Kama. See T.VLJtuD.
Kaniawachara, the Buddhist name of one of the three divisions of the Sakwala (q. v.), and refers to the worlds in which there is form, with sensual, enjoy- ment. The Buddhist affirms that there are iniumiera- ble worlds, but only three kinds of them, viz. (1) worlds in which there is no perceptible form ; (2) workls in which there is form, but no sensual enjoyment; (3) and lastly, the Kamcncachara explained above. See Hardy, Manual of Buddhism, p. 3 sq.
Kamenker. See Meir, Mose.
Kami (or Happy Spirits) is the name given in Jap- anese mythology to certain spirits or divinities who founded the first terrestrial dynasty. All primitive my- thologies are coupled with and made to rise out of cos- mogony. Unfortunately, however, the cosmogony of the Japanese is not only of the wildest sort, but so mixed with that of the Chinese that it is very difficult to speak with any certainty of this ancient religion. From primieval chaos, say the Japanese, there sprung a self- created, supreme God, who fixed his abode in the high- est heaven, and could not have his tranquillity disturb- ed by any cares. Next there arose two plastic, creative gods, who framed the universe out of chaos. The uni- verse was then governed for myriads of years by seven gods in succession. They are called the Celestial Gods. The last of them was the only one that had a wife, and to him the earth we inhabit owes its existence. In what may be called the Genesis of the Japanese Bible the creation of the world is thus narrated :
" In the beginning there was neither heaven nor earth. The elements of all things formed a liquid and troubled mass, similar to the contents of an undeveloped epfg. iu which the white and the yellow are still mingled together. Out of the intiuite space which this chaos filled a god arose, called the divine Supreme Being, whose throne is iu the centre of heaven. Then came the celestial reason, exalted above the creation ; linally, the terrestrial reason, who is the sublime spirit. Each one of these three prim- itive gods had his own existence, but they were not yet revealed beyond their spiritual natures. Then, by de- grees, the work of separation went on in chaos. The fiuest atoms, moving in different directions, formed the heavens. The grosser atoms, attaching themselves to each other, and adhering, produced the earth. The for- mer, moving rapidly, constructed the vault of the firma- ment which arches above our heads; the latter, being slowly drrtwn together in a solid body, did not form the earth until at a much later period. When the earthly matter still floated as a fish that comes to the surface of the waters, or as the image of the moon that trembles on a limpid lake, there appeared between the heavens and the earth something smiilar to a piece of reed, endowed with movement, and capable of transformation. It was changed into three gods, which are: the August one, reiguing perpetually over the empire; he who leigns by Tirine of water ; and he who reigns by virtue of tire.' All
three were of the male sex, because they owed their origin to the action of the divine reason alone. After the first three males there came three pairs ofgods and goddesses, •reigning over the elements of wood, metal, and earth. This second dynasty contained as many goddesses as gods, because the terrestrial united equally with the celes- tial reason iu producing them. The first of the seven gods commenced the creation of the earth, and all to- gether personify the elements of the creation. The ^ra of the celestial gods, commencing with the first and ter- minating with the last male and female pair, who were called Izanaghi and Izauami, coutinued for millions on millions of years."
But the world, and, most important of all, the empire of Japan, was not yet created. The account given, therefore, is very circumstantial. One day, when the god and goddess were sitting together on the arch of the sky, they happened to talk of the possible existence of an inferior world. "There should be somewhere," said Izanaghi at length to his wife, " a habitable earth. Let us seek it under the waters that are seething beneath us." He plunged his spear into the water, and, as he withdrew it, some turbid drops trickled from the dia- mond point of his javelin, congealed, and formed a great island, iqion which the pair descended, determined to make it the beginning of a grand archipelago. From out the waters Izanaghi raised the island of Av/adzi, then the mountainous Oho-yamato, rich in fruits and with fine harbors; then the others in succession, until the empire of the eight great islands was completed. The smaller islands were then made, six in number; and .the islets scattered here and there formed them- selves afterwards from the mixture of the sea-foam and the deposits of the rivers. Eight millions ofgods (ge- nii) were then called into existence, and ten thousand kinds of things, out of which came everything that can be foimd in the earth. Upon the completion of this work, Izanaghi and his wife made the earth their habi- tation, and i)ecame the progenitors of the five dynasties of terrestrial deities, who in turn governed the earth during two million and odd years. The last of these, having married a terrestrial wife, left a mortal son upon earth named Linmou-tenwou, the ancestor and progen- itor of the races of men, the first of the mikados. See iMiK.VDO. Born upon earth, Linmou-tcn\vou was of course mortal. His parents, especially the tender Iza- nami, tremljled .at the thought that she must one day close the eyes of her children, and yet continue to enjoy immortality herself. They therefore conferred upon their terrestrial offspring the gift of immortality, the power of mediation bet^veen the gods and man — made them immortal kamis, happy spirits, worthy of divine honors. This is the point where the Japanese com- mence their history, and hence their doctrine, that the spirits of human beings survive the body, and, accord- ing to the actions of the individual in life, receive re- ward or punishment. When a man's life has been flis- tinguishcd for piety, for patriotism, or for good works, the Japanese deify him, after death, as a kami, and thus the number of these demigods has liecome indefi- nite. Some of these spirits preside specially over the elements and powers of nature.