Deities or Kami of Shinto that you will find in Japan

The kami 神 are the spirits or divinities recognized in Shinto 神道, the religion that originated in Japan. There are eight million kami , a number that, in traditional Japanese culture, can be considered synonymous with infinity. In Japan, you will find these deities at shrines, monuments, and in popular culture everywhere. Here we present the most prominent and recurring of the Shinto kami.

Amaterasu

Also known as Amaterasu-omikami , she is the deity of the sun and the universe. He is an important kami and the central figure of Shinto. According to legend, the emperors of Japan descend from Amaterasu, which is why they are chosen for their reign. Amaterasu is the daughter of Izanami and Izanagi, born from her father Izanagi’s left eye.

Izanami and Izanagi

Izanami and Izanagi are central to the Shinto creation myth. Legend has it that these two divinities stirred the seas with a spear, and the mud that dripped from the tip of the spear became the first island of Japan. The other islands were just a few of the couple’s hundreds of descendants, most of whom would go on to become the various kami recognized by the Shinto belief system.

Tsukuyomi

Also known as Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto he was the second of the “Three Noble Sons” (Amaterasu and Susanoo are his brothers) When Izanagi-no-Mikoto , his father, was cleaning his sins while taking a bath, he washed his right eye and Tsukuyomi was born However, in an alternate history, Tsukuyomi was born from a mirror made of white copper in Izanagi’s right hand.

Susanoo

He is the brother of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. He is a deity with many facets and contradictory characteristics (good and bad), being portrayed in various stories as a wild and impetuous god associated with the sea and storms, as a heroic figure who killed a monstrous serpent or as a local deity linked to the harvest. and agriculture.

Inari

Inari is the Shinto deity of industry, prosperity, finance, and agriculture. With more than 40,000 shrines (a third of the total number of shrines in Japan) dedicated to Inari, it is safe to say that this kami is one of the most important and respected deities. It is believed that Inari liked foxes and used them as messengers. As a result, it is common to see fox statues around shrines dedicated to Inari-okami. The Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to this deity.

Hashiman

He is the god of war and military arts, helping to guide warriors on their way to dominance. The belief is that he is also the protector of Japan, as legend has it that it was Hachiman who sent the kamikaze or “divine wind” that destroyed Kublai Khan ‘s Mongol fleets in the 13th century, saving the country from invasion. Hachiman has around 25,000 shrines dedicated to him throughout Japan.

Tenjin

He is the kami or deity of education, literature and scholarship. Interestingly, he was once an ordinary human named Sugawara no Michizane , a scholar and poet who lived during the 8th century. Michizane was a high-ranking member of the Heian Court, but he made enemies of the Fujiwara Clan, and was eventually exiled from the court. As several of Michizane’s enemies and rivals began to die one by one in the years after his death, rumors began to circulate that he was the disgraced scholar acting from beyond the grave. Michizane was eventually consecrated and deified in an effort to appease his restless spirit and given the name Tenjin (sky god) to mark the transition. Students hoping to help out in exams often visit Tenjin shrines, Kitano Tenman-gū in Kyoto and Dazaifu Tenman-gū in Fukuoka Prefecture being the two main shrines.

Raijin and Fujin

Raijin is the kami of thunder and lightning and Fujin is the kami of wind. Together, they are the gods of storms and weather. They can often be found guarding the entrances to shrines and worshipers must pass their watchful eye before entering. Raijin’s three fingers on each hand represent the past, present, and future, while Fujin’s four fingers represent the four cardinal directions.

Benzaiten

She is one of the seven gods of fortune in Japan and among these she is the only woman. Based on the Hindu goddess Saraswati, Benzaiten is the goddess of things that flow, including music, water, knowledge, and emotion, especially love. As a result, his shrines become popular places for couples to visit and his three Enoshima shrines are filled with couples ringing love bells for good luck or hanging pink ema (wish plaques) together.

Which of these deities did you find most interesting? Which ones did you not know? Tell us in the comments!