Shinto

Shinto (literally "the Way of the Kami") is the art of propitiating the Kami so they will be kind to human beings rather than harsh with them. 

Kami

A Kami is a supernatural spirit whose very presence fills human beings with awe and wonder. Each mountain, each swamp, each forest has its own Kami. Each Martial Art and each Fine Art has a Kami, the person who originated it and who is no longer regarded as fully mortal. The common ancestors of each village or clan are its guardian Kami.  The Emperor becomes a living Kami on his accession to the throne. Japan is spoken of as the "home of eight million Kami." just as Kiga is known as the "land of ten thousand fortunes."
People do not worship the Kami for their goodness or beauty, or assume that the Kami will punish evil actions or reward good ones. Instead, Shinto focuses on the need to keep the Kami happy by performing the proper rituals.
The Kami are displeased by incense (associated with Buddhist religious services). They are also offended by the impurity of sickness, blood, or death. Sexual relations and childbirth are also forbidden in the shrine area. The Kami are pleased by prayers, offerings, singing and dancing.
Shinto teaches that the human dead live in the Meido, a twilight world of ghosts, bordering the realm of the demons.

Shinto Priests

Most Shinto Priests and Priestesses inherited their position from their parents (and usually have the same Patron Kami). They are trained in dancing, playing music, and singing which they use in rituals to entertain the Kami.

Type

Religious, Monastic Order