What is a Kami?

laoi

This is the best I could come up with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kami Kami (�_?) is the Japanese word for the spirits within objects in the Shinto faith. The oldest surviving record of their creation (and that of Japan as well) is in the Kojiki of 712. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity," some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term (Ono, 1962). In some instances, such as Izanagi and Izanami, kami are personified deities, similar to the gods of ancient Greece or Rome. In other cases, such as those concerning the phenomenon of growth and natural objects, the spirits dwelling in trees, or forces of nature, translating "kami" exclusively as "god" or "deity" would be a gross mischaracterization. In this respect it is more similar to the Roman concept of the numen. Jun 16 09, 6:14 AM