Deities
The Celestial Court and the Guardians and Creators of this world
The divine ancestry of Yamato is unlike any other. Gods and kami are not mortals in flesh, yet their presence is felt as strongly as Oni laughter or Okami howls across the steppe. They exist at the meeting point of faith and eternity, embodying both the cosmic forces that predate creation and the stories whispered by generations of mortals. To speak of them as “beings” is both true and false: they walk in form, feast in Seihō, and wear crowns of light — yet at the same time they are rivers, storms, memory, and fire.
Though Yamato’s gods stand apart, mortals have always tried to describe them as if they were kin. The chroniclers of the Shogunate catalogue them not only as symbols but as a society, with laws, rituals, rivalries, and bonds mirroring those of mortals below. To Yamato’s people, the kami are neighbors, guardians, and judges — often silent, sometimes capricious, but never absent.
Physicality and Appearance
Gods and deities can appear in many forms. The Kotomatsukami — primordial beings like Amenominakanushi — are rarely seen directly. When they manifest, their forms are abstract and overwhelming: columns of light, endless mirrors of sky, or voices carried by thunder. The Zōkasanshin, creators such as Izanagi and Izanami, walk in shapes closer to mortals, yet still vast, their bodies radiant with divine power.
The great kami like Amaterasu, Susanoo, or Ryujin often appear in idealized human forms, flawless in beauty, terrible in wrath. Some wear armor wrought of sunlight or storms, others don robes shimmering like ocean waves. They take animal forms as well: Ryujin coils as a dragon in the sea’s depths, Inari moves as a white fox, Hachiman rides as a hawk above the battlefield. Lesser kami mirror their domains: the spirit of a cherry tree may appear as a maiden clad in blossoms, while a shrine guardian might be a stone lion animated with breath.
Though divine forms are mutable, their true essence always reveals itself — a faint glow in the eyes, a presence that bends nature, the unmistakable weight of eternity.
Way of Living
The realm of the gods, Seihō, lies far above the mortal world: a floating island of eternal spring, crowned by the Celestial Cherry Tree. Its branches cradle palaces, its roots drink from pools that reflect stars instead of sky. Here the gods hold their councils, banquets, and contests.
Daily life for deities is not unlike that of nobles in Yamato. They feast, compose poetry, challenge each other in martial or artistic contests, and host elaborate processions. Yet every act carries symbolic weight. A song sung by a god may become a mortal tradition; a quarrel in Seihō may ignite storms across Yamato. Some deities live close to mortals, descending in avatars to walk among them, while others retreat into eternal meditation.
The gods’ lives are eternal, but not idle. They contend for honor, gather followers, and guard their domains — for a deity without worship risks fading, and a god without allies risks irrelevance even in the heavens.
Societal Values and Behavior
The divine court is hierarchical, but also fractious. The Kotomatsukami stand aloof, embodying balance itself. Below them, the Zōkasanshin act as the highest arbiters of creation, honored as the pillars of existence. The great kami form factions and households: Amaterasu’s radiant court, Susanoo’s tempestuous host, Inari’s fox-spirits, Hachiman’s war-clan. Lesser kami cluster around patrons, forming chains of loyalty that mirror mortal feudal bonds.
Values among the divine echo mortal ideals, but heightened: honor, oath-keeping, artistry, and rivalry. Oaths broken stain not only reputation but essence itself; poetry contests can alter the seasons. Deities are passionate beings — proud, jealous, loving, wrathful — yet bound by ritual propriety. Their behavior in councils mirrors human daimyō politics, though carried out in light and storm rather than ink and steel.
Spirituality and the Kami
For mortals, spirituality is faith; for gods, it is sustenance. The belief of mortals fuels the form of kami. A forgotten shrine spirit dwindles; a beloved mountain deity flourishes. For this reason, gods both cherish and fear mortals — their existence depends upon them.
Kami honor one another through ritual contests, offerings beneath the Celestial Tree, and seasonal gatherings echoing mortal festivals. Many gods embody paradoxes: they must not interfere too greatly in mortal affairs, lest they upset the Wheel of Rebirth, yet they long for worship, reverence, and memory. Thus they send dreams, omens, or animal messengers — never direct command, always suggestion.
Family and Comradeship
Divine households form much like clans. Amaterasu’s court is bound by light and loyalty; Susanoo’s storm-host by blood and wrath. Ryujin’s undersea palace brims with dragon-sons and pearl maidens, while Inari’s fox-spirits are both servants and kin.
