Shinto

**Shinto**,
also **kami-no-michi**, is an indigenous religion of Japan and the people
of Japan. It is defined as an action-centered religion, focused on
ritual practices to be carried out diligently, to establish a
connection between present-day Japan and its ancient past.
Technically existing in archaic forms as early as 660 BC, Shinto
practices were first recorded and codified in the written historical
records of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century.

Still,
these earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto
religion", but rather to a collection of native beliefs and
mythology which contain archaic variants. Shinto today is a term that
applies to the religion of public shrines devoted to the worship of a
multitude of gods (kami), suited to various purposes such as war
memorials and harvest festivals, and applies as well to various
sectarian organizations. In practice, few Japanese still consider it
literal, but see it as more heavily ingrained with and important to
Japanese culture.

The word Shinto ("way of the
gods") was adopted, originally as Shindo, from the written
Chinese Shendao , combining two kanji: "shin", meaning
"spirit" or kami; and "tō", meaning a
philosophical path or study (from the Chinese word dào). The oldest
recorded usage of the word Shindo is from the second half of the 6th
century. Kami are defined in English as "spirits",
"essences" or "gods", referring to the energy
generating the phenomena.

Since Japanese language does not
distinguish between singular and plural, kami refers to the divinity,
or sacred essence, that manifests in multiple forms: rocks, trees,
rivers, animals, places, and even people can be said to possess the
nature of kami. Kami and people are not separate; they exist within
the same world and share its interrelated complexity. In-game, one
can tie this to the fact that demons in some sense are said to
pervade and relate to the human mind. Though obviously the kind of
partial jungian psychological sense of this that the game also
borders on is different from the historical Japanese one.

Shinto is the largest religion in
Japan, practiced in some form by nearly 80% of the population, yet
only a small percentage of these identify themselves as "Shintoists"
in surveys. This is due to the fact that "Shinto" has
different meanings in Japan, referring to the priesthood and
practices more than to lay followers. Most of the Japanese attend
Shinto shrines and beseech kami without belonging to an institutional
"Shinto" religion.

The term itself was considered related
more to the specific religious practice itself, with the general
beliefs in the wider sense historically not really having a name.
This also has to do with why many people still consider themselves
members, due to engaging in the culture, even though many do not
still consider it literal. There were different versions of the
practice historically, and even a special variant exclusively for the
royal families.

In-game there is an interesting split. The shinto amatsukami show up as law (though are never seen in plot roles on the law side), and the kunitsukami show up as chaos. However, the religion itself is most associated with the neutral churches and shrines. And while the amatsukami are the high gods and main shinto deities, even the chaotic gaian priests and temples and
practitioners seems more eastern inspired than the lawful messian
religion. So there''s an interesting split in-game for some of the
religions between where the gods show up, versus which in-game
religions actually look like spiritual successors to certain real
ones.

**Ryobu shinto** refers to the particular form of shinto mixed with shingon buddhism, in which the higher kami are seen as manifestations of buddhas, specifically amaterasu as a manifestation of vairochana. While not a major plot element, the association of amaterasu and the amatsu with the diamond realm in smtii hints at drawing on such a perspective for neutral. Although notably, vairochana himself is not associated with the area, despite being in the game.

## Kami - General

**Kami** or **shin** is defined in
English as "god", "spirit", “phenomenon” or
"spiritual essence", all these terms meaning the energy
generating a thing. Since the Japanese language does not distinguish
between singular and plural, kami refers to the divinity, or sacred
essence, that manifests in multiple forms. Rocks, trees, rivers,
animals, places, and even people can be said to possess the nature of
kami. Kami and people exist within the same world and share its
interrelated complexity.

Shinto gods are collectively called
yaoyorozu no kami an expression literally meaning "eight million
kami", but interpreted as meaning "myriad". They are
elements in nature, animals, creationary forces in the universe, as
well as spirits of the revered deceased. Many Kami are considered the
ancient ancestors of entire clans, and some ancestors became Kami
upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues
of Kami in life. Traditionally, great or charismatic leaders like the
Emperor could be kami. In SMTV they talk about the eight million kami in the japanese version, with the chaos ending talking about their restoration.

Kami refers particularly to the power
of phenomena that inspire a sense of wonder and awe in the beholder
(the sacred), testifying to the divinity of such a phenomenon. The
kami reside in all things, but certain objects and places are
designated for the interface of people and kami. Since it can also
mean phenomena, not all kami were necessarily sentient per say, but
there were degrees of independent sentience. This also can tie it in
loosely with the jungian ideas present in the game, and how demons
are seen to be everywhere, despite not always being strictly speaking
independently sentient, as embodiments of natural forces.

In Shinto, Kami are not separate from
nature, but are part of nature, possessing positive and negative,
good and evil characteristics. They are manifestations of **musubi**
(note nocturne's reference here, though the word has no context
really) the interconnecting energy of the universe, and are
considered exemplary of what humanity should strive towards. (Note
gaians trying to be able to stand toe to toe with demons) Kami are
believed to be “hidden” from this world, and inhabit a
complementary existence that mirrors our own, **shinkai (the world of the Kami)** To be in harmony with the awe inspiring aspects of nature
is to be conscious of **kannagara no michi (the way of the Kami.)**
Note that kami are not necessarily considered all-good, yet moving in
tune with them and nature is considered an ideal anyways. Which is
fairly chaotic in tone. In IV, calling a nature dragon a holy beast
gives you chaos points. Note also that the dark world in raidou seems
to parallel the hidden kami world.

Though the word Kami is translated in
multiple ways into English, no one English word expresses its full
meaning. In this way, the ambiguity of the meaning of Kami is
necessary, as it conveys the ambiguous nature of Kami themselves. As
Shinto is an inclusive religion, Kami has been expanded to include
things such as Buddhas and the Abrahamic God. (And so parralels in
game use of the word demon as all-inclusive) There are other spirits
designated as Kami as well. For example, the guardian spirits of the
land, occupations, and skills; spirits of Japanese heroes, men of
outstanding deeds or virtues, and those who have contributed to
civilization, culture and human welfare; those who have died for the
state or the community; and the pitiable dead. Not only spirits
superior to man can be considered Kami, but also spirits that are
considered pitiable or weak have been considered Kami in Shinto.
Explaining how people like maskado in game are simply considered
demons. And other notable figures as well, like Jeanne d' arc.

There are natural places considered to
have an unusually sacred spirit about them, and are objects of
worship. They are frequently mountains, trees, unusual rocks, rivers,
waterfalls, and other natural things. In most cases they are on or
near a shrine grounds. The shrine is a building in which the kami is
enshrined (housed). It is a sacred space, creating a separation from
the "ordinary" world. The kamidana is a household
shrine that acts as a substitute for a large shrine on a daily basis.
In each case the object of worship is considered a sacred space
inside which the kami spirit actually dwells, being treated with
respect.

In the ancient Shinto traditions there
were 5 defining characteristics of Kami.

1: Kami are of two minds. They can
nurture and love when respected, or they can cause destruction and
disharmony when disregarded. Kami must be appeased in order to gain
their favor and avoid their wrath. Traditionally, Kami possess two
souls, one gentle (nigi-mitama) and the other assertive (ara-mitama);
additionally in Yamakage Shinto kami have two additional souls that
are hidden, one happy (sachi-mitama) and one mysterious
(kushi-mitama).

2: Kami are not visible to the human
realm. Instead they inhabit sacred places, natural phenomena or
people during rituals that ask for their blessing.

3: They are mobile, visiting their
places of worship, of which there can be several, but never staying
forever. This can tie to the fact that in-game they are considere
embodiments of things, yet when summoned can be seperated from
whatever those things are.

4: There are many different varieties
of Kami. There are 300 different classifications of Kami listed in
the Kojiki, and they all have different functions, such as the Kami
of wind, Kami of entryways, and Kami of roads.

5: Lastly, all Kami have a different
guardianship or duty to the people around them. Just as the people
have an obligation to keep the Kami happy, the Kami have to perform
the specific function of the object, place, or idea they inhabit.
Explaining of course how they are embodiments of natural things.

Kami are an ever-changing concept, but
their presence in Japanese life has remained constant. The Kami’s
earliest roles were as earth-based spirits, assisting the early
hunter-gatherer groups in their daily lives, worshipped as gods of
earth (mountains) and sea. As the cultivation of rice became
increasingly important and predominant in Japan the Kami’s identity
shifted to more sustaining roles that were directly involved in the
growth of crops, such as rain, earth, and rice. This relationship
between early Japanese people and the Kami was manifested in rituals
and ceremonies meant to entreat the Kami to grow and protect the
harvest. These rituals also became a symbol of power and strength for
the early emperors.

