting a supernatural entity composed of or possessing spiritual energy. The Ainu people have many myths about the ''kamuy'', passed ...

'' refers to an

animistic Animism (from Latin: ' meaning 'breath, spirit, life') is the belief that objects, places, and creatures all possess a distinct spiritual essence. Potentially, animism perceives all things—animals, plants, rocks, rivers, weather systems, h ...

concept very similar to Japanese ''kami''. The matter of the words' origins is still a subject of debate; but it is generally suggested that the word ''kami'' is a loanword from early Japanese that was adopted by the Ainu. * In his ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

-den'',

Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese scholar of ''Kokugaku'' active during the Edo period. He is conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies. Life Norinaga was born in what is now Matsusaka in Ise Province (now part of Mie ...

gave a definition of ''kami'': "...any being whatsoever which possesses some eminent quality out of the ordinary, and is awe-inspiring, is called kami." Because Japanese does not normally distinguish

grammatical number In linguistics, grammatical number is a grammatical category of nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one", "two" or "three or more"). English and other languages present number categories of ...

noun A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, ...

s (the singular and plural forms of nouns in Japanese are the same), it is sometimes unclear whether ''kami'' refers to a single or multiple entities. When a singular concept is needed, is used as a

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

. The reduplicated term generally used to refer to multiple ''kami'' is ''kamigami''.

History

While Shinto has no founder, no overarching doctrine, and no religious texts, the ''

'' (Records of Ancient Matters), written in 712 CE, and the '' Nihon Shoki ''(Chronicles of Japan), written in 720 CE, contain the earliest record of Japanese creation myths. The ''Kojiki'' also includes descriptions of various ''kami''. In the ancient traditions there were five defining characteristics of ''kami'': # ''Kami'' are of two minds. They can nurture and love when respected, or they can cause destruction and disharmony when disregarded. ''Kami'' must be appeased in order to gain their favor and avoid their wrath. Traditionally, ''kami'' possess two

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

s, one gentle ('' nigi-mitama'') and the other assertive ('' ara-mitama''); additionally, in ''Yamakage Shinto'' (see ''

Ko-Shintō refers to the animistic religion of Jōmon period Japan, which is the alleged basis of modern Shinto. The search for traces of Koshintō began with the "Restoration Shinto" in the Edo period, which goal was to remove any foreign ideas and worl ...

''), ''kami'' have two additional souls that are hidden: one happy (''saki-mitama'') and one mysterious (''kushi-mitama''). # ''Kami'' are not visible to the human realm. Instead, they inhabit sacred places, natural phenomena, or people during rituals that ask for their blessing. # They are mobile, visiting their places of worship, of which there can be several, but never staying forever. # There are many different varieties of ''kami''. There are 300 different classifications of ''kami'' listed in the ''

'', and they all have different functions, such as the ''kami'' of wind, ''kami'' of entryways, and ''kami'' of roads. # Lastly, all ''kami'' have a different guardianship or duty to the people around them. Just as the people have an obligation to keep the ''kami'' happy, the ''kami'' have to perform the specific function of the object, place, or idea they inhabit. ''Kami'' are an ever-changing concept, but their presence in Japanese life has remained constant. The ''kami's'' earliest roles were as earth-based spirits, assisting the early

hunter-gatherer A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fung ...

groups in their daily lives. They were worshipped as gods of the earth (mountains) and sea. As the cultivation of

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

became increasingly important and predominant in Japan, the ''kami's'' identity shifted to more sustaining roles that were directly involved in the growth of crops; roles such as rain, earth, and rice. This relationship between early Japanese people and the ''kami'' was manifested in rituals and ceremonies meant to entreat the ''kami'' to grow and protect the harvest. These rituals also became a symbol of power and strength for the early Emperors. There is a strong tradition of myth-histories in the Shinto faith; one such myth details the appearance of the first emperor, grandson of the Sun Goddess

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the '' K ...

