This page provides a brief overview of Shinto beliefs about the universe.
Beliefs about the universe
Last updated 2009-10-30
Beliefs about the universe
Statue of a dragon spirit ©Shinto does not split the universe into a natural physical world and a supernatural transcendent world. It regards everything as part of a single unified creation.
Shinto also does not make the Western division between body and spirit - even spirit beings exist in the same world as human beings.
Visible and invisible worlds
Shinto does distinguish between the visible world (kenkai) and the invisible world (yukai), but the invisible world is regarded as in some way an extension of the everyday world, and not a separate realm.
Kami and the universe
Kami provide a mechanism through which the Japanese are able to regard the whole natural world as being both sacred and material.
Kami include gods and spirit beings, but also include many other things that are revered for the powers that they possess. Oceans and mountains are kami, so are storms and earthquakes.
The Gods of Shinto are the life of the natural world in all its rich variety. The sacred does not lie outside of life but is one with it.
James W. Heisig
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