Kami 17379 225492292 2008-07-13T23:54:58Z Keahapana 920734 ref cleanup {{otheruses}} {{redirect|Megami}} [[Image:Amaterasu cave crop.jpg|thumb|Amaterasu, one of the central kami in the Shinto faith]] {{nihongo|'''''Kami'''''|[[:wikt:神|神]]}} is the [[Japanese language|Japanese]] word for the spirits within objects in the [[Shinto]] faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity," Shinto scholars point out that such a translation can cause a serious misunderstanding of the term (Ono, 1962). In some instances, such as [[Izanagi]] and [[Izanami]], kami are personified deities, similar to the gods of [[ancient Greece]] or [[Rome]]. In other cases, such as those concerning the phenomenon of growth and natural objects, the [[spirit]]s dwelling in trees, or forces of nature, translating "kami" exclusively as "god" or "deity" would be a gross mischaracterization. In this respect it is more similar to the Roman concept of the ''[[numen]]''. ''Kami'' may, at its root, simply mean 'spirit', or an aspect of spirituality. It is written with the kanji "{{lang|ja|神}}", Sino-Japanese reading ''shin'' or ''jin''; in Chinese, the character is used to refer to various nature spirits of [[traditional Chinese religion]], but not to the Taoist [[xian (Daoist)|deities]] or the Supreme Being. An apparently cognate form, perhaps a [[loanword]], occurs in the [[Ainu language]] as ''[[kamui]]'' and refers to an animistic concept very similar to Japanese ''kami''. In his translation of the [[Kojiki]], [[Basil Hall Chamberlain]] provides the alternative interpretation that "The proper meaning of the word 'kami' is 'top', or 'above', and it is still constantly so used," citing the use of the word {{nihongo|kami|髪}} (short for {{nihongo|kami no ke|髪の毛}}) to refer to the hair that grows from the top of the head, the use of the term "O Kami" to refer to governmental figures and otherwise societal superiors, and a provincial title which seems to have been used into the late 19th century. Because Japanese does not normally distinguish singular and plural in [[noun]]s, it is sometimes unclear whether ''kami'' refers to a single or multiple entities. When a plural concept is absolutely necessary, the term {{nihongo|"kami-gami"|神々}} is used. It is often said that there are {{nihongo|"eight million ''kami''"|八百万の神|''ya-o-yorozu no kami''}}—in Japanese the number "eight million" is often used to imply infinity. Similarly, gender is also not implied in the word ''kami'', which can be used to refer to either male or female ''kami''. The word {{nihongo|"megami"|女神}}, meaning ''female kami'' is a relatively recent addition to the language, and is rarely, if ever used in traditional sources. == Shinto belief and kami == "Kami" are the central objects of worship for the [[Shinto]] faith. Shinto began as the various ancient [[animistic]] folk religions of Japan, and only became a unified religion much later as a result of efforts to separate out influences of other religions brought into Japan from abroad. Thus, the concept of kami was developed first in various regional folk religions before being unified into the single religion of Shinto. As a result, the nature of what can be called "kami" is very broad and encompasses many different concepts and phenomena. Some of the objects or phenomena designated as kami are qualities of growth, fertility, and production; natural phenomena like [[wind]] and [[thunder]]; natural objects like the [[sun]], [[mountain]]s, [[river]]s, [[tree]]s, and [[Rock (geology)|rock]]s; some [[animal]]s; and [[ancestral spirit]]s. Included within the designation of ancestral spirits are spirits of the ancestors of the [[Imperial House of Japan]], but also ancestors of noble families as well as the spirits of the ancestors of common people. There are other spirits designated as kami as well. For example, the guardian spirits of the land, occupations, and skills; spirits of Japanese heroes, men of outstanding deeds or virtues, and those who have contributed to civilization, culture and human welfare; those who have died for the state or the community (See: [[Yasukuni Shrine]]); and the pitiable dead. Not only spirits superior to man can be considered kami, but also spirits that are considered pitiable or weak have been considered kami in Shinto. The concept of kami has been changed and refined since ancient times, although anything that was considered to be kami by ancient people will still be considered kami in "modern" [[Shinto]]. ("Modern" meaning since it was formalized into a unified religion under the influence of foreign religions like [[Buddhism]].) Even within modern Shinto, there are no clearly defined criteria for what should or should not be worshipped as kami. The difference between modern Shinto and the ancient animistic religions is mainly a refinement of the kami-concept, rather than a difference in definitions. In the ancient animistic religions, ''kami'' were understood as simply the divine forces of nature. Worshippers in ancient Japan revered creations of nature which exhibited a particular beauty and power such as [[waterfalls]], mountains, boulders, animals, trees, grasses and even [[rice]] paddies. They strongly believed the spirits or resident ''kami'' deserved respect. Although the ancient designations are still adhered to, in modern Shinto many priests also consider kami to be [[Anthropomorphism|anthropomorphic]] spirits, with nobility and authority. These include such mythological figures as [[Amaterasu]], the sun goddess of the Shinto pantheon. Although these kami can be considered deities, they are not considered [[omnipotent]] or [[omniscient]]. In the myths of Amaterasu, for example, she could not see the events of the human world. She also had to use divination rituals to see the future. The ''kami'' traditionally possessed two souls, one gentle (''nigi-mitama'') and the other aggressive (''ara-mitama''). This human but powerful form of kami was also divided into ''amatsu-kami'' ("the heavenly deities") and ''kunitsu-kami'' ("the gods of the earthly realm"). A deity would behave differently according to which soul was in control at a given time. In many ways, this was representative of nature's sudden changes and would explain why there were ''kami'' for every meteorological event: snowfall, rain, typhoons, floods, lightning and volcanoes. The ancestors of a particular family can also be worshipped as ''kami''. In this sense, these ''kami'' were worshipped not because of their godly powers, but because of a distinct quality or value. These ''kami'' were regional and many shrines (''hokora'') were built in honour of these ''kami''. In many cases, people who once lived can thus be deified as gods; an example of this is [[Tenjin (kami)|Tenjin]], who was [[Sugawara no Michizane]] ([[845]]-[[903]]) in life. In his [[1946]] ''[[Ningen-sengen]]'' radio broadcast, the emperor [[Hirohito]] declared that he is not an ''akitsumikami'' (manifest kami). However, after this declaration, Hirohito asked for permission from the occupying forces to worship his ancestors, and, upon receiving permission, he worshipped [[Amaterasu]], thus implying that he was of divine descent. == Kami in popular culture == <!-- NOTICE: Before adding additional popular culture references to this section, please consider this: Do kami hold a central role in the work (inclusive of films, books, comics, games, and so on) you wish to add? If the answer is "no", that popular culture reference probably should not be added to this section. --> References to specific kami or the general Shinto idea of kami appear in various areas of popular culture, including [[anime]] and [[manga]], [[role-playing game]]s, and literature. *The 2006 Capcom game [[Okami]] makes a play on words between the word for wolf and the word Kami, being that the pivotal protagonist is a wolf possessed by [[Amaterasu]]. One literally plays the game as a Kami. *A western example, the 2004 expansion to the trading card game ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'' entitled ''[[Champions of Kamigawa]]'' features kami and Shinto as the basis for the ongoing storyline of the series. *[[List of Pokémon|Pokémon]], says Clarke (2000), "are pretty much the same thing as the traditional Kami." *[[Tamora Pierce]]'s ''[[Protector of the Small]]'' series shows the [[Conté royal family]] marrying into an Imperial line based on the [[Emperor of Japan|Emperors of Japan]]; they preserve their claim to [[Divinity#Divinity applied to mortals|divine lineage]] by adding the "-kami" [[suffix]] to their names (e.g., Princess Shinkokami). *In 2005, the anime [[Kamichu]]! made its debut, with the main character Yurie Hitotsubashi becoming a god overnight and having to learn not only what kind of god she is, but how to live as one and to grow up as one. *In [[Dragonball Z]], Kami is the temporary God of the Earth. == Some notable kami == * [[Amaterasu]], the [[sun]] [[goddess]] * [[Tsukuyomi]], the [[moon]] [[god]] * [[Inari (mythology)|Inari]], god of [[fox]]es * [[Kotoamatsukami]], the primary kami trinity * [[Izanagi]], the first man * [[Izanami]], the first woman * [[Susanoo]], [[god]] of [[storm]]s * [[Sarutahiko]], kami of earth == See also == {{portalpar|Shinto}} * [[Genius loci]] * [[List of divinities in Japanese mythology#Shinto|List of Shinto kami]] * [[Religions of Japan]] == References == *Chamberlain, Basil H., tr. 1919. [http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/kj/index.htm ''The Kojiki, Records of Ancient Matters'']. Asiatic Society of Japan. *Clarke, Roger. 2000. "[http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-and-tv/features/what-are-the-little-monsters-up-to-720909.html What are the little monsters up to?]". ''The Independent'' 7 April 2000. *Ono, Sokyo. 2003. [http://books.google.com/books?id=x-w59vegZoIC&dq=shinto+the+kami+way&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 Shinto: The Kami Way], Tuttle Publishing. == External links == {{wiktionary}} *[http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=235 Introduction: Kami], Encyclopedia of Shinto *[http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shinto-concepts.shtml#kami ''Kami''], Gods of Japan *[http://www2.kokugakuin.ac.jp/ijcc/wp/cpjr/kami/ito.html Evolution of the Concept of Kami], Itō Mikiharu {{Jmyth navbox long}} [[Category:Japanese mythology]] [[Category:Japanese religions terms]] [[Category:Shinto kami]] [[Category:Tutelary]] [[ar:كامي]] [[cs:Kami]] [[da:Kami]] [[de:Kami]] [[et:Kami]] [[es:Kami]] [[fr:Kami (divinité)]] [[ko:가미]] [[it:Kami]] [[he:קאמי (שינטו)]] [[hu:Kami]] [[nl:Kami (god)]] [[ja:神 (神道)]] [[no:Kami]] [[pl:Kami (mitologia japońska)]] [[pt:Kami]] [[ru:Ками]] [[simple:Kami]] [[fi:Kami]] [[sv:Kami]] [[uk:Камі]]