. In this myth, when Amaterasu sent her grandson to earth to rule, she gave him five rice grains, which had been grown in the fields of heaven (

Takamagahara In Japanese mythology, Takamagahara (高天原, "Plain of High Heaven" or "High Plain of Heaven", also read as Takaamanohara, Takamanohara, Takaamagahara, or Takaamahara), is the abode of the heavenly gods ('' amatsukami''). Often depicted as locat ...

). This rice made it possible for him to transform the "wilderness". Social and political strife have played a key role in the development of new sorts of ''kami'', specifically the ''goryō-shin'' (the sacred spirit ''kami''). ''

Goryō are vengeful Japanese ghosts from the aristocratic classes, especially those who have been martyred. Description The name consists of two kanji, 御 (go) meaning honorable and 霊 (ryō) meaning soul or spirit. Arising mainly in the Heian ...

'' are the vengeful spirits of the dead whose lives were cut short, but they were calmed by the devotion of Shinto followers and are now believed to punish those who do not honor the ''kami''. The pantheon of ''kami'', like the ''kami'' themselves, is forever changing in definition and scope. As the needs of the people have shifted, so too have the domains and roles of the various ''kami''. Some examples of this are related to health, such as the ''kami'' of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

whose role was expanded to include all contagious diseases, or the ''kami'' of boils and growths who has also come to preside over

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

s and

cancer treatments Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy (including immunotherapy such as monoclonal antibody therapy) and synthetic lethality, most commonly as a series of separate treatments (e.g ...

. In the ancient animistic religions, ''kami'' were understood as simply the divine forces of nature. Worshippers in ancient Japan revered creations of nature which exhibited a particular beauty and power such as

waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

, mountains, boulders, animals, trees, grasses, and even

paddies. They strongly believed the spirits or resident ''kami'' deserved respect. In 927 CE, the was promulgated in fifty volumes. This, the first formal codification of Shinto rites and '' norito'' (liturgies and prayers) to survive, became the basis for all subsequent Shinto liturgical practice and efforts. It listed all of the 2,861

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The ''honden''Also called (本殿, meanin ...

s existing at the time, and the 3,131 official-recognized and enshrined ''kami''. The number of ''kami'' has grown and far exceeded this figure through the following generations as there are over 2,446,000 individual ''kami'' enshrined in Tokyo's

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894–1895 and 1937–1945 resp ...

alone.

Shinto belief

''Kami'' are the central objects of worship for the

belief. The ancient

spirituality of Japan was the beginning of modern Shinto, which became a formal spiritual institution later, in an effort to preserve the traditional beliefs from the encroachment of imported religious ideas. As a result, the nature of what can be called ''kami'' is very general and encompasses many different concepts and phenomena. Some of the objects or phenomena designated as ''kami'' are qualities of growth, fertility, and production; natural phenomena like

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few ...

and

thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

; natural objects like the

sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of ...

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s, and rocks; some

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage ...

s; and ancestral spirits. Included within the designation of ancestral spirits are spirits of the ancestors of the

Imperial House of Japan The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the House of Yamato, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the Emperor i ...

, but also ancestors of noble families as well as the spirits of the ancestors of all people, which when they died were believed to be the guardians of their descendants. There are other spirits designated as ''kami'' as well. For example, the guardian spirits of the land, occupations, and skills; spirits of Japanese heroes, men of outstanding deeds or virtues, and those who have contributed to civilization, culture, and human welfare; those who have died for the state or the community; and the pitiable dead. Not only spirits superior to man can be considered ''kami''; spirits that are considered pitiable or weak have also been considered ''kami'' in Shinto. The concept of ''kami'' has been changed and refined since ancient times, although anything that was considered to be ''kami'' by ancient people will still be considered ''kami'' in modern

. Even within modern Shinto, there are no clearly defined criteria for what should or should not be worshipped as kami. The difference between modern Shinto and the ancient animistic religions is mainly a refinement of the ''kami''-concept, rather than a difference in definitions. Although the ancient designations are still adhered to, in modern Shinto many priests also consider ''kami'' to be

anthropomorphic Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...

spirits, with nobility and authority. One such example is the mythological figure

-ōmikami, the sun goddess of the Shinto pantheon. Although these ''kami'' can be considered deities, they are not necessarily considered

omnipotent Omnipotence is the quality of having unlimited power. Monotheistic religions generally attribute omnipotence only to the deity of their faith. In the monotheistic religious philosophy of Abrahamic religions, omnipotence is often listed as one ...

or omniscient, and like the

Greek Gods The following is a list of gods, goddesses, and many other divine and semi-divine figures from ancient Greek mythology and ancient Greek religion. Immortals The Greeks created images of their deities for many purposes. A temple would house th ...

