Welcome to the Shintoism page!

Shintoism or just Shinto is an ancient religion, native to Japan and believes in various nature spirits. While the vast majority of Japan's population is Shinto, (from what I could find) only a small amount of that majority genuinely believe in Shinto gods, most practicing rituals as more of a cultural custom to keep up tradition. Of course, the country historically (as was any other) was much more seriously religious than its modern counterpart.

Kami

Kami literally translates to god or spirit and basically are spiritual forces that live in the world. According to Shintoism, kami can be nature spirits, ancestral spirits, honorary-made humans or guardians of locations or just conceptual forces like for example luck (not exhaustive, definition of kami is flexible, for example according to Japanese folklore literal old objects over 100 years can gain spirits of their own, known as tsukumogami). Kami can be unpredictable, having their own emotions and show in multiple forms, for example Inari, god of rice, appears as man but can also be a fox or a woman. (different than possession, though kami can also do this with people and objects alike)

Veneration

In Shinto, kami must be honored through offerings or prayers and can otherwise cause kami to become angered and even dangerous if ignored or disrespected while some kami bring blessings when correctly honored.

Types

There are four main types of Shinto, those being Shrine, Folk, Sect and Imperial Shinto. 1. Shrine (Jinja) Shinto centers around the worship of kami at shrines and is the most widespread form of Shinto. According to Shrine Shinto, shrines are sacred spaces where spirits reside.

2. Folk Shinto or Minzoku Shinto is more decentralized than Shrine Shinto (which has a priest hierarchy) and more specific for local, everyday life. Folk Shinto includes household shrines and festivals (Matsuri) for things like a guarantee of good harvest cycles and prevention of (natural) disasters.

3. Sect Shinto (Kyoha Shinto) is a branch of Shinto that split off during around the 1900s. Basically, it's a group of various sects established by various founders who claimed to recieve divine clarity or a new interpretation of Shinto. The Meiji government (in charge of Japan at the time) accepted 13 main sects it deemed fit for the state and actively suppresed other sects, though suppression and the 13 main sects was removed after Japan's loss in World War 2.

4. Imperial Shinto or Kokka Shinto in Japanese was a form of Shinto sponsored by Meiji Japan where the emperor was seen as a living kami and a direct descendant of Amaterasu (the sun goddess). Loyalty to the emperor was seen as a sacred duty and the Meiji government started to 'make a more unified Japanese indentity' by seperating Buddhism from Shinto and mandatory participation in shrine among other things.