Confucianism and Taoism state that the Tao is the cause of all that is, and Shinto would accept that as valid, even while retaining its own creation accounts. It is said to date back to prehistoric times. Myths and legends surrounding the creation of the nation of Japan are thought to be the foundations for this socio-religious institution. The basis of Shinto is worship of the kami. Kami is roughly translated as deity, but it applies to deities and noble people from history, including the ancestors of the Japanese people and the Japanese imperial dynasties.
Shrines are the center of Shinto, with each shrine being dedicated to a specific kami.
At present, there are three types of Shinto in Japan. Shrine Shinto, with prehistoric origins. It included, until 1945, State Shinto, which is closely tied to the government and the Japanese imperial dynasties. There are 13 sects in Sectarian Shinto, each with a founder or systematizer who organized it in the 19th century. Folk Shinto does not have an organized religious body, nor does it have any doctrinal formulas.