Norinaga defined kami as: “…any being whatsoever which possesses some eminent quality out of the ordinary, and is awe-inspiring.” In Shintoism, kami are, in the wise words of Master Yoda, one with nature. There are a great many kami in Japanese mythology, most of which were first written about in the 8th century by Motoori Norinaga in the Kojiki-den (Records of Ancient Happenings). This includes trees, rocks, frogs, and in this case, wind. Shintoism, the native religion of Japan, is strongly based on the idea that everything we see in nature has a spirit, or kami. The more ancient version of 神 looked a lot more like a god kneeling at an altar, but things changed pretty radically through the years. Since 申 lost its original meaning, an altar was added to the left side. So, this meant “god” or “god speaking.” Nowadays, 申 just means “to say.” This character originally looked a little more like lightening, which represented the ancient belief that such night-splitting events marked the arrival of a god. The concept of “god” was originally represented only by the right part, 申. 神, or kami, refers to gods, the mind, and the soul. The original Japanese pronunciation is “kah-mii-kah-zeh”, rather than the Americanized “kah-meh-kah-zii.” The literal translation is ‘divine wind’ or ‘wind of the gods’. The word Kamikaze is written in kanji as 神風. What Does Kamikaze Literally Mean?: The Linguistic Origin However, prior to this, “kamikaze” was famously used in reference to the typhoons that ultimately stopped the foreign invasion of the Mongols in the 13th century. It is usually used in reference to Japanese suicide bombers during WWII, and it also serves as an adjective in English for reckless or self-destructive behavior. Kamikaze translates literally as ‘the wind of gods’ or ‘divine wind’.
9 Return to the Seas: Kamikaze-class destroyers.7 The Gods of the Wind: Raijin and Fujin.5 A Wild Divinity Appears: Origins in the Manyoshu.4 The Wind Part: Mythical Birds and Creepy Crawlies.2 What Does Kamikaze Literally Mean?: The Linguistic Origin.
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