About Somin Shōrai

In Japanese mythology and folklore, Somin Shōrai was a poor man who gave food and shelter to a certain god in the guise of a traveler who was looking for a place to stay. As a reward, the god provided Somin Shōrai's family a means to save themselves from an oncoming pestilence that eventually claimed the lives of those who had turned him away earlier. The story of Somin Shōrai is the basis for the Shinto custom of walking through a large ring of twisted miscanthus reeds during the beginning of summer at many Shinto shrines across Japan. Talismans bearing Somin Shōrai's name are also popularly held to ward off disease and misfortune.
The actions of priests at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo have generated controversy across East Asia

Shinto religious objects – The Kami worship

There is no universally agreed definition of Shinto. However some scholars define Shinto as the belief in "kami", the supernatural entities at the centre of the religion. Shinto encompasses doctrines, institutions, ritual, and communal life based on kami worship. Various scholars have referred to practitioners of Shinto as Shintoists, although this term has no direct translation in the Japanese language. This is a list of some religious objects used for the practice of .