Diversity in Shinto

A common phrase you might hear in Japanese Shinto is the phrase yaoyorozu no kami (八百万の神), which means the Eight Million kami. The Kami are the divine beings of Shinto and come in a great variety. Of course there are famous kami in Japan, but also many kami are very local, tied to a local natural spot: a mountain, a stream, a great rock, or a particularly good and noble person.

The phrase here refers to this kind of diversity in Kami which is the heart of Shinto. These kami exists in a wide variety of personalities and origins, reflecting the diversity of Humankind and of Nature. I’ve written in the past how Shinto myths often mirror aspects of society, and to me this seems no different.

Interestingly, in Japanese the term shinbutsu (神仏) often comes up too. This collectively refers to both the Kami (神) of Shinto and the Buddhas (仏) (and Bodhisattvas) of Buddhism as a single group. Their origins may differ but the two religions have co-existed for many, many centuries, and this helps add to the diversity that comprises Japanese religion, and a source of its strength too.