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People from one region could view a particular spirit as a kami while people from another region could view it as a yokai. The distinction is made when looking at whether these spirits help or harm humans and how humans relate and view them. The Chinese ( shin or jin) refers to traditional Chinese nature spirits and may have entered the Japanese language through the Ainu loanword kamuy (Ainu:, Japanese: or, kamui), describing spiritual or divine being in. The status of kami is dependent on human belief and worship. In Shintoism, kami describes all spirits of divine nature, of essence or natural forces. It is also possible for a kami to become a yokai should they go un-worshipped. Supernatural entities like yokai can also become kami. This includes the living Emperor of Japan. There are cases of living humans of becoming kami, similar to the premise of Kamichu! or Kamisama Kiss - though not to such an extreme extent. It is also believed that the Japanese Royal Family are descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu. A Japanese description of kami Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801) was one of the most distinguished Japanese scholars of religion and enthusiasts for Shinto revival. Ancestral kami are common among many families, who worship the spirits of the departed.

Those who made great contributions to civilization or embodied the qualities of kami have the potential to join their ranks. Human spirits can also become kami, though under very specific circumstances. Kami aren't limited to being birthed or created by other kami. This would lead to an incident were Izanagi tried to bring her back to the living world, but leaving her in Yomi. She would then die after giving birth to Kagu-tsuchi, a fire kami. This resulted in Izanami "birthing" a total of sixteen islands and numerous minor kami.

However, they were considered deformed and were sent adrift to sea in a boat.Īfter consulting with the other kami and learning the ritual they performed did not work properly, the siblings tried again, this time with Izanagi speaking first, and the ritual was a success. Then, they mated, which resulted in births of the god Ebisu ( also known as Hiruko) and Awashima. The kami can be everywhere and in everything, in the forces of creation, in mountains and rivers. This translates literally as eight million kami, but is better interpreted as myriads of kami. The two would circle a pillar called Ame-no-ukihashi, and upon meeting on the other side, Izanami spoke first. One of the first Japanese expressions anyone with a more than passing interest in Shint will come across is Yaoyorozu no kami. v t e This is a list of divinities native to Japanese beliefs and religious traditions. Izanami and Izanagi then descended and participated in the first wedding ceremony. Using a spear decorated with jewels called Amenonuhoko to churn the water, the first island, Onogoroshima, was created from the drops that fell from the spear. Although Inari’s role has changed over time, they have been popular. A complex deity with many faces, Inari is variously referred to as male, female, and androgynous, depending on the context. They were tasked with creating land on the earth below, and so traveled down together. Inari is the Japanese kami (a type of god or spirit in the Shinto religion) of prosperity, tea, agriculture (especially rice), industry, and smithing.