Kami- Page 2

Izanami August Female; The Female Who Is Invited ALSO KNOWN AS: Izanami-no-mikoto ORIGIN: Japan According to the creation saga told in the Japanese epics, the Kojiki and the Nihonshoki, in the beginning

Izanagi August Male; The Male Who Invites ORIGIN: Japan Izanagi and Izanami, the celestial pair, formed the universe. (See Izanami for details.) After Izanami’s death and Izanagi’s narrow escape from the realm

Inari, spirit of abundance, fertility, growth, and rice, may be Japan’s most popular kami. Over one-third of all Shinto shrines are dedicated to Inari, and that’s not counting innumerable roadside and domestic

Hosogami ORIGIN: Japan CLASSIFICATION: Kami Hosogami are smallpox spirits. (Hoso is smallpox in Japanese.) For safe recovery to health, the Hosogami must be soothed, propitiated, and sent on their way. Hosogami are

Nurikabe ORIGIN: Japan Nurikabe is a spirit that manifests as a wall. Unlike regular walls, however, the Nurikabe is mobile and sentient. Some Nurikabe may serve as guardian spirits but others may

Bosatsu : Enlightened One; Enlightened Being Theoretically Bosatsu is merely the Japanese variant of the Sanskrit Bodhisattva. Prominent Bosatsu include Amida, Jizo, and Kannon. From the orthodox religious or academic perspective, that