#the kami

[rasenkaikyo]

The kami are esoteric entities that permeate throughout all of nature, connected to the flow of creation, residing hidden an alternative realm called shinkai. There are countless more than can ever be reckoned, and various different ones will be venerated and enshrined from town to town, province to province. Throughout the Far East, one can find names of minor kami that will often be dedicated to a specific or niche facet of life: some beyond ancient, others appearing in the written history of the natural world. An individual or a thing, enshrined as kami after life or a significant event (Doma's first king Ganen, for instance).

There are nonetheless a multitude of kami that have more prominence and appeal throughout the Far East. Many have been immortalized in scripture and believed to have thrived in plain sight at the beginning of history.

Izanami and Izanagi were not the first kami to come into being, but they were the ones to bring about a true age of creation. Descending to the world - forming the land of Onokoro - between them they would bring about much of the land, scores more kami, and ultimately mankind. Fate, however, would eventually take the life of Izanami, and a grieving Izanagi would venture to the land of the dead to see her again... and potentially bring her back. It was to a mutual dismay, however, that she was bound there and couldn't return to life.

Since their paths diverged, Izanagi has heralded new life while Izanami ushered in the dead. Just as importantly afterward, as Izanagi washed away the kegare of the underworld at the mouth of a river (the One River by some accounts), he manifested three of what would be some of the most esteemed kami of all: Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susano.

Amaterasu - The God of the Sun, Izanagi gave her the empyrean domain. Such was her radiance to warm and light the way for all. Regents of the Far East have frequently claimed heritage to this kami as part of their right to rule. While ever the well-intentioned, Amaterasu could also be described as tempestuous. She possessed a fiery streak, often at odds with Susano, although one legend tells of a time where her boisterous sibling went too far. When a handmaiden close to her was accidentally killed, a grief-stricken Amaterasu withdrew, begetting a harsh winter ere she could be coaxed out.

Tsukuyomi - The keeper of the night and the moon. While kami are not adherent to the mortal concepts of gender by default, Tsukuyomi in particular has been presented as more androgynous or non-binary, or shifting like the phases of the moon. Per their ambiguity, Tsukuyomi has been the most solitary of the three kami, quietly content on guiding lost souls unto Izanami and the underworld. It is a task they carry out with a signature coolness and calm, regarded as a necessity to mediate between their two siblings.

Susano - Lord of the Revel, who commands the seas as befitting of his unpredictable nature, making him the favored deity of the Kojin people. Despite his reputation as a formidable hero and a jovial sort, his travails are rooted in the cautionary story of his initial downfall. Consumed by an influx of aramitama after a quarrel with Amaterasu, Susano went on a destructive rampage that incidentally took the life of one of her sister's aides, before he could be pacified. For his transgressions, he was cast out of heaven for a time. A time which he spent slaying great earthly beasts and claiming three treasures - Yata-no-Kagami, Yasakani-no-Magatama, and Ame-no-Murakumo - which he later presented to Amaterasu in reconciliation.

Daitenzan - The kami can be found in all things in nature, and as such they will most certainly embody the realm's majestic peaks. Few can argue that Daitenzan, the highest peak in the Hingashi archipelago, is among the most majestic of them all. A kami crowned with perpetual snow, a lone sentinel at the center of Koshu, that came into being by the hands of a colossal daidarabotchi. The kami is said to manifest as a woman called Sengen, who has been featured in her own share of legends concerning the mountain. Above all else she embodies flourishing life and beauty, thusly also representing the pristine cherry blossoms that are a focal point every Dance of the Five Petals.

Ebisu - The Laughing One, a fortune god and patron of fishers and the working class. A long time ago during the age of creation, it is told that he was found as a toddler - known then as Hiruko - alone on the shore of a fishing village, underdeveloped and too weak to care for himself. Despite his difficulties Hiruko remained sanguine, and for the nurture he received the village seemed to prosper unlike ever before. Ultimately he grew through his weaknesses and ascended to heaven, and it has been believed that he was a kami all along, an offspring of Izanami from before her passing. For this purported seniority, Ebisu went on to become a leader of seven kami of fortune.

Benten, the fortune of the arts. Bishamon, the fortune on the battlefield. Daikoku, the fortune of commerce and culinarians. Hotei, the fortune of youth and divinations. Jurojin, the fortune of long life. Kisshoten, the fortune of beauty.

The Four Lords - Far Eastern folklore is rife with appearances by fauna that have transcended their natural lifespans and obtained a new sense of awareness; those who have lived over a millennium are said to achieved divinity. Collectively they are the auspicious beasts, or simply auspices (zuiju), and the greatest of them - kami by all rights - are the Four Lords.

