SHINTO GODS- ANCIENT JAPANSESE BELIEF
There are three main genres of Kami who are worshipped in the ancient times of Japan
- Ones with powers associated with nature
- Ones who reflect on family ancestors. Deceased ancestors are honoured. This is especially important to the families with noble descents.
- Ones who are celebrated for their bravery, commitment and service. Many of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to the worship of the Kami of the people who died in war.
“Amaterasu” is the most famous of the Shinto kami. There are lots of stories told about her in in two of the major consecrated texts of the Shinto belief - the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan). According to Ancient Japanese mythologies, Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess who was born from the left eye socket of a male creator kami named “Izanagi”.
Amaterasu is, of all Shinto gods, most acknowlegded with Japan itself, which is known as the "Land of the Rising Sun." Amaterasu's image, the sun, shows on the Japanese national flag.
“Izanagi” and his female companion “Izanami” are the two original Kami, which the ancient Japanese believed existed. According to the Shinto beliefs, they were the one who created the world and beyond, but especially the Japanese Islands.
Animal Spirits are an important element in the Ancient Japanese Shinto Belief. A pair of lion-dogs usually stands watch outside the Shinto temple to ward off evil spirits. There are hundreds of legends and stories about human encounters with these magical creatures, which can do both good and evil. Other well-known animal kami are the Kappa (evil blood-sucking river imp) and the Dragon (type of serpent).
The “Dosojin” is a Kami of the Shinto belief, which overlooks roads and borders. The Ancient Japanese that these deities live in stone. So they used the stone at markers, still used nowadays, and usually found at village boundaries, along mountain roads, and along country lanes. The Dosojin wards off evil spirits and catastrophes, and protects the village from evil outside influences. These stone markers may only show inscriptions, but often they illustrate human forms, in particular the images of a man or/and a woman.
- Ones with powers associated with nature
- Ones who reflect on family ancestors. Deceased ancestors are honoured. This is especially important to the families with noble descents.
- Ones who are celebrated for their bravery, commitment and service. Many of the most famous Shinto shrines in Japan are dedicated to the worship of the Kami of the people who died in war.
“Amaterasu” is the most famous of the Shinto kami. There are lots of stories told about her in in two of the major consecrated texts of the Shinto belief - the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan). According to Ancient Japanese mythologies, Amaterasu is the Sun Goddess who was born from the left eye socket of a male creator kami named “Izanagi”.
Amaterasu is, of all Shinto gods, most acknowlegded with Japan itself, which is known as the "Land of the Rising Sun." Amaterasu's image, the sun, shows on the Japanese national flag.
“Izanagi” and his female companion “Izanami” are the two original Kami, which the ancient Japanese believed existed. According to the Shinto beliefs, they were the one who created the world and beyond, but especially the Japanese Islands.
Animal Spirits are an important element in the Ancient Japanese Shinto Belief. A pair of lion-dogs usually stands watch outside the Shinto temple to ward off evil spirits. There are hundreds of legends and stories about human encounters with these magical creatures, which can do both good and evil. Other well-known animal kami are the Kappa (evil blood-sucking river imp) and the Dragon (type of serpent).
The “Dosojin” is a Kami of the Shinto belief, which overlooks roads and borders. The Ancient Japanese that these deities live in stone. So they used the stone at markers, still used nowadays, and usually found at village boundaries, along mountain roads, and along country lanes. The Dosojin wards off evil spirits and catastrophes, and protects the village from evil outside influences. These stone markers may only show inscriptions, but often they illustrate human forms, in particular the images of a man or/and a woman.