ORIGINSThe religion we know as Shinto originated in Japan and was first practiced before 500 BCE. The name “Shinto” comes from a Chinese expression meaning “Way of the Gods”. It was first used to describe indigenous Japanese religion in the 8th century CE. It is currently the official religion of Japan along with Buddhism (Ono 1-3). There is a less common name for Shintoism that comes directly from the Japanese language, namely “Kami no michi” which also means “Way of the Gods” (Fox 18). Although Shinto has existed for over 2,500 years, there is no distinct founder, there is no body of religious law, and there are no specific scriptures as there are in other religions (Ono 2). Despite all these differences, Shintoism has historically coexisted peacefully with other religions, notably Buddhism (Robinson). in the sense that he is polytheist (DesRivières 98). According to Shintoism, the world is filled with spirits or deities called “Kami” (Fox 18). All Kami are descended from the brother and sister Izanagi and Izanami who also created Japan after crossing into this world from the sky (Ono 4). Each of the Japanese clans was formed by one of their children (Shinto). The basic story of how the other Kami came to be is as follows. Izanami died giving birth to the god of fire. In his anger over his sister's death, Izanagi cut the fire god into pieces, each piece creating a new Kami. Izanagi then went to the underworld to find his sister, but upon arrival he was revolted by her horrible appearance in death and blocked the door...... middle of paper .... ..i, known as "Continuant". The chronicles continue the stories of the Kami and the early emperors. The last and newest book is the Jinno Shotoki, written in the 14th century CE. The Jinno Shotoki contains the history and politics of Japan from the creation to the time of writing (Robinson). Works Cited Des Rivières, Dennis and Don Quinlan, ed. Explore world religions. Don Mills: Oxford Canada. 2001. Ono, Sokyo and William Woodard. Shinto: the Kami way. Tuttle Pub, 2004. Print. Fox, John. 101 Questions and Answers on Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism. New York: Paulist Press, 2002. Print. Robinson, BA. “SHINTO.” Religious tolerance. Np, December 14, 2007. Web. April 28, 2010."Shintoist." Encyclopedia of the New World. August 29, 2008. The web. April 29 2010..