## Kami - Types

There are considered to be two main
variations of Kami,

**1: amatsu-kami ("kami of**
**heaven")**, seen as more akin to angels or polytheistic gods and
the rulers of heaven. In the series this is a race that shows up as
light-law, excdpt for susano-o who is an exception. Obvious example of an amatsukami being Amaterasu.

One subtle but recurring theme is the fact that the amatsu are meant to actually lean towards law. In the later games, them taking over japan is presented as something they did likely with the help of the angels, and as part of the larger globalist universalist force. You occasionally see amatsu working with law, such as in strange journey with the yatagarasu. However, they are also shown using the diamond realm as a base in II. And so are associated with neutral through this. As such, while they are always law leaning (even in II the law theme plays for them), law leaning figures can still be on the neutral side. Though some are shown explicitly working for law in some later games like SJ, and in an interview they imply that to be the case. So not every universe is necessarily the same.

Despite this, the amatsu alignment rep in V actually works for chaos, albeit a more neutral chaos as opposed to the dark chaos that is normally seen.

**2: kunitsu-kami ("kami of earth")** are those which live on earth and are closer to nature
spirits. Though both types of god can be worshiped, the heavenly ones
are generally considered higher. In-game the kunitsu show up as
light-chaos.

Note that in the series at large, chaos
is associated with the earth. But what is more subtle is that the
contrast to this is that law is associated more with the sky. Most
flying demons are law for example. Despite many of them not really
acting lawful, but even so. Note that heaven in general, despite
being used as a name for a spiritual place, also means sky more
generally. So law being associated with the sky flies under the radar
a bit for people not seeing the word heaven in this light, or not
realizing the cloud motifs can be seen as actual clouds. So there is
a sky / earth dichotomy going on in the series at large. With neutral
in a sense trying to balance these influences and have them work
together. (Note that fallen angels are subtly associated with earth
in game also. Lucifer talks about being cast to the earth. And in
christianity is called the prince of the world, which can be a loose
earth association).

The earth kami were considered native
to japan itself, while the heavenly kami were considered wider in
scope, and in some senses invaders, though ones that were viewed
highly, and which the japanese people descended from in a sense.
(This has a historical parralel in that many kunitsu were gods of
japan natives that were relegated to lower status when yamato people
took over. Gods such as Arahabaki were relegated to kunitsu for this
reason.) In raidou, you see Sukuna hikona claiming that the heavenly
kami were invaders who subjugated the earthly ones, and he wanted
revenge for this. You can see the games also loosely interpret this
split as relating to angels and demons, or the sides in general.
Especially with angels being seen as “outsiders” to japan, and by
earthly gods in general. And with some demons under lucifer being
represented as never particularly being ex angels at all, but rather
simply demonized gods. And though it rarely comes into the main
story, there are other polytheistic gods seen working with the angels
and gods considering it a more general universal group. The amatsukami representing a more universal scope are thus depicted as law, with the kunitsukami who are native to japan being depicted as more particular.

This is made more obvious in that most
flying demons are thrown onto law. And demons and chaos are
considered earthly or nature spirits associated with ground, but with
law associated with sky. And chaos gods are considered more tied to a
particular location, showing differentiation, whereas law professes
to be universal, showing a lack of it. (An asian idea being that the
sky covers all equally and the same). Though is not generally shown
explicitly fighting for the law side as a character. Sukuna Hikona's
lines about being subjugated and cast down in raidou paralleling the
lines that the demons use, further the demon / earth god association.
As does the fact that many of these demons were represented as simply
being polytheistic gods before being branded demons. And of course
since in shinto the eath and sky gods are not necessarily meant as
enemies, you have neutral endings talking about some of them getting
along. In this sense, lucifer working alongside shinto earth gods and
hindu and buddhist asuras would not be seen as very odd, if he is
trying to represent a group that is associated with more earth gods,
and rejecting the more universal sky. (obviously the alignments don't
have that clean of a split. But you get the idea.) Since chaos often
talks about revering nature, whereas law considers its use more
pragmatic, this association makes sense as well. And neutral can be
considered a balance between them, as it tends to be. Since unlike
angels and fallen angels, these sky and earth gods get along better.
(Though obviously have fights from time to time.)

In II, the center however represents
intolerance as well. They are described as having sided with the
earth gods to seal away the heavenly gods. But later, the center
betrayed them and sealed them away as well. Which is interesting,
considering that they are shown working with tyrants later. So it can
possibly reflect their craziness. Using people, and then betraying
their own allies, wherever and whoever they may be. Which since the
center parallels authoritarian governments is a thing that happens in
such cases as well. Note that it is interesting that the center sided
with the chaos gods to seal away the japanese law gods.

**Mitama** refers to the spirit of a *kami* or the soul of a dead person. The *ara-mitama* is the rough and violent side of a spirit. A *kami's* first appearance is as an *ara-mitama*, which must be pacified with appropriate pacification rites and worship so that the *nigi-mitama* can appear. The *nigi-mitama* is the normal state of the *kami*, its functional side, while the *ara-mitama*
 appears in times of war or natural disasters. These two souls are
usually considered opposites, and Motoori Norinaga believed the other
two to be no more than aspects of the nigi-mitama. Ara-mitama and nigi-mitama
 are in any case independent agents, so much so that they can sometimes
be enshrined separately in different locations and different shintai.

Saki mitama. is the soul of blessing and prosperity. In a scene of the Nihon Shoki, kami Ōnamuchi is described in conversation with his own saki-mitama and kushi-mitama.
 Within Shinto also exists the idea that this the soul which brings good
 harvests and catches. Motoori Norinaga and others however believe this
to be no more than a function of the nigi-mitama. Kushi mitama. is the "wondrous soul" which appears together with the saki-mitama,
the providing soul, which is the power behind the harvest. It is
believed to have mysterious powers, to cause transformations and to be
able to cure illnesses.

In game, mitamas show up as things that can be used to fuse with demons to enhance different abilities. Presumably what is being gotten at is that adding extra essence to certain parts of the soul enhances those aspects.

## Kami - Worship

Within Shinto, it is believed that the
nature of life is sacred because the Kami began human life. Yet, man
cannot perceive this divine nature, which the Kami created, on his
own; therefore, magokoro, or purification, is necessary in order to
see the divine nature. This purification can only be granted by the
Kami. In order to please the Kami and earn magokoro, Shinto followers
are taught to uphold the four affirmations of Shinto.

**1: The first affirmation is to hold onto tradition and the family.** Family is seen as the main mechanism
by which traditions are preserved. For instance, with marriages or
births, traditions can be practiced repeatedly. (Both of these
involve focusing on your ingroup, which is arguably chaotic, though
the structure can be seen as more lawful.)

**2: The second affirmation is to have a love of nature**. Nature objects are worshipped as sacred because
the Kami live within them. Therefore, to be in contact with nature
means to be in contact with the gods. Respected as powers of nature,
who simply act and generate life, more than total moral. Which you
can point out has a chaotic tone, not ideologically, but because
chaos is associated with te earth.

**3: The third affirmation is to maintain physical cleanliness.** Followers of Shinto take baths, wash
their hands, and rinse out their mouths often.

**4: The last affirmation is to practice matsuri,** which is the worship and honor given to the Kami
and the ancestral spirits.

Additionally, Shinto followers believe
that the Kami are the ones who can either grant blessings or curses
to a person. Shinto believers desire to appease the evil Kami to
'stay on their good side,' and also to please the good Kami. In
addition to practicing the four affirmations daily, Shinto believers
also wear omamori to aid them in remaining pure and protected. Mamori
are charms that keep the evil kami from striking a human with
sickness or causing disaster to befall him.

The Kami are both worshipped and
respected within the religion of Shinto. The goal of life to Shinto
believers is to obtain magokoro, a pure sincere heart, which can only
be granted by the Kami. As a result, Shinto followers are taught that
humankind should venerate both the living and the nonliving, because
both possess a divine superior spirit within: the Kami.

**Animism**. Although shinto is fairly
animist, it is not necessarily panpsychist, because it does not
necessarily imply that everything is on all levels sentiently
animated. Merely that spirits more or less live within everything, or
t least most things. Note that in game, this is more or less implied.
Not only because there obviously are spirits of everything in-game,
but in SJ a crew member points out directly that some cultures think
this, and so this is used as an explanation of why its not too odd
that there's a god of toilets.

