# Kami — WHE Definition Discussion **URL:** \ **Category:** WHE Articles\ **Created:** [April 4, 2017, 9:00am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/kami-whe-definition-discussion/1368 "2017-04-04T09:00:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![markzcartwright](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/markzcartwright/32/35_2.png) [@markzcartwright](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/markzcartwright)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2017, 9:00am UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/kami-whe-definition-discussion/1368/1 "2017-04-04T09:00:58Z")
In the Shinto religion _kami_ is an all-embracing term which signifies gods, spirits, deified mortals, ancestors, natural phenomena, and supernatural powers. All of these _kami_ can influence people's everyday lives and so they are worshipped, given offerings, solicited for aid and, in some cases, appealed to for their skills in divination. _Kami_ are attracted by purity - both physical and spiritual - and repelled by the lack of it, including disharmony. _Kami_ are particularly associated with nature and may be present at sites such as mountains, waterfalls, trees, and unusually shaped rocks. For this reason, there are said to be 8 million _kami_, a number referred to as _yaoyorozu __-no-__ kamigami_. Many _kami_ are known nationally, but a great many more belong only to small rural communities, and each family has its own ancestral _kami_. * * * _This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at [https://www.worldhistory.org/Kami/](https://www.worldhistory.org/Kami/)._ ---
**Author:** ![markzcartwright](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/community.worldhistory.org/markzcartwright/32/35_2.png) [@markzcartwright](https://community.worldhistory.org/u/markzcartwright)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://community.worldhistory.org/t/kami-whe-definition-discussion/1368/2 "2026-07-28T18:56:02Z")