Kannagara[edit]
In Shinto kannagara, meaning "way [path] of [expression] of the kami", refers to the law of the natural order.[20] It is the sense of the terms michi or to, "way", in the terms "kami-no-michi" or "Shinto".[20] Those who understand kannagara know the divine, the human, and how people should live.[20] From this knowledge stems the ethical dimension of Shinto, focusing on sincerity (makoto), honesty (tadashii) and purity.[20]
Amenominakanushi[edit]
Main article: Amenominakanushi
According to the Kojiki,[21] Amenominakanushi (天御中主 "All-Father of the Originating Hub", or 天之御中主神 "Heavenly Ancestral God of the Originating Heart of the Universe") is the first kami, and the concept of the source of the universe according to theologies.[22][23] In mythology he is described as a "god who came into being alone" (hitorigami), the first of the zōka sanshin ("three kami of creation"), and one of the five kotoamatsukami ("distinguished heavenly gods").[22]
Amenominakanushi has been considered a concept developed under the influence of Chinese thought.[22] With the flourishing of kokugaku the concept was studied by scholars.[22] The theologian Hirata Atsutane identified Amenominakanushi as the spirit of the North Star, master of the seven stars of the Big Dipper.[22] The god was emphasised by the Daikyōin in the Meiji period, and worshiped by some Shinto sects.[22]
The god manifests in a duality, a male and a female function, respectively Takamimusubi and Kamimusubi.[23] In other mythical accounts the originating kami is called Umashiashikabihikoji ("God of the Ashi [Reed]") or Kuninotokotachi (the "God Founder of the Nation"), the latter used in the Nihon Shoki.[24]