## Kami - Major Kami

Obviously there are plenty of gods that
could show up in this section. But it will be limited to those most
relevant to the games.

**Amenominakanushi "All-Father of the Originating Hub", or "Heavenly Ancestral God of the Originating Heart of the Universe")** is, according to the
Kojiki, the first kami, and the source of the universe according to
Shintoism. In mythology he is described as a "god who came into
being alone" (hitorigami), the first of the zōka sanshin
("three kami of creation"), and one of the five
kotoamatsukami ("distinguished heavenly gods").The
theologian Hirata Atsutane identified Amenominakanushi as the spirit
of the North Star, master of the seven stars of the Big Dipper. The
god was emphasised by the Daikyōin in the Meiji period, and
worshiped by some Shinto sects.

The god manifests in a duality, a male
and a female function, respectively Takamimusubi and Kamimusubi. In
other mythical accounts the originating kami is called
Umashiashikabihikoji ("God of the Ashi [Reed]") or
Kuninotokotachi (the "God Founder of the Nation"), the
latter used in the Nihon Shoki.

Note that shinto is polytheistic, and
so this god is not considered something to worship, being too
abstract and archaic, but more of a primal source. There's no obvious
references to it in game, but you can obviously make a case with it
for cramming yhvh or the great will into its role, or since it
manifests as male and female, even yhvh and mem aleph, for the
duality, arguing for a neutral focus on the more practical gods.
Obviously the games don't seem to imply anything like this directly,
but since they do seem to loosely try to make most religious ideas
overlap with a loose monotheism slightly, it helps to compare the
various ways this shows up in various religions to it.

**Amaterasu-Ō-Mi-Kami** Commonly
called
**Amaterasu**,
she is the goddess of the sun as well as the purported ancestress of
the Imperial Household of Japan. Her full name means "Great
Goddess" or "Great Spirit Who Shines in the Heavens";
she may also be referred to as Ōhiru-menomuchi-no-kami. Due to her
ties to the Imperial family, she is often considered (though not
officially) to be the "primary god" of Shinto. She is the
goddess of the sun, but also of the universe. The name Amaterasu
derived from Amateru meaning "shining in heaven." The
meaning of her whole name, Amaterasu-ōmikami, is "the great
august kami (god) who shines in the heaven". Based on the
mythological stories in Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the Emperors of Japan
are considered to be direct descendants of Amaterasu.

Due to association with the sun, some
buddhists who practiced ryobu shinto considered her a manifested form of vairocana. Note that since some buddhists consider
vairochana the adibuddha that exists outside of all worlds and
transcends them / is from before time, that interpretation could
almost be more monotheistic. This association of kami and buddhas is the basis of the depiction of the amatsu as part of the diamond realm in smtii.

In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu, the
goddess of the sun, is the sister of Susanoo, the god of storms and
the sea, and of Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon. It was written that
Amaterasu had painted the landscape with her siblings to create
ancient Japan. (Note this is where the game okami comes from) All
three were born from Izanagi, when he was purifying himself after
entering Yomi, the underworld, after failing to save Izanami.
Amaterasu was born when Izanagi washed out his left eye, Tsukuyomi
was born from the washing of the right eye, and Susanoo from the
washing of the nose.

She became the ruler of the sun and the
heavens along with her brother, Tsukuyomi, the god of the moon and
ruler of the night. Originally, Amaterasu shared the sky with
Tsukuyomi, her husband and brother until, out of disgust, he killed
the goddess of food, Uke Mochi, when she pulled "food from her
rectum, nose, and mouth". This killing upset Amaterasu causing
her to label Tsukuyomi an evil god and split away from him;
separating night from day.

The texts also tell of a long-standing
rivalry between Amaterasu and her other brother, Susanoo. When he was
to leave Heaven by orders of Izanagi, he went to bid his sister
goodbye. Amaterasu was suspicious, but when Susanoo proposed a
challenge to prove his sincerity, she accepted. Each of them took an
object of the other's and from it birthed gods and goddesses.
Amaterasu birthed three women from Susano's sword while he birthed
five men from her necklace. Claiming the gods were hers because they
were born of her necklace, and the goddesses were his, she decided
that she had won the challenge, as his item produced women.

The two
were content for a time, but her brother became restless and went on
a rampage, (note Susano-o aways shows up as chaos while amaterasu
shows up as law, explaining her dismay at his chaotic actions)
destroying Amaterasu's rice fields, hurling a flayed pony at her
loom, and killing one of her attendants in a fit of rage. Amaterasu,
who was in fury and grief, hid inside the Ama-no-Iwato ("heavenly
rock cave"), thus effectively hiding the sun for a long period
of time. Though she was persuaded to leave the cave, Susanoo was
punished by being banished from Heaven. Both later amended their
conflict when Susanoo gave her the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword as a
reconciliation gift. This story of amaterasu hidden in the cave has a parralel in smtii, where she is seen sealed in a cave, and needing to be rescued.

According to legend, Amaterasu
bequeathed to her descendant Ninigi: the mirror, Yata no Kagami; the
jewel, Yasakani no Magatama; and the sword, Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. This
sacred mirror, jewel, and sword collectively became the three
Imperial Regalia of Japan.

In-game she tends to not show up in too
main of roles. In strange journey it claims she was summoned to be a
mother of the schwarzweld, but eventually rejected that role, and
leaves. This can place her in lawful or neutral category. In IV she
shows up in a small sidequest where in the end she tells you to make
the world of your dreams. Which is kind of ambiguous, since its the
same line regardless of ending. So they avoid her having too much of
ideological connotations there. Ironically, despite this, her
alignment is in law, and in interviews they say that she is leaning to the law side.

Due to the fact that they say that in
some japanese beliefs she is considered almost the equivalent of a
monotheistic god, being by far the primary one. And because in the games in general, the amatsukami are subtly implied to be working closely with the law side. Due to being depicted in their lore as from heaven and as a universalist force that invaded japan. Showing that different layers and analogues of the struggle have existed at various times. This also relates subtly to the japanese jewish common ancestry theory that shows up in the later games, implying a subtle relation between these groups in game.

In syncretist shinto she is often seen as an avatar of vairochana. This likely thing to her role in smtii, and using the diamond realm as a base.

**Ame no Uzume** is the goddess of dawn and revelry in the Shinto religion
of Japan. She famously relates to the tale of the missing sun deity, Amaterasu.

Amaterasu's brother, the storm god Susano-o,
 had vandalized her sacred buildings and brutally killed one of her
maidens because she refused to trust him. In turn, Amaterasu became
terrified of his wrath and retreated into a cave. The world, without the
 illumination of the sun, became dark and the gods could not lure
Amaterasu out of her hiding place. The clever Uzume overturned a tub near the cave entrance and
began a dance on it, tearing off her clothing in front of the other
deities. They considered this so comical that they laughed heavily at the sight.

Amaterasu heard them, and peered out to see what all the fuss was
 about. When she opened the cave, she saw her glorious reflection in a
mirror which Uzume had placed on a tree, and slowly emerged from her
hiding spot. At that moment, the god Ame-no-Tajikarawo
 dashed forth and closed the cave behind her, refusing to budge so that
she could no longer retreat. Another god tied a magic rope across the
entrance. The deities Ame-no-Koyane and Ame-no-Futodama then asked
Amaterasu to rejoin the divine. She agreed, and light was restored to
the earth.

The angel seraph may be meant to call uzume to mind, due to it doing a naked fan dance. If amaterasu is conflated to yhvh, then as yhvh's attendant this would add to the association. This would be related to jjcat, and the games conflating together the role of the Angel's and the role of the amatsukami at times.

**Naobi no kami** (or Nahobi no kami) are deities in Shintoism. They are considered to be deities of purification and the removal of calamities.

In the Japanese myths that deal with the birth of the gods, when Izanagi returned from the underworld of Yomi and underwent misogi (ritual cleansing), the Magatsuhi no kami were produced from the impurity. To rectify the disorder produced by the Magatsuhi no kami, the Naobi no kami were born.

Naobino is used as the name for what you become in smtv, though your relationship to the religious term is rather hazy. Magatushi is used as a term in both nocturne and V.

**Amanozako** is a goddess of rebellion mentioned in the *Wakan Sansai Zue*, who is born when Susano-o lets his own ferocious spirit (Ara Mitama) build up inside him until he vomits her out. It is said that she is the ancestor deity of all yokai who share her short-fused temper and disobedience.