Families among gods are not always literal. Deities form bonds through oaths, shared domains, or centuries of companionship. Rivalries often carry the intimacy of siblings, with quarrels that echo through myth. To mortals, these divine dramas become parables; to the gods themselves, they are family politics on an eternal scale.
Fashion and Aesthetics
The gods are patrons of beauty. They wear robes woven from sunlight, stormclouds, or flowing water; armor that gleams like forged stars; jewelry of jade, pearl, or meteoric iron. Lesser kami often mirror local aesthetics: a harvest spirit may wear simple farmer’s garb, while a shrine fox may adorn itself with red silks gifted by worshippers.
Every element of divine fashion carries symbolism. A crown of antlers may declare a bond to forests; a sword carved from lightning proclaims authority over storms. Gods are arbiters of taste: many mortal fashions, poems, and songs are said to descend from divine contests in Seihō.
Traditions and Rituals
Among the gods, rituals are both celebration and necessity.
The Banquets of the Celestial Tree: where divine households gather to reaffirm alliances.
Contests of Honor: duels of poetry, music, or combat, where the victor gains not only prestige but influence over mortal culture.
Rites of Oath: sacred pledges that bind gods for centuries, their violation weakening divine essence.
Dreamsendings: rituals where deities project omens into mortal sleep.
Seasonal Gatherings: when divine and mortal calendars align, the gods echo mortal festivals with mirrored celebrations in Seihō.
Celestial Invitations: On rare and extraordinary occasions, mortals may be allowed to enter the sacred lands of the gods. Such a visit requires a personal invitation from a deity, and mortals must undergo rigorous rites of purification to ensure no corruption enters the celestial realm. They are closely watched and may not wander freely; instead, they remain under the care of the god who invited them for the duration of their stay. While in Seihō, mortals cease to age and may remain until their patron deity returns them to the mortal world. Any guest who misbehaves risks direct punishment from Izanagi himself.
Public vs. Private Conduct
In public councils, gods are dignified, their speech layered in metaphor, their gestures deliberate and awe-inspiring. They embody their domains, radiating majesty. In private, however, they are startlingly human: quarrelsome, passionate, even playful. Lovers bicker, rivals drink together, siblings squabble. Some descend to the mortal world precisely to escape divine formality, walking as disguised travelers, monks, or warriors.
Relations with Others
The gods’ relations with mortals and other ancestries are complex.
Humans: beloved and feared, for their belief sustains divine power. Humans see gods as protectors, judges, and teachers — but also rivals whose silence or wrath can doom.
Oni: once reviled as demons, now recognized as guardians. Gods respect their passion but caution against their volatility.
Okami: honored for their patience and guardianship of the Kirin Steppe. Many gods view them as kin-spirits of discipline.
Kitsune: treasured allies and tricksters of Inari. They carry divine will with cunning, but their antics sometimes embarrass the heavenly court.
Tanuki: gods find them amusing and endearing, though rarely entrust them with solemn duties. Yet their joy often warms even divine councils.
Ryujin: kin and equals, for the dragon gods rule the seas beneath Seihō. They are both allies and rivals of the Celestial Court.
Hebi: sly emissaries, both feared and valued. Gods use them as spies, though never fully trust them.
Hanyou: half-divine, half-mortal, they unsettle many gods, who see in them a reminder of boundaries blurred. Some deities cherish them as bridges, others shun them as mistakes.
Nekomata: admired for their mysticism, but treated warily — their necromantic arts tread close to forbidden.
Tengu: often welcomed as martial allies, though their pride leads to quarrels with divine generals.
Yūrei: pitiable in their restless state. Some gods seek to soothe them, others ignore them, wary of corruption.
Strengths
The gods are embodiments of cosmic principle and mortal faith. They wield powers beyond mortal comprehension, inspire cultures, and preserve the Wheel of Rebirth. Their presence uplifts, their blessings shape empires, and their myths endure for centuries.
Weaknesses
Yet gods are not invincible. They depend upon mortal belief — a forgotten deity fades. Their passions mirror mortal flaws: pride, jealousy, wrath. Divine rivalries spill into Yamato, bringing famine, storm, or war. And while primordial gods endure forever, deities and kami may wither, fall, or be twisted into yokai if abandoned or corrupted.
In Yamato, the gods are not distant abstractions. They are neighbors in spirit, rulers in Seihō, rivals and guardians alike. They embody ideals but live with flaws, shaping Yamato’s destiny with every banquet, quarrel, and whispered dream.