Kami are spiritual entities in Japanese mythology and folklore as well as Shinto belief, they are considered gods but have a wide variety of origins, some are born of venerated ancestors, others may be deified animals, forces of nature of special places believed to either be given life or magically gain life.
All Kami are considered worthy of worship, which separates them from most Yokai and Mitama , though again the complex nature of Shinto belief means some Yokai can obtain godlike status (though usually lesser than the major Kami).
Kami, unlike gods in many other mythologies, are not seen as separate from nature and indeed are forever a part of it, this is due to the animist nature of Shinto.
Japan often has a saying that they revere "a thousand gods", the number "thousand" often being a symbol for infinity.
Representatives[]
(please note that for the purpose of this wiki we only list Kami that display exception monstrous appearances or mannerisms, thus many of the more human-like Kami are excluded, this is to keep with our theme as a wiki for monsters (and not simply any and all supernatural entity).)
- Amanozako (monstrous goddess born when Susanoo allowed his fearsome spirit to grow too powerful, resulting in him vomiting it out.)
- Kuebiko (god of knowledge and agriculture, represented as ascarecrow who cannot walk but has comprehensive awareness.)
- Kuraokami (legendary Japanese dragon and Shinto deity of rain and snow.)
- Ugajin (a harvest and fertility kami represented with the body of a snake and head of a man or woman.)
- Sukuna-Biko-Na (a deity of medicine and rain, often depicted as a dwarf.)
- Kōjin (a god of fire, the hearth and the kitchen.)
- Ryūjin (a dragon, as well as god of the sea.)
- Raijin (ae god of thunder and lightning, often paired with Fūjin. Raijin is usually depicted as an Oni.)
- Fūjin (god of the wind and one of the eldest Shinto gods, said to have been present at the creation of the world. He is often depicted as an oni with a bag slung over his back.)