Amanozako has a son, named Amanojaku. In keeping with her obstinate nature, she conceives him entirely on her own, without the assistance of a partner. Her son is just as obstinate as she is, and he causes so much trouble that all eight million gods in heaven cannot stand him. Amanozaku is eventually elevated to the position of ruler over all the disobedient and malevolent kami.

Amanozako is said to like possessing the hearts of humans to manipulate their emotions and personalities.

In game she is an artificial proto fiend, similar to susano-o in the form of aogami. Her artificial body was created by the tengu, to be their leader, but escaped from them to be with the protagonist, who she calls her soulmate.

**Hachiman** Also known as
Hachiman-shin
or Yawata no Kami, he is the god of war and the divine protector of
Japan and its people. Originally an agricultural deity, he later
became the guardian of the Minamoto clan. His symbolic animal and
messenger is the dove. Some people conflated the figure with yhvh, and so his appearance in-game is that of yhvh if he had a whole body.

**Izanagi** The forefather of the gods,
he is the first male as well as the god of creation and life.
He
and his wife, Izanami, were responsible for the birth of the islands
of Japan and many kami, though she died in childbirth. Later, after
his failed attempt to retrieve her from the underworld, he sired
Amaterasu, Susanoo and Tsukuyomi, who became the main gods of heaven.
Note that while him and izanami are known as the main persona and
villain in persona 4, they are also referred to in nocturne as the
creators of the previous world. Interesting in that that role is

supposed to be for humans, so it is unclear whether they were being represented as humans, or as the human creators' sponsor deities.

    **Izanami** is Izanagi's wife and sister, she is the first female as well as the goddess of creation and death. She died shortly after the birth of Kagu-tsuchi, and Izanagi followed her

to the underworld, but failed to bring her back to the living world.
A marital spat between the pair caused the cycle of life and death
for all living beings. Known mainly as the true villain of persona 4,
where she tests people to see what it is humanity truly desires.
Which is ironic, considering her in game representation makes her
seem detached and morally neutral and just doing what she thought
people wanted. When her lore based representation has her start as good, and simply become corrupt.

Her and izanami are also depicted as the creators of the original world that nocturne takes place in, with you being able to visit their graves in the vortex world. And she is featured prominently in the original digital devil story, and so has been a main feature of the series since the beginning, with the title of godess metempsychoses referring to her.

In persona 4, the likely reason she is used as a symbol of illusion, and izanagi as a symbol of truth is the story where she asked not to be looked at, but izanagi did anyways. This implying she was trying to cover up her appearance, and izanagi trying to reveal it. Ethics of the story aside, it does loosely correlate to the idea of revealing truths about reality.

**Yamata-no-Orochi** was the eight headed serpant slain by susano-o in order to save the daughter of a family who it kept eating the daughters of. Due to aogami embodying susano-o, the first boss in smt of you fighting the hydra can be percieved as calling to mind that story.

    **Omoikane** The deity of wisdom and intelligence, who is always called upon to "ponder" and

give good counsel in the deliberations of the heavenly deities. Shows
up in-game as a brain of sorts
to represent intelligence. In many of the games it shows up like a bonus enemy that one can get particular items from if they defeat in time.

**Amatsu-Mikaboshi** ("August Star
of Heaven") is a god of evil and the stars in Japanese
mythology. Sources on it tend to be rather vague, but it is sometimes seen as having been emanated from kagutsuchi. It shows up as an enemy in raidou.

**Susanoo-no-Mikoto** Alternately romanized as Susano-o), Susa-no-o, and Susanowo. Reportedly called "Futsushi". He is the god of storms as well as in some cases the god of the sea. He is also somewhat of a trickster god, as Japanese mythology extensively documents the "sibling rivalry" between him and Amaterasu. Susanoo also was responsible for the slaying of the monster Yamata no Orochi and the subsequent discovery of the sacred sword Kusanagi. (Most of his story is explained in the amaterasu section).

He is however considered chaotic in game due to his nature, despite being a heaven god. And is listed as part of another race. This has to do in part with their rivalry, as well as the fact that he descended to earth and operated more with the kunitsukami, even marrying one of them. It also relates to how his wrath and anger were what amaterasu was hiding from at the time the gods needed to find a way to get her out. In overclocked he also appears working under okuninushi, and is depicted as the won of izanami, haivng a strong attachment to her which is shown to parralel the family associations of can and abel in that game.

in smtv, aogami is the proto fiend body of susano-o, who merges with the protagonist to become the nahobino. He will follow through any route with you.

**Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto** Also known as
Tsukiyomi,
Tsuki no Kami, Tsukiyomino Mikoto, and Tsukiyumi no Mikoto, he is the
god of the moon, said to have been born from a mirror held by
izanagi. (Note his head here is a mirror.) He killed the goddess of
food, Uke Mochi, out of disgust and anger in the way she had prepared
a meal. This caused Amaterasu to never face him again, causing the
sun and moon to be in different parts of the sky. He shows up in
games as a demon, but not particularly in any significant plot role.
Interestingly, in-game, masakado shows up with the same mirror
tsukuyomi wears.

In smtv, he leads the japanese branch of bethel in a human form, as well as being the japanese prime minister. His true goal however was to bide his time until the forces of chaos were defeated, and then claim the throne of heaven for the amatsukami. His goal upon doing this was still to create a chaotic world, but his vision was closer to that of neutral chaos, and so he still had a vested interest in defeating the dark chaos forces. Since while he aknowledges that his created world would still have a lot of violence, the violence is not meant as the feature itself, and would have a desire of ridding itself of the most dangerous chaotic entities.

**Kuzuryu** is a dragon deity
derived from the Hindu deity
Shesha
king of Nagas. It first appeared in Japanese folklore during the Nara
period and his name means "nine headed dragon". He is also
known as Kuzuryushin, which means "nine headed dragon god".
As either name suggests, he is depicted commonly as a nine-headed
dragon. One famous legend about the Kuzuryu is the Hakone Kuzuryu
legend, which is similar to that of Yamata no Orochi. According to
the legend, the nine-headed dragon had settled in Lake Ashi in
Hakone, where it demanded a sacrifice. The legend continues, saying
Mankan saw the dragon reform and change into a Dragon King. He then
built a shrine to the dragon. After this the customary offering to
the dragon changed from human sacrifice to steamed rice with red
beans.

Although it shows up as amane's
family's last name, its more important appearance is in II, where it
shows up as a super weapon YHVH ordered lucifer to use to destroy the world, but which Lucifer only tried to use to ravage the surface.

Despite
being called kuzuryu, its presence in seems to also be based slightly on the hindu Shesha, that
kuzuryu derives from. in
the hindu section. Kuzuryu was also said to have turned into a
mountain in japanese lore, which explains his appearance, and hints at his II appearance being a kind of hybrid of the two figures.

**Kagu-tsuchi** was a god born when izanami was giving birth to the various gods.
Kagu-tsuchi's
birth burned his mother Izanami, causing her death. His father
Izanagi, in his grief, beheaded
Kagu-tsuchi
with his sword, and cut his body into eight pieces, which became
eight volcanoes. The blood that dripped off Izanagi's sword created a
number of deities, including the sea god Watatsumi and rain god
Kuraokami.

Kagutsuchi shows up in nocturne as the last boss or second
to last boss, as the sphere and avatar of god that gives birth to the
new world, and lives only during the world's primal state. kagutsuchi
seems like an odd god for them to use as an avatar in this way, but
as it refers to a god who only existed for a short time in the early period of the world and then gave birth to lands, there is a
loose connection. The actual figure seems to be a composite of several figures however, including vairochana, brahma, and the cosmic egg.

**Okuninushi** is known in megaten mainly as the end boss on amane's eighth day route in overclocked. But what many people
don't know is that his role there parallels his lore in ways that
would be more familiar to japanese audiences then western ones. The
most obvious way is merely his resurrections. In his lore, his
brothers became jealous of him for being the one chosen by Princess
Yakami/Yagami to marry, after he was prophesied to by the hare of
inaba, who he saved from his brothers. They killed him multiple
times, and his mother revived him by various means each time. Which
obviously parralels in-game battle mechanics for overclocked's end
boss on amane's route. But that's not the interesting part.
In shinto, as stated above there's two
kinds of gods. Earth gods who are native to japan, and heaven gods
who are native to heaven, and descended to japan to interact with it,
that are considered "higher" by many. Okuninushi is generally considered the head of the earth gods similar to how amatarasu is the head of the gods of heaven.

