Shinto

"The Way of The Gods"
Traditional spiritual path of the Japanese. It is estimated that over
130,000,000 people are Shinto. Peace and beauty are sought in this
way of life.

Shinto is a very simple spiritual path that has much power there is no
real God worship in Shinto. A purely animistic view gives that "Kami" are
the Divine in everything from people to trees. It is said that there are
8 million Kami and this has been interpreted to mean that there are Kami
for everything that there is. The major Kami in Shinto are:

Amaterasu "Great Goddess who shines from the Heavens" she is the Sun Kami
and it is from her that the Japanese Royal line descends.
Uzume The Dawn Kami,
Kami-no-Kaze The Wind Kami who is so old that he was there at the time of
creation,
Hachiman-shin or Yawata no Kami The Kami of War and Protector of Japan,
Inari the androgenous Rice Kami who grants fertility,
Izanagi Kami of Creation and Life and his wife/sister Izanami Kami of
Creation and Death, they are the parents of Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi.
Omoikane The Kami of Wisdom and Council of The Kami themselves,
Raiden The Kami (or Oni) of Thunder and Lightning,
Owatatsumi Dragon God of The Sea,
Suijin Kami of Water,
Susanoo-no-Mikoto The Storm Kami,
Tsukiyomino Mikoto The Moon Kami and brother of Amaterasu and Susanoo.

Along with the Great Kami are the Seven Lucky Gods

Benten Goddess of the Flowing, such as words, knowledge, thoughts and poetry
Tamonten Punisher of Criminals and God of Fortunate Warriors
Daikoku God of The Wealth of The Harvest and The Household
Yebisu The Laughing God, First child of Izanagi and Izanami
Fukurokuju, Sothern Pole Star God of Longevity and Wisdom
Hotei God of Contentment and Abundance "Laughing Buddha"
Kudokuden Goddess of Beauty, Happiness and Fertility

The Kami are neither good nor evil and are capable of both and anything
in between. "Things are as they are."

Aside from Kami there are also Oni, Kappa and Yurei.

Oni are something like Otherworldly Deamons who, although not specifically
evil, do often bring disaster, death and plague. Some dead turn into Oni
and others into Yurei.
Yurei are ghosts, and they can be dangerous as they are unsettled and often
quite unhappy.

Though there are no church services in the Shinto religion there are
many shrines big and small. Everything from a tiny niche by the road side
to a full sized temple for many attendants and monks. Each family has a
personal shrine in their house. Usually a small niche or table layed out
with statues of Kami, pictures of ancestors, candles and offerings of
incense and often strung over with zig-zag strips of paper or straw called a
Shimenawa for protection. They mimic the public shrines in every way on a miniature scale.

An ancient and unbroken tradition of ancestor veneration is still very strong
in the practice of Shinto as are moral codes of conduct. These aspects as well
as the awareness of the Kami are integral parts of everyday life.

The practices associated with the Shinto lifestyle are harvest
celebrations as well as others to mark the passing of the seasons of the
year. It is surmised that these are the reasons that Japan has been so easily
able to move forward into the future while not for a moment forgetting it's
past, continuing on with a core sense of self.