Kami
Deities神 ・ Reading: kami
Definition
The deities of Shinto: the spirits enshrined at every shrine, from the sun goddess Amaterasu to the guardian of a single neighborhood. Kami are powers of nature, honored ancestors, and remarkable people, venerated with offerings, festivals, and prayer.
What counts as a kami
Shinto speaks of yaoyorozu no kami, "eight million kami", a poetic way of saying they are beyond counting. Anything that inspires awe can be revered as kami: the sun, mountains, waterfalls, and ancient trees; the mythic deities of the chronicles like Amaterasu and Susanoo; ancestors and clan guardians (ujigami); and historical people enshrined after death, such as the scholar Sugawara no Michizane, worshipped as Tenjin, the kami of learning. A kami is not an all-powerful creator but a presence within the world, honored where it dwells.
How kami are worshipped
At a shrine the kami usually resides in the honden, embodied in a sacred object such as a mirror that is never displayed. Worshippers offer coins, bow, clap, and pray; priests present food offerings and recite prayers; and once a year the community welcomes its kami into the streets during the matsuri. For a thousand years kami were also worshipped alongside buddhas, and many kami are still felt to protect the Buddhist temples that stand near their shrines.
Common questions
- How many kami are there?
Countless. The traditional phrase yaoyorozu no kami, eight million kami, expresses that any awe-inspiring presence, from a mountain to an ancestor, can be revered as a deity.
- Can people become kami?
Yes. Notable people have been enshrined after death, such as Sugawara no Michizane as Tenjin, the kami of scholarship, and Tokugawa Ieyasu at Nikkō Tōshō-gū.
- Are kami the same as gods in Western religions?
Not quite. Kami are not omnipotent creators but powers present in nature, ancestors, and places. They are honored locally with offerings and festivals rather than through fixed doctrine.
Related articles
- A History of Pilgrimage in Japan: From Sacred Mountains to Public RoutesHow ascetic landscapes, institutions, route books, Edo travel, transport, and local hospitality shaped Japanese pilgrimage.
- Goshuin: Collecting Japan's Temple and Shrine StampsWhat goshuin (御朱印) are, what they cost, how to ask for one politely, and where to start collecting Japan's hand-brushed temple and shrine stamps.
- How to Read Shinto Shrine ArchitectureLearn to read shrine architecture through building roles, roof structure, documented styles, and official case studies from Ise Jingu and Sumiyoshi Taisha.
- How to Visit a Buddhist Temple in JapanFollow Buddhist temple etiquette from the gate through incense, prayer, hall entry, photography, and receiving a goshuin.
- How to Visit a Shinto Shrine in JapanA practical shrine etiquette guide covering torii, temizu, offerings, prayer, goshuin, photography, accessibility, and local exceptions.
- Japanese Matsuri Etiquette: How to Attend with RespectHow to attend shrine and temple festivals without obstructing processions, rituals, residents, or invited participants.
- Sacred Items at Japan’s ShrinesLearn how ofuda, omamori, ema, and omikuji differ, what visitors do with each one, and why not every sacred object is an offering.
- Shinbutsu Shugo: Why Shrines and Temples Share Japan’s Sacred LandscapesA history of the long relationship between kami and buddhas, Meiji separation, and the layered sacred landscapes visitors still encounter.
- Shrines and Temples in Japan: How to Tell Them ApartRecognize Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples using names, buildings, worship methods, and local guidance without relying on misleading visual shortcuts.
- Temizu: Water Purification Before WorshipUse temizu respectfully at Japanese shrines, including ladle, running-water, suspended, and flower-basin arrangements, while following current local instructions.