Yaoyorozu no Kami (八百万の神, ''Eight Million Gods'') is a term referring to

kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto 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 ...

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 ''Shintoist ...

. The phrase "eight million gods" in Shinto religion does not mean that there are exactly 8 million gods. It means there are too many gods to count. At the time

infinity Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol . Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions am ...

was not a known concept and 8 is a lucky number in Asian culture. It is used in many other phrases such as

Yatagarasu Yatagarasu (Yatagarasu, Yata no Karasu) is a mythical crowThe Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters, Gakken, pp. 130, 138, 139. and a guiding god in Shinto mythology. During Emperor Jimmu's Eastern Expedition, he was guided from ...

. Sometimes the kami are divided into the

Amatsukami is a category of kami in Japanese mythology. Generally speaking, it refers to kami born in, or residing in, Takamagahara. ''Amatsukami'' is one of the three categories of kami, along with their earthly counterpart , and . Modern Shinto no lon ...

Kunitsukami Kunitsukami (国つ神, 国津神) are the kami of the land that live in tsuchi. They were contrasted from the Amatsukami, although modern Shinto no longer makes the distinction between Amatsukami and Kunitsukami. According to Yijiang Zhong the ...

, and the eight million other kami.

Emperor Sujin , also known as in the ''Kojiki'', and or in the '' Nihon Shoki'' was the tenth Emperor of Japan. While Sujin is the first emperor whose existence historians widely accept, he is still referred to as a "legendary emperor" due to a lack of info ...

famously communed with the eight hundred myriad deities for help reorganizing the

Yamato Kingship The was a tribal alliance centered on the Yamato region ( Nara Prefecture) from the 4th century to the 7th century, and ruled over the alliance of noble families in the central and western parts of the Japanese archipelago. The age is from th ...

in a time of crisis. This doctrine says that there are countless

Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto 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 ...

, including those that control natural phenomena such as the ocean, mountains, and wind, as well as those that are closely related to human life. Ancestors and influential figures who have achieved great things for their communities are also respected as "

." Many Shinto customs and stories were documented in

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 imperi ...

and Nihon shoki, written records from the

Nara Period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara, Nara, Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remai ...

. All things, including the Gods, humans, and objects, come from , the first and supreme God. Ame-no-Minakanushi is the source of the universe and life, and is considered the principle of life. Life is at the center of both universal and human doctrines because everything originates from this supreme life. The nature of life is to expand itself. Some of the 8 million kami are

tutelary deities A tutelary () (also tutelar) is a deity or a spirit who is a guardian, patron, or protector of a particular place, geographic feature, person, lineage, nation, culture, or occupation. The etymology of "tutelary" expresses the concept of safety a ...

, but most kami do not receive any worship. Shinto believes in multiple gods and acknowledges that Kami are present in everything, such as weather, geography, and landscape. Yaoyorozu no Kami describes the numerous gods that exist in the world. These gods are often depicted as having human-like qualities and forms. They are believed to be protector deities that can bring blessings or harm to humans. They are also called " guardian gods" that provide blessings to people, but they can also torture or harass humans. This dual nature of Kami makes them both revered and feared. The concept that all things are manifestations of the divine in Shinto has resulted in the integration of foreign deities into the religion. As a result, Shinto has incorporated both

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

and

Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...

elements, over time. This idea leads to the potential constant discovery of new deities and social changes and progress.

In popular culture

Marie Kondo , also known as , is a Japanese organizing consultant, author, and TV presenter. Kondo has written four books on organizing, which have collectively sold millions of copies around the world. Her books have been translated from Japanese into s ...

has applied it to organizing In

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and dist ...

, the bathhouse is described as where eight million kami come to refresh themselves.

References

{{Improve categories, date=November 2023 Shinto Theology Polytheism

In popular culture

See also

References