Okuninushi after
defeating his brothers became god of the "Central Land of Reed
Plains," the place now known as japan, but some heaven gods
looked at it and declared that it was out of control, and descended
to it to take control and restore peace. He wasn't an evil god, so he
realized that they were right about it being out of control, and
apparently peacefully offered over control, and then left for the
spirit world. Since heaven gods are considered kind of "foreign"
rather than native, in this instance they're being associated with
the foreign universal angels, trying to pacify the entire world.
Interestingly, the “foreign” Japanese amatsu are presented as
less foreign, with the angels taking the role of even more foreign
sky gods. So in shinto there is precedent for superior gods that know
better coming from “elsewhere” and fixing problems with japan's
native religion and rulership.

**Yatagarasu**. In Japanese mythology,
Yatagarasu has the appearance of the great bird and represents the will of
Heaven or divine intervention in human affairs. Although Yatagarasu
is mentioned in a number of places in the Shintō canon, there is
very little explanation, and much of the material is contradictory.
In raidou, The Herald of
Yatagarasu
is a figure presented as The representative of Yatagarasu, the bird
of the sun goddess Amaterasu. She can be called from the nameless
shrine found in the heart of the mountains of Shinoda, and has been
the guide of the Raidou Kuzunoha Clan for many centuries. She is
Raidou's boss, and also his guide to the Dark Realm of The Capital. Yatagarasu also shows up as one of the figures working on the law side in strange journey.

This association with law is possibly in connection to the idea of yhvh as representing sun deities in general, and so it functioning as a messenger like it does for amaterasu in its lore.

**Tengu** are a type of legendary creature found in Japanese folk religion and are also considered a type of Shinto god (kami) or yōkai (supernatural beings). Although they take their name from a dog-like Chinese demon (Tiangou), the *tengu* were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, and they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics. The earliest *tengu*
 were pictured with beaks, but this feature has often been humanized as
an unnaturally long nose, which today is widely considered the *tengu*'s defining characteristic in the popular imagination.

Buddhism long held that the *tengu* were disruptive demons and harbingers
 of war. Their image gradually softened, however, into one of
protective, if still dangerous, spirits of the mountains and forests. *Tengu* are associated with the ascetic practice of Shugendō, and they are usually depicted in the garb of its followers, the *yamabushi*.

Interestingly, the art of many of the later tengu in the games are depicted with jewish characteristics such as Kurama Tengu wearing a teffilin and kippah. Possibly in part since they aesthetically resemble angels, and so are being treated as if they are a similar type of entity. They often (though not exclusively) are even law, showing up as yoma race. This could also tie to the games' use of the japanese jewish common ancestry theory, implying that they may be incarnations of angels who went to japan to influence it, or beings who were in league with them.

**Kinmamon**. Also known as "the God from Beyond the Sea, Marebito," it is an
enigmatic god from Japanese lore. It is related to Amaterasu, which is
implied from the few known sources of Kinmamon. Kinmamon is an enigmatic
 and mysterious deity of Ryuku shinto, which is practiced on the Ryuku
islands. Its connections with sea travel and suggestion that it brought
life to the Ryukyu Islands imply that it was a deity introduced from
across the sea. Kinmamon's name means "The True One" which is believed
to be a title for shrine maidens, leading to the belief that Kinmamon is
 the deity of shrine maidens.

In strange journey his compendium says: "The highest god of
Ryukyu Shinto. He comes from the eternal kingdom of Nirai Kanai and has
protected the Ryukyu Islands. There is a Yin and a Yang side to this
deity; the one that came from the sky is Kiraikanaino Kinmamon, and the
one that came from the sea is Ohokakerakuno Kinmamon. He is also a god
who brings gifts of wisdom, and appears before people through women."

In keeping with its association with amaterasu, in strange journey amaterasu appears in the form of kinmamon when her memory is lost.

**Sukuna-Hikona**, also known as Sukunabikona or in full, Sukuna-Hikona no Kami, is the Japanese dwarf deity of healing and sake brewing and is associated with hot springs. He assisted Okuninushi in building the world and formulating protections against disease and wild animals in myths from the Izumo region.

He shows up as a character in multiple games. In smtii, Sukuna-Hikona is one of the Kunitsu who were convinced to ally themselves with the center to confront the Amatsu, only to be betrayed and imprisoned inside a shrine in the Abyss. In apocalypse, he is the final guardian of the ark where krishna is sealed. In the first raidou he is the main villain. And he shows up as the persona of naoto in p4.

**Douman**, Known as Ashiya Dōman or Dōma Hōshi is an onmyoji, and the rival of Abe no Seimei
 who had many magical duels between the two in Japanese legend. One duel
 had him attempt to trick Abe by putting fifteen oranges inside a box,
only for Abe to best him by turning them into rats and saying there were
 fifteen of them. Douman used a talisman with crossed lines.

In SMTI, he shows up doing a ritual to summon demons, and is one of the first major enemies fought, being one of the first major characters to represent chaos. The visionary items in the remake detail a bit about his past, and his rivalry with seimei, and state that he sought to return to earth at a point when someone of equal magic power to him would exist, and that it was the demon summoning program's abilities that triggered this return. And he sealed away part of his soul to help facilitate this return. He states that his ultimate goal is to take over the world, showing a bit of a dynamic of different chaos figures.

**Mishaguji** was a native god
worshiped in the ancient Shinto region of Japan before the Yamato
took control, at which point the worship of it became a taboo.
Mishaguji
was the god of sexual intercourse and if he was left an offering,
then sex would become better. It is said that
Mishaguji's
incarnation on Earth had a very phallic shape, possibly similar to an
earthworm, and he would take shelter under rocks or stones. Once
Yamato took control however, Mishaguji became seen as a god that only
the undesirable and unfaithful would worship.

According to the
Japanese scholar Yanagita Kunio, Mishaguji used to be a guardian
deity for travelers, worshiped under the guise of a phallic stone
pillar; at the same time, due to religious syncretism, one of his
other forms was that of a white Japanese rat snake. Note the fact
that he was demonized explains why he shows up as vile race. On his
form where he is on the pillar, there is also a shinto shinemawa
(explained below) beneath him.

**Sukuna-Hikona** is the Japanese dwarf
deity of healing and sake brewing and is associated with hot springs.
He assisted Okuninushi in building the world and formulating
protections against disease and wild animals in myths from the Izumo
region. And in raidou I you see him complaining that the amatsukami
came to japan taking it over, and him wanting revenge. in devil
survivor overclocked, his friendship with Okuninushi, ad their
separation when sukuna hikona was lost is also mentioned.

**Kanbari-nyudo** is a spirit who shows up
in strange journey in the bathroom calling himself a god of toilets.
Far from his allegedly benevolent presentation in game however, he
comes from a legend of being an old man peeping tom who did
progressively worse and worse things until he was killed by someone
trying to stop him, and became a ghost that continued being a peeping
tom. They say that if you chant his name Kanbari
Nyudo in the bathroom, his bald head will sometimes appear in the toilet
bowl. If you chant, “Ganbari Nyudo, lesser cuckoo” in your
bathroom on New Year’s Eve, he will leave for good.

Interestingly,
strange journey presents this as if he is protecting you from other
bathroom mishaps, when in reality its mostly you getting rid of him,
so that he is not spying on you. Which is interesting, since it is a case of a malevolent entity being depicted as if it were benevolent. Notably however, some say he is based on an actual chinese god of toilets, and it is not uncommon for a kami of toilets to be venerated in shinto. So this may be a deliberate conflation of figures.

**The kawaya no-kami** or **toilet god** was a spirit of toilets that was asked for help in shinto. Special rituals at the new year asked for the kawaya no-kami to bring a good harvest. Keeping the toilet clean was thought to lead to more attractive children. While kanbari was not seen as a toilet god in shinto, it seems he is being conflated with the idea of one.

**Taira no Masakado** was a
samurai
during the Heian period in Japan. He led a small but thriving
rebellion to capture three provinces - Hitachi, Shimotsuke and
Kouzuke - now known as the Kanto region's Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma
prefectures respectively. As a response to the rebellious member of
the Taira clan, the Kyoto central government at the time announced
the bounty on his head. At the Battle of Kojima occurring eastward of
Kanto, Masakado was killed by Fujiwara no Hidesato and Taira no
Sadamori, his cousin. His head was brought to Kyoto, and later to Edo
where it was buried. Here he is regarded by the locals as a demigod,
and a belief persists that the conditions of his shrine dictates the
fortune of the metropolis. Interestingly, there is a legend about his head traveling by itself, paralleling his head following you around in IV. And of him having a large hard body.

