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The Kami of natural phenomena are worshiped: Kami of the Seas, Kami of the Rivers, Kami of the Thunders, Kami of the Rains, Kami of the Mountains. It is important to perform rites for Kami since although they usually guard and bless people they can also get angry and bring misfortunes upon them.
The Kami are neither omnipotent nor omniscient. In Shinto mythology, the Kamiah that
gave birth to the land of Japan failed at first and had to ask for help from
other Kami in heaven who told them to search for the answers through the
practice of divination. There are no absolutes or perfect Kami. The people
worship the divine spirits, Shinrei, because they have great influence in
their lives, and they are in awe of the Magatsuhi Kami who bring evil
into them. After Buddhism came to Japan, the image of Buddha was worshiped in a building. This influenced Shinto to enshrine the Kami spirit in a building and to perform the ancient style of rituals before constructing the buildings. (Jichinsai). With the exception of the medieval period from 1192-1603 when the Japanese enshrined an image of Kami that resembles Buddha, the Kami have been worshipped without an image. The Jinja shrine is usually situated in a natural environment. To give the impression of purity, the architectural style is simple. Many different styles evolved under the influence of Yin-Yang thought and Buddhism. Plain wood and thatched roofs developed into painted materials and sculptures affixed to the buildings. Generally paper or cloth strips attached to a stand or a Heihaku mirror were the objects of worship. A shrine grove and tree lined path leads to the main shrine building (even in urban areas were they are maintained on a smaller scale).
Principal Center: Shinto shrines can be found in groves of trees all over Japan.
All the shrines have Torii, sacred gates, and often contain water for
symbolic purification of hands and mouth; larger shrines have main halls,
buildings for offerings, and oratories. Inside the main hall resides the Goshintai,
god-body, which is sometimes represented by a mirror, but more often, nothing at
all. The classic Shinto shrine is the world-renowned Ise Shrine, the
primary cult site for Amaterasu, the most important of the Kami...Continue on
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Shintoism
Shinto Shrine Kami Way 
