The name Shinto means “Way of the Kami” or “Way of the Gods”. The word kami can be literally translated into “god”. The kami are spirits that the Japanese worship. The Japanese believe that the kami can inhabit plants and animals, that they are the spirits of ancestors and that they are guardians of various different forms of art.

Since kami are believed to inhabit most forms of nature, the Japanese Shintoists especially worship Japans’ tallest mountain, Mt. Fuji.

Shinto worshipers also pay respect to their deceased ancestors, because they believe them to still be wandering the earth in spirit form. Unlike the Buddhists, who have had an influence on Shintoism, followers of Shinto do not care as much about the life after death. People’s souls are said to go to some kind of paradise, but they can still wander the earth if the soul wants revenge on someone or if it wants to deliver a message.

The Japanese Shintoists also believe in various gods and goddesses, such as Izanami, Izanagi, and Amaterasu, and many kinds of demons.

According to legend, the god Izanami and the goddess Izanagi were the first living beings on earth. One day they climbed down the “Floating Bridge of Heaven” through the clouds. Izanami stuck his spear into the water down below and when he pulled it back up again, some brine was on the end. He shook that spear and the brine that fell from the end formed the first Japanese islands. Later, Izanami and Izanagi married, and their children were the rest of the islands and the first gods.

Among the more famous deities was the sun goddess Amaterasu. It is believed that Amaterasus’ great-grandson, Jimmu Tenno, was the first emperor of Japan. That is why the Japanese so honored their emperors through the centuries, believing them to be related to the sun goddess.

It is also believed, that Amaterasu gave Jimmu Tenno three sacred objects – a sword, jewel and mirror. The great mirror was passed down from generation to generation and was kept in the royal palace till one emperor had it moved to Grand Shrine at Isa. It is still thought that the mirror is stored somewhere deep inside the sanctuary.

In the ancient times, Shintoists didn’t build shrines. Instead they worshipped at special stones or trees believed to have magical powers. Later, they began to build large shrines around those sacred sites. Other shrines were built to house so-called magic objects, such as at the shrine of Isa.

And so, Shintoism plays a large role in the life of many Japanese people. It is probably the only naturally developed pagan religion that is still widely followed today. And besides, Shintoism is more than just a simple religion. It has helped Japan become one of the most developed countries in the world…