The legends of their exploits - notably the Tale of Tenzen - have garnered them widespread veneration and recognition. They are regarded as protectors of the realm, individually overseeing a cardinal direction. Genbu, representing the north and winter, wise and steadfast. Byakko, representing the west and autumn, a fierce guardian. Suzaku, representing the south and summer, majestic and melodious. Last but not least - Seiryu, representing the east and spring, a patron kami of geomancy.

Futen the Heavenly Wind and Raiden the Divine Levin - Twin gods, born from Izanami at the time of her initial demise. They then followed Izanagi out of the underworld. With an imposing, ogre-like appearance, they have been compared to the mythical Oni, regarded as the patron kami in folklore.

As storm gods, tales have been told connecting Futen and Raiden to their brother Susano; at different times standing against him, and with him as allies. Fearsome they may be, they are also revered as protector kami, invoked to unleash their might against would-be invaders.

Hachiman - The Great General, a god of war and patron kami of the warrior class, first gaining broader popularity among the samurai. He is believed to have first manifested in the early history of dynastic civilization, through a leader destined for ascension to the throne and to deification. Despite being noted as a god of war, it is usually more from the stance of a sagely mentor and tactician. Through times of conflict Hachiman has been turned to determine wise courses of action, and great rulers on both sides of the Ruby Tide are said to channel him. He is also regarded as a divine protector, having served as the protector of clans, and credited at different times for allaying enemy forces with the wrath of nature; a general commanding Futen and Raiden like lieutenants.

Inari - God of Prosperity. She resides over agriculture and fosters worldly success, and has long been the patron kami of farmers and merchants, though reverence has also spread to craftsmen and warriors. Thus she is easily one of the most popular kami in the East, with many shrines in her name. While often regarded as a goddess, various appearances and artistic depictions as either female, male or androgynous show that Inari also does not prescribe to a set gender for kami. She is also heavily tied to the fox, using snow-white foxes as messengers or even showing up as one herself. This has led to some belief that she could be the progenitor of powerful auspices like Tamamo Gozen. Regardless, foxes are always held with respect in the Far East.

Omoikane - The Divine Advisor. He is a god of wisdom and the patron kami of students and scholars. It is supposed that he is able to retain a great amount of information, as well as practically absorb and channel the thoughts of multiple individuals in order to reach compromises and solutions. Such was that his counsel has been sought to settle all manner of dispute among the amatsukami themselves, through diplomacy and cleverness. Most notably indeed, it fell upon Omoikane and his plan to persuade Amaterasu out of hiding, ending the realm's legendary first winter. He later settled in the eastern frontier, a sage to both god and man; Having garnered an additional association with carpenters and architecture, he is believed to be an important kami to the secretive Onishishu.

Ōnamazu - The Big One, as generally referred to as by its descendants the Namazu race, is for all intents and purposes the ancestral kami of the fish-like people and a god of premonition. Its story is nigh as curious as the Namazu themselves, telling of a catfish that had gorged itself on lesser fish to the point where grew to a size that blocked off the early One River, ascending to heaven after shearing off part of its tail fin - which turned into a smaller catfish, and the first true Namazu. While venerated the most naturally by the Namazu, Ōnamazu is regarded as a kami with a sense of clairvoyance. It has visited throughout history, warning of potential calamity in the future, and it has garnered appeal as a warder against misfortune and natural disasters.

Sarutahiko - The God of the Earth. They are the leader of the kunitsukami (earthly kami), a paragon of guidance and strength, and subsequently an important figure in martial arts and shugendo. Frequently depicted as a winged giant of variable gender with a ruddy complexion, they are also construed to be the ancestral patron god of the Tengu. Also representing junctions or crossroads, Sarutahiko is the stalwart guard of Ame-no-Ukihashi, the bridge between heaven and earth. When Amaterasu's first descendant to arrive on earth descended, Sarutahiko resisted, before they could be dissuaded by the goddess Uzume. The two went on to form a bond, and the clan they formed would have a major role in the performing arts. Sarutahiko personally is credited with the foundations of Noh theatre.

Tenzen - The Heavenly Hero. The center of a popular tale in his name, Tenzen has achieved status as a kami of worldly knowledge, in relatively recent times a patron of explorers and adventurers. He is believed to have been a Hyuran samurai, a figure with an sense of quiet determination, charm and scholarly eloquence, which he would convey in his love for the world. He found he was possessed of a gift, to commune with beasts, though it ostracized him at the time as an ill omen. Tenzen used his talents nonetheless to befriend and unite the Four Lords, which set them on an array of adventures, culminating in a showdown to face down and drive off a band of Oni. The tale suggests he was rewarded and lived the rest of his life in the mountains, although a variant posits he made the ultimate sacrifice for the realm. Regardless, in the end Tenzen would ascend to watch from over heaven as his friends oversaw the earth below. Plum trees may be found at shrines honoring him, as it is said he had a fondness.

