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Shintō doesn't have a supreme being, per se. Rather, Shintō shrines are set up to worship a particular or a few kami(神). The word kami is often (somewhat inaccurately) translated as "god," but it's better to think of them as nature spirits.

Coincidentally, Christianity in Japan translates the concept of one, supreme God as Kami-sama (神様), which is just the word kami plus a suffix indicating great reverence on the part of the speaker - this implies that God is the greatest of all kami.

The word and idea of Kami-sama has no relevance in Shintō, though, because this word is an attempt by Christian missionaries to translate a concept which is foreign to traditional Japanese belief.

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13y ago

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