Eight Million Gods

The Eight Million Gods was an ancient faith practiced in Wa and Kozakura in Kara-Tur.

Dogma
It was less an organized religion and more an assemblage of beliefs and practices associated with a variety of nature deities. There was no great teacher or holy text to give it a formal doctrine.

Deities
The Eight Million Gods included a host of deities, spirits, and incredible creatures, and even ascended mortal heroes. They included:
 * Namikami, called Heavenly Sister, creator of Kozakura and many other deities and spirits;
 * Nagikami, called Heavenly Brother, creator of Kozakura and many other deities and spirits;
 * Fierce Wind Son, a wind god and son of Namikami and Nagikami;
 * Fire Bright, a fire god and son of Namikami and Nagikami;
 * The Earth Dragon, basis of the Dragon's Spine mountain range of Shinkoku;
 * Priapus, a god of fertility;
 * Ontogo, a god of darkness;
 * Chirasu, goddess of stealth and patron of ninja, yakuza, and others operating out of sight;
 * Bear God, an animal spirit;
 * The Eagle Goddess, an animal spirit;
 * Suku-nabiko, a moth god;
 * Various other animal spirits, venerated by korobokuru;
 * An important sun goddess;
 * A sea god venerated on the island of Senshi in Kozakura;
 * The Emperor of Kozakura, who was believed to have divine ancestry;
 * General Yoshibei, called the "War-God", defender of Nakamaru of Wa against invasion from Shou Lung and raised to the status of local deity ;

Rituals
There were no consistent or common rites for the Eight Million Gods, and observances were different for each deity and for each shrine. However, they did have some similarities and generally involved ritual purification and making prayers and offerings of food or money, such as at planting time. The benefits that the deities and their rites granted were all different too.

Once a year, if not more often, the major shrines held grand festivals including bonfires, sacred dances, processions along streets. Such festivals aimed to entertain their respective deities and could grow rather rowdy.

Legends
It was believed that a duel between gods caused the creation of Mikedono, one of the Senshi Islands of Kozakura.

Lands
It was the very oldest belief of Kozakurans, and was one of the two major religions of Kozakura, the other being the Way of Enlightenment. The Kanchai school of the Way of Enlightenment in Kozakura borrowed freely of the concepts, beliefs, and entities of the Eight Million Gods.

In Wa, a number of sects followed the Eight Million Gods in an open manner. Although it was not explicitly encouraged by the government, they approved it as a non-corrupting religion.

Shrines
Shrines to the Eight Million Gods were generally constructed at sites of particular natural beauty or significance in a local legend, such as on the banks of rivers, beside the ocean, on the sides of great mountains, or deep in forests, or where a god once washed his hands or a spirit dwelled. The majority of shrines were completely independent from the others, and had features and beliefs unique to them. There were two kinds: normal shrines and first shrines.

The normal shrines were usually erected and supported by the local peasantry, and even by local nobility when in villages and towns close to their own homes. The purposes of these shrines could be to guarantee good harvests, commemorate historical events, to ward against evil, or even to appease powerful entities.

The first shrines were larger and more influential, and had received centuries of recognition and support from nobility and emperors. More often than not, these shrines were found in older parts of district and provincial capitals. A good number opened branches in other provinces to spread their particular beliefs and gain greater economic support.

There also very important shrines in Kozakuran dedicated to key deities like the sun goddess and the emperor.

Notable Followers

 * Takegai Yodori, a shukenja follower of one of the Eight Million Gods but independent of any shrine.