The Search for Peace in Times of Chaos—Volume is included However, unlike many religious practices, Shintō and Buddhism typically not require professing faith to be a believer or a practitioner, and as such, it is difficult to query for exact figures based on self-identification of belief within Japan S hintō has shrines in many other countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands among others, and is considered to be expanding to a global religion especially with the advent of international branches of Shintō shrines God or Gods Shintō creation stories tell of the history and lives of the kami (deities) Among them was a divine couple, Izanagi-no-mikoto and Izanami-nomikoto, who gave birth to the Japanese islands Amaterasu Omikami (sun goddess) was their daughter She is the ancestress of the imperial family and is regarded as the chief deity.18 According to Japanese mythology, Amaterasu is the ruler of heaven Some say Shintōism concurs with the Bible that God created everything in heavens and on earth, and every creature is beautiful and perfect, made that way by God Others stress that Shintōism is definitely polytheistic Shintō teaches that everything contains a kami (“spiritual essence,” commonly translated as god or spirit) Kami is a difficult concept to translate as there is no direct similar word in English Kami is generally accepted to describe the innate supernatural force that is above the actions of man, the realm of the sacred, and is inclusive of gods, spirit figures, and human ancestors All mythological creatures of the Japanese cultural tradition, of the Buddhistic tradition, the Christian God, Hindu gods, Islamic Allāh, various angels and demons of all faiths among others, are considered kami for the purpose of Shintō faith Christ Not applicable ~ 291 ~