Shinto (or kami no michi, “way of the kami,” or Gods) is a prehistoric religious tradition indigenous to Japan and provides a worldview that has become central to Japanese identity. Shinto recognises no all-powerful deity and is a diverse set of traditional rituals and ceremonies.

The kami are the powers of nature primarily associated with such things as animals, trees, mountains, springs, boulders, the sun, and so forth. Offerings such as fish, rice and vegetables are presented to the kami and later eaten. Music, dancing, and praise are also offered, and Shinto priests bless all with the branch of the sacred sakaki tree dipped in holy water.

Shinto has no comprehensive canon of scripture. No written Shinto documents survive from before the seventh century. But a written Shinto mythology appears in the early sections of the eighth-century books Kojiki (completed in 712 CE) and Nihon Shoki (completed in 720 CE), which record the role of the kami in creating Japan and the Japanese imperial lineage. The divine pair Izanagi and Izanami brought forth Amaterasu, the sun goddess and ancestress of the Japanese emperor (hence the sun on the Japanese flag).

Shinto shrines have sacred gates (torii) and often contain water for symbolic purification of hands and mouth; larger shrines have main halls, buildings for offerings, and oratories. Inside the main hall resides the goshintai (God-body). The classic Shinto shrine is the Ise Shrine, the primary cult site for Amaterasu, the most important kami. — Beliefnet.com