Shintoism is the way of the kami. How did the kami come to be? In this segment of the lecture David Shenk tells the story about two divinities Amaterasu and Amatsu who had a huge numbers of progeny kami. The Emperor of Japan was believed to be the descendent of Amaterasu. Watch this video to learn what this divinized view of Japan and the emperor meant for Japan's relationship with other nations and its mission in the world.