Yorishiro
A in Shinto terminology is an object capable of attracting spirits called , thus giving them a physical space to occupy during religious ceremonies. are used during ceremonies to call the for worship. The word itself literally means "approach substitute". Once a actually houses a , it is called a . Ropes called decorated with paper streamers called often surround to make their sacredness manifest. Persons can play the same role as a , and in that case are called or . History and their history are intimately connected with the birth of Shinto shrines. Early Japanese culture did not have the notion of anthropomorphic deities, and felt the presence of spirits in nature and its phenomena. Mountains, forests, rain, wind, lightning and sometimes animals were thought to be charged with spiritual power, and the material manifestations of this power were worshiped as , entities closer in essence to the Polynesian mana. Village councils sought the advice of and developed the , tools that attracted acting like a lightning rod. were conceived to attract the and then give them a physical space to occupy to make them accessible to human beings for ceremonies, which is still their purpose today. Village