KAMI. From a historical and religious viewpoint, what is meant by the Japanese word kami cannot be exhausted by the term itself, for it is also often expressed in other terms, such as tama (spirits), as well as by names for natural things beginning with such prefixes as mi (sacred), hi (spiritual, sacred forces) and itsu (sacred power). These can refer to concrete landscapes of place, sky, mountain, hill, river, sea, or forest, or sometimes to the nameless and extraordinary. In some expressions, the whole universe is permeated by the sacred kami nature, thus constituting a monistic universe. The characteristics of kami in the early phases of Japanese history share many common elements among the primary religious traditions of various communities in the world.

Characteristics of Kami

There are several important characteristics of kami in the early Japanese expressions. First of all, the kami in the archaic level...