Japanese culture has been greatly influenced by its religions, and one of the most influential religions has been Shinto. Shinto dates back to 500 BC, when descendants of the sun goddess, Amaterasu-OmiKami, worshiped the gods and goddesses of Japan. Shinto means "way of the gods" and this represents what people who practice Shinto believe. Shinto is a religion based on Japanese mythology, centered on a male god, Izanagi, and a female goddess, Izanami. These two gods were believed to have created Japan, which was thought to be the only land in the world. The two gods had two children, the sun goddess Amaterasu and the storm god, Susanowo. These two gods fought for control of the Japanese people and the sun goddess won control over them. This belief that a goddess had more control than a god is part of the custom of women having control over men in Japan. Shinto in Japan has shown many strengths and very few weaknesses since its inception and one of its greatest strengths is the belief in Kami or spirits (Scott Olenik, pg. 8-10) Shinto embraces a strong affinity with nature and this is very evident in the way the Japanese people worship the Kami (Hooker, paragraph 4). There are many types of Kami, each inhabiting a different part of nature. There is a Kami for rocks, trees, people, sake, and even tobacco (Hooker, paragraph 4). It is Shinto belief that human beings become Kami when they die and leave this world (Hooker, paragraph 4). Communicating with the Kami is an essential part of the Shinto religion. An outer gate or torii is the entrance to a Shinto shrine (Hooker, paragraph 4). When someone approaches a torii, it is customary to bow before entering (Nakano, par. 5). The… medium of paper… life would change without Shinto. Works Cited Hooker, Richard. "Early Shinto". Washington State University-Pullman, Washington. February 14, 2010 http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ANCJAPAN/SHINTO.HTMNakano, Hiroko. "The Shinto Shrine." Kateigaho International Edition - Japanese culture, art and lifestyle magazine. February 14, 2010 http://int.kateigaho.com/aut04/kyoto-shinto-shrine.html. "Shinto, Shintoism - Religious Facts." Religion, world religions, comparative religions: just the facts about world religions. February 14, 2010 http://www.religionfacts.com/shinto/index.htm. "Shinto, Shinto." Public Services - Social, Religious, Scientific, Products, Environment. February 14, 2010 http://mb-soft.com/believe/txo/shintois.htmSmitha, Frank. "Power and class in Japan, 500 to 1500 AD" Macrohistory: world history. February 14, 2010 http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h07japan.htm.