, they had flawed personalities and were quite capable of ignoble acts. In the myths of Amaterasu, for example, she could see the events of the human world, but had to use divination rituals to see the future. There are considered to be three main variations of ''kami'': , , and . ("" literally means eight million, but idiomatically it expresses "uncountably many" and "all-around"—like many East Asian cultures, the Japanese often use the number 8, representing the cardinal and ordinal directions, to symbolize ubiquity.) These classifications of ''kami'' are not considered strictly divided, due to the fluid and shifting nature of ''kami'', but are instead held as guidelines for grouping them. The ancestors of a particular family can also be worshipped as ''kami''. In this sense, these ''kami'' are worshipped not because of their godly powers, but because of a distinctive quality or virtue. These ''kami'' are celebrated regionally, and several miniature shrines (''

hokora is a miniature Shinto shrine either found on the precincts of a larger shrine and dedicated to folk ''kami'', or on a street side, enshrining ''kami'' not under the jurisdiction of any large shrine.Encyclopedia of ShintoHokora Accessed on Dec ...

'') have been built in their honor. In many cases, people who once lived are thus revered; an example of this is Tenjin, who was

Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in Kanshi poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the poem anthology '' Hyakunin Isshu'', he is know ...

(845–903 CE) in life. Within Shinto it is believed that the nature of life is sacred because the ''kami'' began human life. Yet people cannot perceive this divine nature, which the kami created, on their own; therefore, , or purification, is necessary in order to see the divine nature. This purification can only be granted by the ''kami''. In order to please the ''kami'' and earn ''magokoro'', Shinto followers are taught to uphold the four affirmations of Shinto. The first affirmation is to hold fast to tradition and the family. Family is seen as the main mechanism by which traditions are preserved. For instance, in marriage or birth, tradition is potentially observed and passed onto future generations. The second affirmation is to have a love of nature. Nature objects are worshipped as sacred because the ''kami'' inhabit them. Therefore, to be in contact with nature means to be in contact with the gods. The third affirmation is to maintain physical cleanliness. Followers of Shinto take baths, wash their hands, and rinse out their mouths often. The last affirmation is to practice

matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...

, which is the worship and honor given to the ''kami'' and ancestral spirits. Shinto followers also believe that the ''kami'' are the ones who can either grant blessings or curses to a person. Shinto believers desire to appease the evil kami to "stay on their good side", and also to please the good ''kami''. In addition to practicing the four affirmations daily, Shinto believers also wear ''

omamori are Japanese amulets commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dedicated to particular Shinto as well as Buddhist figures, and are said to provide various forms of luck and protection. Origin and usage The word means 'protect ...

'' to aid them in remaining pure and protected. Mamori are charms that keep the evil ''kami'' from striking a human with sickness or causing disaster to befall them. The ''kami'' are both worshipped and respected within the religion of Shinto. The goal of life to Shinto believers is to obtain ''magokoro'', a pure sincere heart, which can only be granted by the ''kami''. As a result, Shinto followers are taught that humankind should venerate both the living and the nonliving, because both possess a divine superior spirit within: the ''kami''.

Ceremonies and festivals

One of the first recorded rituals we know of is , the ceremony in which the

offers newly harvested rice to the ''kami'' to secure their blessing for a bountiful harvest. A yearly festival, Niiname-sai, is also performed when a new Emperor comes to power, in which case it is called . In the ceremony, the Emperor offers crops from the new harvest to the ''kami'', including rice, fish, fruits, soup, and stew. The Emperor first feasts with the deities, then the guests. The feast could go on for some time; for example,

Emperor Shōwa Emperor , commonly known in English-speaking countries by his personal name , was the 124th emperor of Japan, ruling from 25 December 1926 until his death in 1989. Hirohito and his wife, Empress Kōjun, had two sons and five daughters; he was ...

