ORIGINSThe religion we know as Shinto originates from Japan and was first practiced before the year 500 BC The name "Shinto" comes from a Chinese phrase meaning "Way of the Gods" . It was first used to describe the native Japanese religion in the 8th century AD. It is currently the official religion of Japan along with Buddhism (Ono 1-3). There is a less common name for Shinto that comes directly from the Japanese language, which is "Kami no michi" which also means "Way of the Gods" (Renard 18). Although Shinto has existed for more than 2,500 years, there is no distinct founder, there is no body of religious laws, and there are no specific scriptures as in other religions (Ono 2). Despite all these differences, historically Shinto has coexisted peacefully with other religions, especially Buddhism (Robinson). as it is polytheistic (DesRivieres 98). According to Shinto, the world is filled with spirits or deities called “Kami” (Renard 18). All Kami are descended from brother and sister Izanagi and Izanami who also created Japan after arriving in this world from heaven (Ono 4). Each of the Japanese clans consisted of one of their sons (Shinto). The basic story of the birth of the other Kami is as follows. Izanami died giving birth to the fire god. In his anger over his sister's death, Izanagi tore the fire god into pieces, each piece creating a new Kami. Izanagi then traveled to the underworld to find his sister, but upon arriving he was disgusted by her hideous appearance in death and blocked the door... in the center of the card... i, known as "Continue". The chronicles continue the stories of the Kami and the first emperors. The last and most recent book is the Jinno Shotoki, written in the 14th century AD, the Jinno Shotoki contains the history and politics of Japan from creation to the time of writing (Robinson). Works Cited DesRivieres, Dennis and Don Quinlan, ed. Exploring world religions. Don Mills: Oxford Canada. 2001.Ono, Sokyo and William Woodard. Shinto: the Kami Way. Tuttle Pub, 2004. Print.Renard, John. 101 Questions and Answers on Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto. New York: Paulist Press, 2002. Print. Robinson, B. A. . "SHINTO." Religious tolerance. Np, December 14, 2007. Web. April 28, 2010.."Shinto." New World Encyclopedia. August 29, 2008. Web. April 29 2010..