OneTaskBy Tim King · Updated
Japanese Mythology Name Generator
Shinto Kami, Classical Heroes and Shrine Spirit Names From Japan
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How the Japanese Mythology Name Generator works
A Japanese mythology name generator for Shinto kami, legendary heroes and the spirits that keep individual shrines. The kami names use the long honorific structure of the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, with Ame-no, -hime, -hiko and -no-Mikoto. Pick a kind and gender and generate a whole heavenly court.
How the Japanese mythology name generator builds kami names
Kami names in the old chronicles are long descriptions stacked with honorifics. Ame-no means of heaven, Kuni-no of the land, Taka high, Toyo abundant, Haya swift. At the end comes a title: -hime for a princess or goddess, -hiko for a prince or god, -no-Mikoto for an august deity, -no-Kami for a kami. Ame-no-Uzume, the goddess who danced the sun out of her cave, is "heavenly Uzume". The generator stacks a prefix, a core and a title in the same order.
Heroes and shrine spirits
Japanese legend has heroes tied to provinces: Yamato Takeru, the prince of Yamato; Susanoo, who slew the eight-headed serpent in Izumo. The Hero option gives a name with a province or a deed. The Shrine spirit option names the local kami or messenger animal of a particular shrine, the fox of an Inari shrine, the deer of a mountain shrine, the kodama spirits of an old cedar grove.
Choosing and using names
Long kami names can be shortened in dialogue, as they are in real practice: Ame-no-Mikumari becomes Mikumari-sama. Use the full form when a character is formally invoked and the short form in conversation. For yokai and monsters instead of gods, see the yokai page; for everyday Japanese names, the Japanese name page.
FAQ
What does -no-Mikoto mean?
Mikoto is an honorific meaning august one or lord, used for gods and imperial ancestors in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki. Adding -no-Mikoto to a name makes it formal and divine, as in Izanagi-no-Mikoto. The shorter -no-Kami simply means the kami.
What is the difference between -hime and -hiko?
Hime means princess or lady and hiko means prince or lord. In the chronicles they mark female and male deities and nobles, like Konohana-sakuya-hime, the blossom princess. The generator uses them according to the gender you select.
What is a kami?
A kami is a sacred power in Shinto. It can be a great deity like the sun goddess, the spirit of a mountain, a waterfall or an old tree, or a revered ancestor. There are said to be eight million kami, so new ones fit easily into any setting.
Can I use these names in a game or story?
Yes. Shinto mythology is public domain and these names are generated from classical elements. If your work is set in real Japan, bear in mind that shrines and kami are still part of living religious practice, and treat them with care.
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