I found this on Shinto

SHINTO

The word Shinto is comprised of two Chinese characters and is often translated as "the way of the gods." The first character, when used alone, is pronounced kami, which means "god, deity" or "divine power" and the second character means "way" or "path."

Kami can be used to describe just one god or as a collective term for the many gods that are a central part of worship in Japan. A part of all aspects of life, kami appear in may different forms. Nature kami live in sacred stones, trees, mountains and other aspects of nature. Clan kami, which are the guardian deities of specific clans. Actually these are considered to be a deified ancestor of the clan. Another kami is the ta no kami, which is the god of the rice paddies. This kami is worshipped at rice planting and harvest festivals. The heavenly divinities who live on the Takamagahara (High Celestial Plain) are those kami that are similar to gods in the Western sense. These kami are led by Amaterasu Omikami, the goddess who is worshipped at the Ise Shrine, which is the central shrine of Shinto.