In game he is often used as a neutral
representative, being a historical human, but also deified.
Interestingly, his alignment is rarely neutral / neutral though,
often showing up as light / chaos. He is an example of the continuity
of humans and gods in eastern ideas, being treated now as a god with
his own shrine more than as a mere historical figure. His rebellion against the emperor is presented as a parallel between neutral's rebellion against the order of law as well. And since the later games are based on the fringe Japanese-Jewish common ancestry theory, a parallel is likely being made implying that the emperor was part of a continuous process in the attempt to spread lawful ideology in general. Doubly so since the amatsukami are depicted as law, and in raidou II it talks about how they were close allies with angels.

In SMTII, masakado is also sued as a euphemism for tokyo itself in a sense, with masakado being divided into parts being used to represent a divided tokyo, and with him being reunited reflecting it being rebuild. A similar idea is the basos of his appearance in IV, albeit in a more abstract and symbolic way.

**Kokunochi** is the kami of trees, called "spirit of trees" (kodama) in Engishiki. According to Kojiki, Kukunochi was born after Izanagi and Izanami finished giving birth to the land (see kuniumi). Nihongi likewise states that Kukunochi was born after Izanagi and Izanami had given birth to the various other kami of the sea, rivers and mountains. In his Kojikiden, Motoori Norinaga interpreted kuku to mean "stalk," and chi as a male honorific. Together with Toyoukehime, this kami is referred to as one of the yafunegami ("kami of houses"), and continues to be worshiped today on the occasion of roof raising ceremonies and the blessing of new houses. He is light law, and in strange journey was one of the kami seen working with the law side.

**Kuebiko** is a Shinto earth kami of
knowledge and agriculture, represented in Japanese mythology as a
scarecrow who cannot walk but has comprehensive awareness. The Kojiki
("Record of Ancient Matters") has the earliest reference to
Kuebiko
in the myth of Ōkuninushi ("Great Land Master"). When
Ōkuninushi was at Cape Miho in Izumo, a small kami arrived in a
boat. Nobody knew his name, but a toad suggested asking Kuebiko, who
revealed the god was a scion of the goddess Kami-musubi named
Sukuna-bikona. In SMTIV he shows up as a demon that the ashura kai
are trying to drive out, who complains that demons are older than
humans, and so humans have no right to push them around. In-game he
is not represented with knowledge however, but is represented as
violent, saying that violence is the way of the world. He wears
shimenawa around his body, and his head looks tied together, calling
to mind his scarecrow appearance.

**Futsunushi** is the nihonshoki sword deity who pacified Ashihara no Nakatsukuni. And he is primarily associated with this story of the amatsu gods of heaven coming to earth to pacify it. His name comes from "futsu," the fashion in which things are cut, and "nushi," his nature as a god. In smtv he shows up as an npc for a side mission where you can either side with him, or with a demon of chaos, the latter of whom thinks they should be able to invade by force.

**Nekomata** or **bakeneko** is, in
Japanese folklore, a cat with supernatural abilities to appear as a
human (usually
female)
akin to those of the fox or raccoon dog. A cat may become a bakeneko
in a number of ways: it may reach a certain age, be kept for a
certain number of years, grow to a certain size, or be allowed to
keep a long tail. In the last case, the tail forks in two and the
bakeneko is then called a nekomata. Lore of cat spirits appearing as
human girls is a likely inspiration for the concept of the cat girl
in modern japanese culture.

## Ethics and other practices

**Kannagara** In Shinto kannagara,
meaning "way [path] of [expression] of the kami", refers to
the law of the natural order. It is the sense of the terms michi or
to, "way", in the terms "kami-no-michi" or
"Shinto". Those who understand kannagara know the divine,
the human, and how people should live. From this knowledge stems the
ethical dimension of Shinto, focusing on sincerity (makoto), honesty
(tadashii) and purity.

**Ethics**: Shinto moral principles are
strongly influenced by Confucianism. It is believed that humans have
an innate moral sense, and can be motivated by shame to avoid doing
wrong. Acts of wrong-doing are cleansed through acts of purification.
Sincerity, which is the harmony of thought and action, is a prized
human characteristic. Ethics in Shinto are however cultural and
situational; there are no religiously based universal Shinto
commandments or precepts forbidding certain actions. This ambiguity may explain why it shows up affiliated mostly with neutral even though its gods seem to be split between law and chaos for amatsukami and kunitsukami respectively.

Generally directly Shinto ethics are
not based on a set of commandments or laws that tell the faithful how
to behave, but on following the natural flow of the kami. So a follower of
Shinto will try to live in accordance with the way of the kami, and
in such a way as to keep the relationship with the kami on a proper
footing. But it's important to remember that the kami are not perfect
- Shinto texts have many examples of kami making mistakes and doing
the wrong thing. This clear difference with faiths whose God is
perfect is a potential reason why Shinto ethics avoids too discrete of direct
moral rules.

The overall aims of Shinto ethics are
to promote harmony and purity in all spheres of life. Purity is not
just spiritual purity but moral purity: having a pure and sincere
heart. This may sound almost lawful, but the game presents shinto as neutral as a whole.

Shinto ethics start from the basic idea
that human beings are mostly good, and that the world is good. Evil
enters the world mainly from outside, brought by evil spirits. These affect
human beings in a similar way to disease, and reduce their ability to
resist temptation. When human beings act wrongly, they bring
pollution and sin upon themselves, which obstructs the flow of life
and blessing from the kami.

However, Things which are usually
regarded as bad in Shinto are:things which disturb kami, things which
disturb the worship of kami, things which disrupt the harmony of the
world, things which disrupt the natural world, things which disrupt
the social order, and things which disrupt the group of which one is
a member.

**Impurity:** Shinto teaches that
certain deeds create a kind of ritual impurity that one should want
cleansed for one's own peace of mind and good fortune rather than
because impurity is simply wrong. Wrong deeds are called "impurity"
which is opposed to "purity". Note that although western
religion is the more likely source, merkabah and the angels in IV
using clean and unclean as placeholder words for morality is
something that shinto followers would not find overly uncommon. Even
though in IV, unclean does not necessarily mean evil, but more like
detrimental, with them pointing out that some people who are not evil
end up unclean, like merkabah says about itself and you on the law
end. But merkabah and the angels see focusing on this clean / unclean
distinction as more important than that of simply assessing who is
evil, which is more of a statement of character than pragmatics.
Though merkabah does call lucifer evil.

Those who are killed without being
shown gratitude for their sacrifice will hold a grudge (grudge) and
become powerful and evil kami who seek revenge (aragami).
Additionally, if anyone is injured on the grounds of a shrine, the
area must be ritually purified.

**Purification**: Purification rites
called Harae are a vital part of Shinto. They are done on a daily,
weekly, seasonal, lunar, and annual basis. These rituals are one of
the cores of the practice of Shinto. Such ceremonies have also been
adapted to modern life. New buildings made in Japan are frequently
blessed by a Shinto priest called kannushi during the groundbreaking
ceremony (Jichinsai), and many cars made in Japan have been blessed
as part of the assembly process. Moreover, many Japanese businesses
built outside Japan have had ceremonies performed by a Shinto priest,
with occasionally an annual visitation by the priest to re-purify.

**Objects:** The kami reside in all
things, but certain objects and places are designated for the
interface of people and kami. Some of such objects are

**1: Yorishiro**, is an
object
capable of attracting kami, thus giving them a physical space to
occupy during religious ceremonies. Yorishiro are used during
ceremonies to call the kami for worship. The word itself literally
means approach substitute. Once a yorishiro actually houses a kami,
it is called a **shintai**. Note that swords can be an instance of this, and are treated as such in game with sword alchemy.

Ropes called
**shimenawa**
decorated with paper streamers called shide often surround yorishiro
to make their sacredness manifest. (They show up both in the abstract
offhand shrines as well as
in the first game) Persons can play the same role as a yorishiro, and
in that case are called yorimashi. This obviously shows up in a lot
of games or stories in general, but in game can show up in forms like
fusing demons with swords, which can be done in some games, making
them reside within. Note that the gaian temple in I and II has a
shimenawa in it, which ties shinto a bit to the gaians. Which can
make sense if you think of nature gods as acting random and chaotic
like nature, yet still being worshipped. The
neutral healing dojo does also, but its art is hard to make out. But
which is interesting to see, when all the highest shinto gods are law
aligned, and subtly implied to lean that way, though not as strongly as angels. Since
alignment of demons is not necessarily the same as what side they are
on. If a religions gods are divided into law and chaos, it might
imply they come together to be neutral. Ironically, even angels and
fallen angels are shown doing this in IV under the watch of mastema.

