

In the Ainu language, the word kamuy refers to an animistic concept very similar to Japanese kami.It is written with the kanji 神, Sino-Japanese reading shin or jin. Kami may, at its root, simply mean spirit, or an aspect of spirituality.The ambiguity of the meaning of kami is necessary, as it conveys the ambiguous nature of kami themselves.Īmaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto faithĪlthough deity is the common interpretation of kami, some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term. The wide variety of usage of the word kami can be compared to the Sanskrit Deva and the Hebrew Elohim, which also refer to God, gods, angels, or spirits.
#TAMA KAMI SHINTO FULL#
Kami are believed to be “hidden” from this world, and inhabit a complementary existence that mirrors our own: shinkai ( 神界, “the world of the kami“). To be in harmony with the awe-inspiring aspects of nature is to be conscious of kannagara no michi ( 随神の道 or 惟神の道, “the way of the kami”). Though the word kami is translated multiple ways into English, no one English word expresses its full meaning. They are manifestations of musubi ( 結び), the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. In Shinto, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. Traditionally, great or sensational leaders like the Emperor could be or became kami. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of kami in life). They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, as well as beings and the qualities that these beings express they can also be the spirits of venerated dead persons.

Kami ( 神) are the spirits or phenomena that are worshipped in the religion of Shinto.

This article covers the answer to the question: “ What Is Kami?“
