Kami

Kami (神; Japanese for god or deity) are the supernatural beings that are worshiped in the religion of Shintō. In Shintō, kami are not separate from nature, but are of nature, possessing positive and negative, and good and evil characteristics. According to Miroku, Buddha and the gods reside in heaven.

Characteristics
Kami can come in a variety of forms, ranging from human to monstrous. For instance, Suijin was rather human in her appearance (albeit with pointed ears), Sarugami the monkey god looked similar to the monkey yōkai who served him, and the Sea God has the form of a giant turtle. While their appearance, powers and abilities vary greatly depending on the type of deity, Kami all apparently derive their power from kamuitama.

Known Kami

 * Datara
 * Fox Deity
 * God of Habaki
 * Kannon
 * Mitsurugi
 * Sarugami
 * Sea God
 * Suijin
 * Sugagaki
 * Homura

Trivia

 * Though the word kami is translated multiple ways into English, no one English word expresses its full meaning. The ambiguity of the meaning of kami is necessary, as it conveys the ambiguous nature of kami themselves.
 * According to folklore, great or sensational leaders like the Emperor could be or became kami. Many kami are considered the ancient ancestors of entire clans (some ancestors became kami upon their death if they were able to embody the values and virtues of kami in life).
 * Several yōkai have either claimed to be gods, or were mistaken for gods due to their extraordinary supernatural abilities. For example:
 * The snake demon Daija impersonated a water god.
 * Inuyasha was once mistaken for a dog god.
 * The Shitōshin also referred to themselves as gods.
 * Kami can produce demi-gods (半神), a hybrid between human and god.
 * The only known instance was Datara's daughter, who later reincarnated as Janis.