|Part of a series on| |Practices and beliefs| Shinto (神道 Shintō)
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality
of Japan and the people of Japan. It is a set of practices, to
be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between
present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were
first recorded and codified in the written historical records of
the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in the 8th century. Still, these
earliest Japanese writings do not refer to a unified "Shinto
religion", but rather to disorganized folklore, history, and
mythology. Shinto today is a term that applies to public shrines
suited to various purposes such as war memorials, harvest
festivals, romance, and historical monuments, as well as various
sectarian organizations. Practitioners express their diverse
beliefs through a standard language and practice, adopting a
similar style in dress and ritual, dating from around the time
of the Nara and Heian Periods. The word Shinto ("Way of the
Gods") was adopted from the