Uzume - Lady of the Revel, and the goddess of the dawn. A patron kami of festivals, of dancers and miko, she is known in her empyrean sphere as a "great persuader". While her colleague Omoikane settled matters with logical diplomacy, Uzume had a knack for placating others with charisma and physicality. She is described as alarmingly beautiful and having reveled in sensuality. Uzume's way of provocation aided Omoikane in coaxing Amaterasu out of hiding, and she was also able to placate the hardened Sarutahiko at Ame-no-Ukihashi. The two kami then took a liking to one another and went on to form the Sarume clan, with prominence in the arts. Uzume's dance is what would come to be known as Kagura, a kinetic way of repulsing and purifying evil, and would be an integral ritual at many shrines and temples.

[rasenkaikyo]

At the center of belief, in swathes of mainland Othard and Hingashi, are the kami.

Unlike a defined pantheon of deities like the Twelve, those that blur the line between god and spirit are seemingly of endless number, permeating all aspects of creation. Trees, rocks and mountains, rivers, lakes and oceans. All spoken and fauna too have the spiritual potential of becoming kami, often in the next life though on rarer occasion in the here and now.

While there are those amongst their numbers that have gained distinction and broad appeal, especially the "Amatsu kami", there are many more (chiefly "Kunitsu kami") that can serve or represent any purpose in life, depending on where you go. No matter how specific.

Therefore it is by the kami that people took on a variable system of mundane practices and rituals; a lifestyle rooted in an intrinsic, harmonious and respectful relationship with nature. While this is generally benign and peaceful, it also has some roots in a fear of reprisal by nature itself.

A prevalent concept that can be applied theoretically at all levels of existence is of the spirit being tied to four "souls" (mitama), which one would strive to find balance in. While three of these energies - kushimitama, sakimitama and most of all nigimitama - are generally committed to good causes, they are also integral to keep in check the fourth: aramitama, or primal rage. This is often considered the foundational state of the kami; less a matter of "evil" and more chaos. This is the essence of change, the forces that shaped the very star. Where there is a glut of aramitama, Calamity is sure to follow.

And Calamity has followed, as ancient texts would infer. Raging floods, ages of ice, and civilization-shattering earthquakes have all been attributed - at one point or another - to this form of divine wrath. Often tied to alleged hubris of man, these tales remain salient words of warning among the most superstitious: do wrong by nature, and nature shall do you wrong.

Traditionally at the core of all practices, the means of maintaining a lasting peace with nature - and keeping aramitama in check - has involved communion with the kami at purified sites, offering simple gestures of gratitude, and cleansing the land of pollution or kegare. The earliest shamans of Othard were the first specialists of such affairs, and the most notable ones of legend were said to be capable of an array of feats that mystify to this day, implying that they themselves may have even become kami in plain sight.

While the intricacies of shamanism remain shrouded in mystery if not lost to time, and the supposed heirs of these arts - the taoists - remain elusive and keep their cards close to their chests, the legacy nonetheless extends to nearly all forms of contemporary discipline in the realm. Be it directly or indirectly.

Much of the essence of the shamans became imprinted onto the later shinkan, the shrine attendants. While communion with the kami used to be solely held at temporary establishments of sanctified earth, eventually more permanent shrines formed to give shelter to these god-spirits. This followed with the influence of neighboring lands like Thavnair or Dalmasca, bringing about larger temple-like complexes that would regularly enshrine multiple kami. Regardless of size the early priests would generally relegate themselves to the upkeep and rituals around their respective shrines, dabbling very little into the disciplines of a mage, or even their shamanic forebears. In due time, while not likely universal, this too would change.

[worldofjapanesegodsandgodde-blog]

About the Kami

The gods and goddesses in Japanese mythology typically explain or represent natural phenomena; however, there are some exceptions to this rule, such as Hachiman, the god of war. These gods and goddesses are also called “kami,” which means “deities.” Despite most kami belonging to Shintoism, the native Japanese mythology, the influence of Buddhism and agricultural folklore have contributed characteristics to or even changed some deities.

Kami typically have long names that are shortened for convenience. For example, the sun goddess’ full name is Amaterasu Omikami, but her name is usually shortened to Amaterasu.

Interestingly, not all kami are born as kami. Some myths tell of special humans who died and became divine.

Japanese gods and goddesses have extremely long lifespans and age remarkably slowly, so much so that most people would mistake them for immortal. While their bodies are much more durable and stronger than humans’, they are still able to die if harmed enough.

Along with superhuman strength, most deities have special abilities that are specific to them. Also, kami have both physical and emotional flaws akin to humans’.

Source:

Leeming, David Adams and Oxford University Press. The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2005.

[kamizo]

The universe, the earth and thus humans, were created so that we would create a meaning out of nothing. We were made to create meaning out of the nothingness of space.

the kami c: