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Kami facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Amaterasu cave crop
Amaterasu, one of the most important kami in the Shinto faith

Kami (神) is a Japanese word for the spirits that are worshipped in the Shinto religion. Not all of Kami are gods of the personified type. Instead, they have to do with phenomena and events like the growth of trees, or rain, or wind, or other aspects of Nature; it is believed that these kami live in those natural things.

It is usually said that there are "yaoyorozu-no-kami" (八百万の神, eight-million Kami). In Japanese the number "eight-million" is normally used to mean infinity.

Though the word kami can be translated multiple ways into English, no English word expresses its full meaning.

Some important kami

Related pages


Amaterasu cave crop.jpg

Japanese Mythology & Folklore

Mythic Texts and Folktales:
Kojiki | Nihon Shoki | Otogizōshi | Yotsuya Kaidan
Urashima Tarō | Kintarō | Momotarō | Tamamo-no-Mae
Divinities:
Izanami | Izanagi | Amaterasu
Susanoo | Ama-no-Uzume | Inari
List of divinities | Kami | Seven Lucky Gods
Legendary Creatures:
Oni | Kappa | Tengu | Tanuki | Fox | Yōkai | Dragon
Mythical and Sacred Places:
Mt. Hiei | Mt. Fuji | Izumo | Ryūgū-jō | Takamagahara | Yomi


Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kami para niños

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