The Japanese word refers to the spirit of a ''

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

'' or the

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

of a dead person. It is composed of two characters, the first of which, , is simply an

honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...

. The second, means "spirit". The character pair 神霊, also read ''mitama'', is used exclusively to refer to a ''kami's'' spirit. Significantly, the term is a synonym of ''

shintai In Shinto, , or when the honorific prefix ''go''- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or ''kami'' reside.''Shintai'', Encyclopedia of Shinto ''Shintai'' used in Shrine Shinto (Jin ...

'', the object which in a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

houses the enshrined ''kami''. Early Japanese definitions of the ''mitama'', developed later by many thinkers like

Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese people, Japanese scholar of 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, Mie, Matsusaka in Ise Province ...

, maintain it consists of several "spirits", relatively independent one from the other. The most developed is the , a

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

theory according to which the of both ''kami'' and human beings consists of one ''whole'' spirit and four ''sub'' spirits.* The four sub-spirits are the , the , the and the . According to the theory, each of the sub-spirits making up the spirit has a character and a function of its own; they all exist at the same time, complementing each other. In the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', the deity Ōnamuchi (

Ōkuninushi Ōkuninushi (; historical orthography: , ), also known as Ō(a)namuchi (''Oho(a)namuchi'') or Ō(a)namochi (''Oho(a)namochi'') among other variants, is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology. He is one of the central deities in the cycle of myths re ...

) actually meets his ''kushi-mitama'' and ''saki-mitama'' in the form of

Ōmononushi Ōmononushi (; Historical kana orthography, historical orthography: ''Ohomononushi'') is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology associated with Mount Miwa (also known as Mount Mimoro) in Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. He is closely linked in ...

, but does not even recognize them. The four seem moreover to have a different importance, and different thinkers have described their interaction differently.

''Ara-mitama'' and ''nigi-mitama''

The is the dynamic or rough and violent side of a spirit. A ''kami's'' first appearance is as an ''ara-mitama'', which must be pacified with appropriate pacification rites and worship so that the ''nigi-mitama'' can appear. The is the static side of a ''kami'', while the ''ara-mitama'' appears in times of peril. These two sub-spirits are usually considered opposites, and Motoori Norinaga believed the other two to be no more than aspects of the ''nigi-mitama''. ''Ara-mitama'' and ''Nigi-mitama'' are in any case independent agents, so much so that they can sometimes be enshrined separately in different locations and different ''

''. For example, Sumiyoshi Shrine in

Shimonoseki file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...

enshrines the ''ara-mitama'' of the Sumiyoshi ''kami'', while

Sumiyoshi Taisha , also known as Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine, is a Shinto shrine in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines. It gives its name to a style of shrine architecture known as '' Sumiyoshi-zukuri''. ...

in Osaka enshrines its ''nigi-mitama''. Ise Shrine has a sub-shrine called Aramatsuri-no-miya enshrining

Amaterasu , often called Amaterasu () for short, also known as and , is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. Often considered the chief deity (''kami'') of the Shinto pantheon, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the () ...

's ''ara-mitama''. Atsuta-jingū has a ''

sessha and , also called Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version. (collectively known as The term ''setsumatsusha'' is the combination of the two terms ''sessha'' and ''massha''.) are small or miniature shrines entrusted to the c ...

'' called Ichi-no-misaki Jinja for her ''ara-mitama'' and a '' massha'' called Toosu-no-yashiro for her ''nigi-mitama''. No separate enshrinement of the ''mitama'' of a ''kami'' has taken place since the rationalization and systematization of Shinto actuated by the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

''Saki-mitama''

The - The happy and loving side of a whole, complete spirit (mitama); this is the spirit of blessing and prosperity. In a scene of the Nihon Shoki, ''kami'' Ōnamuchi is described in conversation with his own ''saki-mitama'' and ''kushi-mitama''. Within Shinto also exists the idea that this the spirit which brings good harvests and catches. Motoori Norinaga and others however believe this to be no more than a function of the ''nigi-mitama''.

''Kushi-mitama''

The is the wise and experienced side of a whole, complete spirit (mitama); the "wondrous spirit" which appears together with the ''saki-mitama'', the Happy Spirit, which is the power behind the harvest. It is believed to have mysterious powers, to cause transformations and to be able to cure illnesses.

Mitama Festival

A widely celebrated

festival to the dead in Japan, particularly at the

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 Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

. Typically in mid-July.

References

Shinto Goryō faith Souls Spirits Japanese ghosts

''Ara-mitama'' and ''nigi-mitama''

''Saki-mitama''

''Kushi-mitama''

Mitama Festival

See also

References