Kami - The Sacred Spirits
Kami are the divine spirits or gods that inhabit all aspects of nature, ancestors, and sacred phenomena.
Kami represent the sacred essence that pervades all existence. They are not distant deities but intimate presences dwelling in mountains, rivers, trees, and even remarkable humans. Kami inspire awe (mono no aware) and reverence for the divine in everyday life.
The kami are the spirits dwelling in all things, seen and unseen, that inspire reverence and awe.
Kami represent the Shinto understanding that divinity permeates all of existence rather than being separate from creation.
Kojiki
Written about in
- What Shinto says about reverence
Kami are the sacred presences the tradition orients itself towards: in mountains, rivers and trees, and in some remarkable people. They are described as near rather than remote, which is what makes the reverence practical.