Okuninushi and the White Hare of Inaba
I may be wrong, but as far as I know there is no official pantheon of Japanese kami. However, of the eight myriad (yaoyorozu) kami, there are some that are clearly prominent. No doubt it’s possible to make up various kinds of lists, and someone has been brave enough to produce a page for Wikipedia on the leading Japanese deities.
The Wikipedia listing can be found at the following page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_deities
Fujin, here seen as guardian deity at the temple of Rinno-ji in Nikko
The syncretic approach makes good sense, since kami like Raijin (thunder deity) and Fujin (wind deity) are popular figures in folklore and often appear in Buddhist temples (Sanjusangendo and Kennin-ji here in Kyoto spring to mind). On the other hand, I don’t recall ever coming across a shrine dedicated to them (though they could be regarded as umbrella terms to include localised thunder and wind gods).
The Wikipedia page divides the kami into major and minor, and there are some really quite bizarre choices. Would anyone seriously support the nomination of Omoikane as a major kami? And why is Toyotama-hime included but not Okuninushi, ruler of the underworld and the primary Izumo deity? It suggests a peculiar form of bias, since anyone with the slightest knowledge of Shinto shrines must know of the popularity of the latter in presiding over marriage and at ‘enmusubi’ shrines.
An obvious way of measuring the importance of kami would be through the number of shrines dedicated to them. But in that case Hachiman, Inari and Tenjin would all rank above Amaterasu, who is generally acknowledged to stand at the head of the pantheon. Her primacy stems from the mythology, in which she is privileged as imperial ancestress. But if one were to use the mythology as a measure of importance, where would that leave Inari who is not even mentioned? One sees then that matters are more complicated than one might imagine.
Pondering the issue leads me to conclude that there may be grounds for two lists. Those that are favoured by official Shinto because they support the Yamato imperial descent mythology. And an alternative, more inclusive Folk Shinto list, derived from common practice. At the very least, the two lists would highlight the rich variety of Shinto. They would also give grounds for thought.
Konohanasaukuya-hime, goddess of Mt Fuji and the Sengen shrines, categorised by Wikipedia as a minor deity
Much to study here, John! Thank you!
I just found this blog, just up my alley, amazing! Great post, by the way. There is, indeed, a lack of resources (in english) for Japanese deities, especially ‘minor’ or local ones.