**2: shrines**, are a
structure
whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more
kami. Its most important building is used for the safekeeping of
sacred objects, and not for worship. Structurally, a Shinto shrine is
usually characterized by the presence of a honden or sanctuary, where
the kami is enshrined. The honden may however be completely absent,
as for example when the shrine stands on a sacred mountain to which
it is dedicated, and which is worshiped directly. The honden may be
missing also when there are nearby altar-like structures called
himorogi or objects believed capable of attracting spirits called
yorishiro that can serve as a direct bond to a kami. Shinto looking
shrines do tend to show up in various games from time to time.
Obviously so, since they are in tokyo. But ironically, ones that look
overtly shinto tend to not come off too alignment based ever, or are
more neutral. Such as the obviously shinto based
shrines
in II. Which is interesting, since the symbol used in the back is one
also used by gaians (see below). Just to note, the demons seen in
these shrines tend to be shinto's earth gods (also baphomet for some
reason). So its up for grabs whether they are meant to be more
neutral or chaotic shrines. There's also a large series of shrines
called hikawa
shrines in japan.

**A torii** is a traditional Japanese gate
most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine,
where it symbolically marks the transition from the profane to the
sacred. The presence of a torii at the entrance is usually the
simplest way to identify Shinto shrines, and a small torii icon
represents them on Japanese road maps.[They are however a common
sight at Japanese Buddhist temples too, where they stand at the
entrance of the temple's own shrine, called chinjusha and are usually
very small.

**The circular mirror of Shinto** is a
potent symbol. One often sees it when visiting
shrines,
where it stands on the altar as representative of the kami. It can
play a more vital role too, for it sometimes functions as the
‘spirit-body’ (goshintai) of the kami. The idea is that the
spirit enters into the object to take physical form. The mirror thus
acts as an interface between the physical and spiritual realms of
existence. What could be more appropriate for the meeting between
them than the illusionary nature of a reflecting mirror? Japanese
mythology claims that the original ‘spirit-body’ was that of
Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, who gave a circular mirror to her
grandson, Ninigi, when he descended to earth. It had been used
previously in an elaborate ruse to lure her out of a cave in which
she was hiding. In I, you see a mirror of this kind on the
altar
of the healing dojo. And it looks identical to the one masakado wears
in-game.

**Taiko** are a broad range of Japanese
percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of
drum. You see taiko drums in the neutral healing dojo in I.

**3: kamidana** are miniature
household
altars
provided to enshrine a Shinto kami. They are most commonly found in
Japan, the home of kami worship.

**Magatama**, less frequently, are
curved, comma-shaped
beads
that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final Jōmon period
through the Kofun period, approximately ca. 1,000 BC to the 6th
century AD.The beads, also described as jewels, were made of
primitive stone and earthen materials in the early period, but by the
end of the Kofun period were made almost exclusively of jade.
Magatama originally served as decorative jewelry, but by the end of
the Kofun period functioned as ceremonial and religious objects.
Archaeological evidence suggests that magatama were produced in
specific areas of Japan and were widely dispersed through the
entirety of the Japanese archipelago by trade routes. In nocturne
they show up as small insect like entities
that can turn people into demons or grant them abilities. They show
up in more regular appearances in other places in the backgrounds or
as items. In nocturne they also curl up to magatama
shape.

**Mitsudomoe** or **Tomoe (Mitsu tomoe, Futatsu tomoe, Tomoe-mon**, or **Fire-wheel)** This
symbol
is ubiquitous on Buddhist and Shinto temples all over Japan. Its name
is tomoe, meaning turning or circular, referring to the motion of the
earth. The tomoe is related to the yin yang symbol, and has a similar
meaning, representing the play of forces in the cosmos. Visually, the
tomoe is made up of interlocked flames (or magatama) resembling
tadpoles. The most common tomoe emblem has three flames (triple, or
‘mitsu’ tomoe), but one, two, or four are not uncommon. A mitsu-
tomoe reflects the threefold division of Shinto cosmology, and is
said to represent the earth, the heavens, and humankind. It is often
associated with the Shinto war deity Hachiman. It shows up a few
places in-game, such as the above mentioned shrines. Another
Ironically being Okuninushi's art in devil children. The more
important one however being the gaian race human in II, Onmyoji.

**Onmyoji** were professional
practitioners
of Onmyodo, the mystical art of Yin and Yang in Japan. They are
masters of magic and divination, capable of summoning both auspicious
and malign influences from the earth. They could also summon spirits
called Shikigami. Showing up as gaian race does seem to tie the gaian
religion more to shinto, since messian race tends to look less
eastern. These aesthetics ironically apply more to the humans and
churches than exclusively to the gods aligned with them though.
In-game, the onmyoji is shown with ofuda attached to their body.

**O-fuda** is a type of household
amulet or talisman, issued by a Shinto shrine, hung in the house for
protection, a gofu. It may also be called shinpu. It is made by
inscribing the name of a kami and the name of the Shinto shrine or of
a representative of the kami on a strip of paper, wood, cloth, or
metal. It is to be renewed yearly, typically before the end of a
year, and attached to a door, pillar, or ceiling. It may also be
placed inside a private shrine (kamidana). It is believed to protect
the family in residence from general harm, such as a disease. A more
specific o-fuda may be placed near particular objects such as one for
kitchen to protect from accidental fire. A popular o-fuda called
jingū-taima or simply taima is issued by Ise Shrine. It is made
from hemp cloth; the use of hemp as a material was common from
antiquity.

A portable form of o-fuda, commonly
called **omamori** ( or , o-mamori) is typically given out wrapped in
a small bag made of decorated cloth. This originates from Onmyōdō
and Buddhism, but was subsequently adopted by Shintoism. Both
Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines give out these o-mamori. While an
o-fuda is said to protect a whole family, an o-mamori offers support
for personal benefits. These papers are the basis of the light based
\*\*expel skills\*\* in all the games, and the fact that they are seen
more as exorcism sheets that repel demons explains why they do not
work on human races.

## Afterlife

It is common for families to
participate in ceremonies for children at a shinto shrine, yet have a
Buddhist funeral at the time of death mostly due to the negative
Japanese conception of the afterlife and death as well as Buddhism's
historical monopoly on funeral rites. In old Japanese legends, it is
often claimed that the dead go to a place called yomi, a gloomy
underground realm with a river separating the living from the dead
mentioned in the legend of Izanami and Izanagi. This yomi is very
close to the Greek Hades; however, later myths include notions of
resurrection and even Elysium-like descriptions. Shinto tends to hold
negative views on death and corpses as a source of pollution called
kegare. However, death is also viewed as a path towards apotheosis
(divinization) in Shintoism as can be evidenced by how legendary
individuals become enshrined after death. In SMTII, when you fight baphomet he tells you he will send you to yomi.

Unlike many religions, one does not
need to publicly profess belief in Shinto to be a believer. Whenever
a child is born in Japan, a local Shinto shrine adds the child's name
to a list kept at the shrine and declares him or her a "family
child" . After death an ujiko becomes a "family spirit",
or "family kami". One may choose to have one's name added
to another list when moving and then be listed at both places. Names
can be added to the list without consent and regardless of the
beliefs of the person added to the list. This is not considered an
imposition of belief, but a sign of being welcomed by the local kami,
with the promise of addition to the pantheon of kami after death.

Nonetheless, beliefs on death in shinto
were often vague and not totally set in stone, which is why they were
open to taking the Buddhist ideas to them alongside their own
Japanese myths. In some Japanese mythology, Enma-O (The japanese
interpretation of
yama
or Enma Dai-O judges souls in Meido, the kingdom of the waiting dead.
Those deemed too horrible are sent to Jigoku, a land more comparable
to the Christian hell. It is a land of eternal toil and punishment.
Those of middle note remain in meido for a period awaiting
reincarnation. Others, of high note, become honored ancestors,
watching over their descendants.

Interestingly, though not necessarily
on purpose this parallels smt in a way. In smt, what happens after
death is left a little ambiguous. People seem to be sent to an
underworld at first, which resembles the greek one, often having
charon watching over it. But ghosts can become “demons,” and they
talk about karma and different places people can end up, as well as
reincarnation.

