myōjin
Sign in to saveMyōjin (明神 'shining deity', 'illuminating deity', or 'apparent deity') or Daimyōjin (大明神 'great shining/apparent deity') was a title historically applied to kami ('Japanese deities') and, by metonymy, their shrines.
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Myōjin (明神 'shining deity', 'illuminating deity', or 'apparent deity') or Daimyōjin (大明神 'great shining/apparent deity') was a title historically applied to kami ('Japanese deities') and, by metonymy, their shrines.
The term is thought to have been derived from , a title once granted by the Imperial Court to kami deemed to have particularly impressive power and virtue and/or have eminent, well-established shrines and cults. This term is first attested in the Shoku Nihongi, where offerings from the kingdom of Balhae are stated to have been offered to ") in each province" in the year 730 (Tenpyō II).
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “myōjin” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.