7 SHINTO KAMI

THE CHRONICLES OF YOU’LL M E E T

S H I N T O I S M
I N J A P A N

KAMI
In English, the word Shinto can

“WAY OF THE SPIRITS”

sometimes be translated as "the
Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun, she is
way of the kami"
Kami-worship was commonly seen as
a major kami and a central figure in Shinto.

Izanami and Izanagi Legend, has it that

NO
part of Japanese Buddhism in
medieval Japan, with the kami
this god and goddess stirred the seas with a
spear, and the mud which dripped from the tip
MICHI
themselves being also viewed as
became the first island of Japan. Shintoism
Buddhas.
Inari is the Shinto god of industry, prosperity,
Japanese devotion to unseen holy
finance, and agriculture.
forces and entities called kami, to
shrines, and to different Hachiman is the god of war and military arts,
practices is the core of Shinto. helping to guide warriors on their way to
Shinto is not a way for the universe to mastery.
be explained. Rituals that encourage Tenjin is the kami of education, literature, and
human beings to connect with kami scholarship.
are what matters. The Kami are
neither gods nor gods. Raijin is the kami of thunder and lightning,
and Fujin is the kami of wind. Together, they
Shinto is a very local religion, in are the gods of storms and weather.
which devotees are likely to be
concerned with their local shrine Benzaiten is a Shinto kami borrowed from
rather than the religion as a whole. Buddhist belief and one of the Seven Lucky
Many Japanese will have a tiny Gods of Japan.
shrine-altar in their homes.
 THE
Beginning in the 18th century,
CONTEMPORARY
Shinto was revived as an important
national religion through the writings S H I N T O
and teachings of a succession of
notable scholars, including
Mabuchi, Motoori Norinaga, Before 1946 Shinto took two forms. Shrine
and Hirata Atsutane. Motivated Shinto, a patriotic nationalistic cult,
by nationalistic sentiments that took identified with and financially supported by
the form of reverence for Japanese the imperial Government. And Sectarian
antiquity and hatred for ideas and Shinto, a general term for a number of
practices of foreign origin, these men sects founded by private persons and based
WHERE THE prepared the way for the on various interpretations of traditional
disestablishment of Buddhism and Shinto.
T A L E U N F O L D Before 1946 Shinto took two forms.
the adoption of Shinto as the
state religion Shrine Shinto, a patriotic nationalistic
The name Shinto was developed Until the defeat of Japan in cult, identified with and financially
In 1867 the shogunate was supported by the imperial Government.
for the native religion in the late World War II, these beliefs
overthrown, and the emperor was And Sectarian Shinto, a general term
6th century AD to differentiate it were of the utmost
restored to the head of the for a number of sects founded by private
from Buddhism and importance in assuring
government. According to revived persons and based on various
Confucianism, which had been popular support for the military
Shinto doctrine, the sovereignty of interpretations of traditional Shinto.
introduced from China. Shinto was expansion of the Japanese
the emperor was exercised by divine
rapidly overshadowed by Empire.
right through his reputed descent In the early 1990s more than 110
Buddhism, and in a previous state
from the sun goddess Amaterasu million Japanese participated in the
of life, the native gods were
Omikami, who is considered the various Shinto sects, but those who
commonly known as THE WAY
founder of the Japanese nation. professed Shinto as their sole or major
embodiments of Buddha.
Buddhist priests became Shinto OF THE religion numbered only about 3.4
shrine custodians and founded million. The Shinto sects have
their own ornaments, images, and SPIRITS approximately 101,000 priests and
ritual. about 81,000 shrines.