## History

originally in shinto history shrines
were not permanent buildings but local ones designed to be set up
where they were needed. (You can tie that to chaos if you're
creative. SJ does tie it to early primal tribal practice.) The
arrival of Buddhism changed the situation, introducing to Japan the
concept of the permanent shrine. A great number of Buddhist temples
were built next to existing shrines in mixed complexes called
jingū-ji lit. shrine temple to help priesthood deal with local kami,
making those shrines permanent. Some time in their evolution, the
word Miya meaning "palace" came into use, indicating that
shrines had by then become the imposing structures of today.
Once the first permanent shrines were
built, Shinto revealed a strong tendency to resist architectural
change, a tendency which manifested itself in the so-called Shikinen
sengū-sai, the tradition of rebuilding shrines faithfully at regular
intervals adhering strictly to their original design. This custom is
the reason ancient styles have been replicated through the centuries
to the present day, remaining more or less intact. Ise Shrine, still
rebuilt every 20 years, is its best extant example. The tradition of
rebuilding shrines or temples is present in other religions, but in
Shinto it has played a particularly significant role in preserving
ancient architectural styles. Izumo Taisha, Sumiyoshi Taisha and
Nishina Shinmei Shrine in fact represent each a different style whose
origin is believed to predate Buddhism in Japan, a religion which
arrived in Japan around the beginning of the sixth century. These
three styles are known respectively as taisha-zukuri,
sumiyoshi-zukuri and shinmei-zukuri (see description below).

With the introduction of Buddhism and
its rapid adoption by the court in the 6th century, it was necessary
to explain the apparent differences between native Japanese beliefs
and Buddhist teachings. One Buddhist explanation saw the kami as
supernatural beings still caught in the cycle of birth and rebirth
(reincarnation). The kami are born, live, die, and are reborn like
all other beings in the karmic cycle. However, the kami played a
special role in protecting Buddhism and allowing its teachings of
compassion to flourish.

This explanation was later challenged
by Kūkai, who saw certain kami as different embodiments of the
Buddhas themselves (honji suijaku theory). For example, he linked
Amaterasu (the sun goddess and ancestor of the Imperial family) with
Dainichi Nyorai, a central manifestation of the Buddhists, whose name
means literally "Great Sun Buddha". In his view, the main
heavenly kami were just Buddhas by another name. Buddhism and Shinto
coexisted and were amalgamated in the shinbutsu shūgō and Kūkai's
syncretic view held wide sway up until the end of the Edo period.

In the 18th century, various Japanese
scholars, in particular Motoori Norinaga, tried to tear apart the
"real" Shinto from various foreign influences. The attempt
was largely unsuccessful, since as early as the Nihon Shoki parts of
the mythology were explicitly borrowed from Taoism doctrines. For
example, the co-creator deities Izanami and Izanagi are explicitly
compared to yin and yang. However, the attempt did set the stage for
the arrival of state Shinto, following the Meiji Restoration, when
Shinto and Buddhism were separated (shinbutsu bunri).

**Humanity Declaration** is an imperial
rescript issued by the Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) as part of a New
Year’s statement on 1 January 1946 at the end of world war II at
the request of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers. This was
an official declaration by the emperor that contrary to previous
beliefs, he was not in fact descended from or himself a god. And this
declaration, cutting at one of the core shinto beliefs led to a huge
downturn in its serious practice.

## Japanese Creation Myth

(This is obviously mostly taken
directly from it being written down. Its important to include
though).
When heaven and earth began, three
deities came into being, The Spirit Master of the Center of Heaven,
The August Wondrously Producing Spirit, and the Divine Wondrously
Producing Ancestor. These three were invisible. The earth was young
then, and land floated like oil, and from it reed shoots sprouted.
From these reeds came two more deities. After them, five or six pairs
of deities came into being, and the last of these were Izanagi and
Izanami, whose names mean "The Male Who Invites" and "The
Female who Invites".

The first five deities commanded
Izanagi and Izanami to make and solidify the land of Japan, and they
gave the young pair a jeweled spear. Standing on the Floating Bridge
of Heaven, they dipped it in the ocean brine and stirred. They pulled
out the spear, and the brine that dripped of it formed an island to
which they descended. On this island they built a palace for their
wedding and a great column to the heavens.

Izanami examined her body and found
that one place had not grown, and she told this to Izanagi, who
replied that his body was well-formed but that one place had grown to
excess. He proposed that he place his excess in her place that was
not complete and that in doing so they would make new land. (Because
that's apparently how you get new land) They agreed to walk around
the pillar and meet behind it to do this. When they arrive behind the
pillar, she greeted him by saying "What a fine young man",
and he responded by greeting her with "What a fine young woman".
They procreated and gave birth to a deformed creature, which they put
in a basket and let float away. Then they gave birth to a floating
island, which likewise they did not recognize as one of their
children.

Disappointed by their failures in
procreation, they returned to Heaven and consulted the deities there.
The deities explained that the cause of their difficulties was that
the female had spoken first when they met to procreate. Izanagi and
Izanami returned to their island and again met behind the heavenly
pillar. When they met, he said, "What a fine young woman,"
and she said "What a fine young man". They mated and gave
birth to the eight main islands of Japan and six minor islands. Then
they gave birth to a variety of deities to inhabit those islands,
including the sea deity, the deity of the sea-straits, and the
deities of the rivers, winds, trees, and mountains. Last, Izanami
gave birth to the fire deity, and her genitals were so burned that
she died.

Izanagi grieved over Izanami, and a
deity was born from his tears. Distraught after burying Izanami, he
used his long sword to behead his son, the deity of fire, whose birth
had killed Izanami. From the blood on the sword came three deities of
rocks, two deities of fire, and one of water, all of which are needed
to make a sword. Eight more deities arose from the body of Izanagi
and Izanami's slain son. (Because apparently gods killing or
abandoning their own children all the time is just normal. To be
fair, note that Izanagi is a primal god, not a god that is worshiped.
Note that in nocturne, as the creator of the previous world, the wold
you start in was thus created by him attacking tht world's
kagutsuchi, thus loosely paralleling the myth, but totally out of
context.)

Izanagi still longed for Izanami, and
he went to the underworld in search of her. Finding her in the
darkness, he called to her and asked her to come back to the land of
the living with him. She promised him that she would go ask the gods
of the underworld, but she begged him to not look at her as she did
so. She was gone long, however, and eventually he broke off the end
of a comb in his hair and set it afire for a light. He found her body
with maggots consuming it, and these maggots were the eight deities
of thunder. (Note in persona 4 her true form after being revealed is
a rotting corpse) Ashamed to be seen in this condition, Izanami
chased Izanagi out of the underworld. First she sent the thunder
deities after him, and then she herself pursued him. At last he
grasped a huge rock and used it to close the passage to the
underworld. Enraged, she shouted to him that she would each day
strangle one thousand people of Japan. He responded that if she did
so, he would each day cause fifteen hundred Japanese people to be
born. This is why fifteen hundred children are born each day and one
thousand people die each day.

Izanagi returned to his home and bathed
to purify himself after this terrible experience. As he disrobed, new
deities arose from his clothing, and more arose from the water as he
bathed. Three of these were ancestors of Japanese families. The last
of the deities was a son, Susa-nš-wo, who became the deity of the
sea. He was eventually exiled to earth for his behavior in the
heavens, (Note that despite being amatsu who are usually law, he is
shown as chaos) but he and his sister, the Goddess of the Sun,
parented eight deities. Among these was the ancestor of Yamato family
that ruled Japan, and two others were ancestors of nineteen of its
highest families.

When the deities had pacified the land,
the Goddess of the Sun dispatched Japan's first ruler from the
heavens to the earth. Descending from the Floating Bridge of Heaven
to the mountain tops, he built his palace. Eventually he met a
beautiful young woman, Princess Brilliant Blossoms, and asked her to
marry him. She deferred to her father's judgment, and her father gave
him both Princess Brilliant Blossoms and her older sister, Princess
Long as the Rocks. The new emperor refused the older sister, however,
because of her ugliness. When the father heard this, he explained
that he had offered Princess Long as the Rocks because her children
would have lived eternally. Instead, the children of Princess
Brilliant Blossoms were mortal, which is why the emperors have never
had long lives.

Princess Brilliant Blossoms was soon
with child, so soon that the emperor could hardly believe that she
bore his children. To prove herself, she built a palace and shut
herself in it and set fire to it, knowing as he did that the children
of anyone but the emperor could not survive the flames. Amidst the
flames she gave birth to three deities, and ultimately their
descendants were the imperial family of Japan.