's feast spanned two days. Itsukushima Shinto Shrine

Visitors to a

follow a purification ritual before presenting themselves to the ''kami''. This ritual begins with hand washing and swallowing and later spitting a small amount of water in front of the shrine to purify the body, heart, and mind. Once this is complete they turn their focus to gaining the ''kami's'' attention. The traditional method of doing this is to bow twice, clap twice and bow again, alerting the ''kami'' to their presence and desire to commune with them. During the last bow, the supplicant offers words of gratitude and praise to the ''kami''; if they are offering a prayer for aid they will also state their name and address. After the prayer and/or worship they repeat the two bows, two claps and a final bow in conclusion. Shinto practitioners also worship at home. This is done at a ''

kamidana are miniature household altars provided to enshrine a Shinto . They are most commonly found in Japan, the home of worship. The is typically placed high on a wall and contains a wide variety of items related to Shinto-style ceremonies, the mos ...

'' (household shrine), on which an ''

ofuda In Shinto and Buddhism in Japan, an is a talisman made out of various materials such as paper, wood, cloth or metal. are commonly found in both Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples and are considered to be imbued with the power of the deities ...

'' with the name of their protector or ancestral ''kami'' is positioned. Their protector ''kami'' is determined by their or their ancestors' relationship to the ''kami''. Ascetic practices, shrine rituals and ceremonies, and

Japanese festivals Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...

are the most public ways that Shinto devotees celebrate and offer adoration for the ''kami''. ''Kami'' are celebrated during their distinct festivals that usually take place at the shrines dedicated to their worship. Many festivals involve believers, who are usually intoxicated, parading, sometimes running, toward the shrine while carrying

mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

(portable shrines) as the community gathers for the festival ceremony. Yamamoto Guji, the high priest at the

Tsubaki Grand Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Yamamoto neighborhood of the city of Suzuka in Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is one of the two shrines which claim the title of ''ichinomiya'' of former Ise Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually o ...

, explains that this practice honors the ''kami'' because "it is in the festival, the matsuri, the greatest celebration of life can be seen in the world of Shinto and it is the people of the community who attend festivals as groups, as a whole village who are seeking to unlock the human potential as children of kami". During the New Year Festival, families purify and clean their houses in preparation for the upcoming year. Offerings are also made to the ancestors so that they will bless the family in the future year. Shinto ceremonies are so long and complex that in some shrines it can take ten years for the priests to learn them. The priesthood was traditionally hereditary. Some shrines have drawn their priests from the same families for over a hundred generations. It is not uncommon for the clergy to be female priestesses. The priests (''

kannushi A , also called , is a person responsible for the maintenance of a as well as for leading worship of a given .* ''Kannushi'' (in Japanese), Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version The characters for are sometimes also re ...

'') may be assisted by ''

miko A , or shrine maiden,Groemer, 28. is a young priestess who works at a Shinto shrine. were once likely seen as shamans,Picken, 140. but are understood in modern Japanese culture to be an institutionalized role in daily life, trained to perfor ...

'', young unmarried women acting as shrine maidens. Neither priests nor priestesses live as ascetics; in fact, it is common for them to be married, and they are not traditionally expected to meditate. Rather, they are considered specialists in the arts of maintaining the connection between the ''kami'' and the people. In addition to these festivals, ceremonies marking rites of passage are also performed within the shrines. Two such ceremonies are the birth of a child and the Shichi-Go-San. When a child is born they are brought to a shrine so that they can be initiated as a new believer and the ''kami'' can bless them and their future life. The Shichi-Go-San (the Seven-Five-Three) is a rite of passage for five-year-old boys and three- or seven-year-old girls. It is a time for these young children to personally offer thanks for the ''kami's'' protection and to pray for continued health. Many other rites of passage are practiced by Shinto believers, and there are also many other festivals. The main reason for these ceremonies is so that Shinto followers can appease the ''kami'' in order to reach ''magokoro''. ''Magokoro'' can only be received through the ''kami''. Ceremonies and festivals are long and complex because they need to be perfect to satisfy the ''kami''. If the ''kami'' are not pleased with these ceremonies, they will not grant a Shinto believer ''magokoro''.

