Kami hotoke (Japanese)

Kami refers to the sacred in Shinto beliefs; this may be the beings or gods, the numinous, spirits, personal and impersonal, and also the individual himself when he nas achieved a pure, honest and truthful heart. Hotoke are the Buddhist deities, a Buddha who has achieved dharma; so that truth incarnated to enlighten mankind are also hotoke. This concept is extended to ancestors revered for their qualities in this life. Thus the combined concept of kami-hotoke covers the overall concept of the sacred in Japanese thought.