Notable kami

Amaterasu Ōmikami Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the Solar deity, goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major Kami, deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary ...

, the

goddess A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes ...

and chief deity of Shinto * Ebisu, one of seven gods of

fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

* Fūjin, the god of wind *

Hachiman In Japanese religion, ''Yahata'' (八幡神, ancient Shinto pronunciation) formerly in Shinto and later commonly known as Hachiman (八幡神, Japanese Buddhist pronunciation) is the syncretic divinity of archery and war, incorporating elements ...

, the

god In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Junshi refers to the medieval Japanese act of vassals committing seppuku (a voluntary suicide) for the death of their lord. Originally it was only performed when the lord was slain in battle or murdered. Background The practice is described by Chines ...

, the god of provocation *

Inari Ōkami , also called , is the Japanese ''kami'' of foxes, fertility, rice, tea and sake, of agriculture and industry, of general prosperity and worldly success, and one of the principal kami of Shinto. In earlier Japan, Inari was also the patron of ...

, the god of rice and agriculture *

Izanagi Izanagi (イザナギ/伊邪那岐/伊弉諾) or Izanaki (イザナキ), formally known as , is the creator deity (''kami'') of both creation and life in Japanese mythology. He and his sister-wife Izanami are the last of the seven generations ...

-no-Mikoto, the first man *

Izanami , formally known as , is the creator deity of both creation and death in Japanese mythology, as well as the Shinto mother goddess. She and her brother-husband Izanagi are the last of the seven generations of primordial deities that manifested ...

-no-Mikoto, the first woman *

Kotoamatsukami In Shinto, is the collective name for the first gods which came into existence at the time of the creation of the universe. They were born in Takamagahara, the world of Heaven at the time of the creation. Unlike the later gods, these deities were ...

, the primary kami trinity * Omoikane, the deity of wisdom *

Raijin , also known as , , , and Kamowakeikazuchi-no-kami is a god of lightning, thunder and storms in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. He is typically depicted with fierce and aggressive facial expressions, standing atop a cloud, be ...

, the god of lightning, thunder and storms *

Ryūjin Ryūjin ( 龍神), which in some traditions is equivalent to Ōwatatsumi, was the tutelary deity of the sea in Japanese mythology. In many versions Ryūjin had the ability to transform into a human shape. Many believed the god had knowledge on ...

, the

Japanese dragon Japanese dragons (, ''Nihon no ryū'') are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and the Indian subcontinent. The ...

god of sea and storms *

Sarutahiko Ōkami Sarutahiko Ōkami ( ja, 猿田毘古大神, 猿田彦大神) is a deity of the Japanese religion of Shinto; he is the leader of the earthly '' kami''. Norito also mentions him with the title instead of . Sarutahiko Ōkami was the head of the ...

, the kami of earth *

Susanoo-no-Mikoto __FORCETOC__ Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory charact ...

, the god of the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

and

storm A storm is any disturbed state of the natural environment or the atmosphere of an astronomical body. It may be marked by significant disruptions to normal conditions such as strong wind, tornadoes, hail, thunder and lightning (a thunderstorm), ...

s * Tenjin, the poetry god *

Tsukuyomi , or simply or , is the moon god in Japanese mythology and the Shinto religion. The name "Tsukuyomi" is a compound of the Old Japanese words and . The '' Nihon Shoki'' mentions this name spelled as , but this ''yumi'' is likely a variation i ...

, the

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

In popular culture

References

External links

Introduction: Kami
Encyclopedia of Shinto
''Kami''
Gods of Japan

Itō Mikiharu {{Authority control Japanese deities Japanese mythology Nature spirits Shinto terminology Tutelary deities Types of deities

Etymology

History

Shinto belief

Ceremonies and festivals

Notable kami

In popular culture

See also

References

Further reading

External links