Short answer
The old Shinto books describe kami (the sacred beings and powers of Shinto) who came into being. They do not tell of a Maker who was always there. The Kojiki says its first kami came into being in the Plain of High Heaven when heaven and earth began. Even the two Producing kami, named after musubi, which Shinto honours as the symbol of life and production, are in that list. The Nihon Shoki's main text says divine beings were produced after heaven and earth took shape. Whatever comes into being has a beginning, and a beginning needs a source. Islam asks the question the books leave open: who made heaven and earth? Its answer is the One God, who has no beginning and is free of all wants. He is the Creator of all things, and the awe we feel before them belongs to Him.
Full explanation
What the Kojiki says of the first kami
The Kojiki (presented in 712) is the oldest surviving Japanese chronicle. Its English translator, Chamberlain, renders kami as "Deity". Shinto scholars point out that kami and the English word "god" are quite different ideas. They say the kami are not a Being apart from creation. Volume 1 opens by naming the Deities that came into being in the Plain of High Heaven when heaven and earth began. Chamberlain writes that they were "born". The Japanese word means that they came into being. The first is the Master-of-the-August-Centre-of-Heaven (Ame-no-minakanushi). Next come the High-August-Producing-Wondrous Deity (Takami-musubi) and the Divine-Producing-Wondrous-Deity (Kami-musubi). All three are said to be "born alone" and to hide their persons. Shinto honours musubi, the word in the last two names, as the power of life and production. The Encyclopedia of Shinto counts the three among the Kojiki's kami of creation, each a solitary kami whose person was not seen.
“The names of the Deities that were born in the Plain of High Heaven when the Heaven and Earth began were the Deity Master-of-the-August-Centre-of-Heaven, next the High-August-Producing-Wondrous Deity, next the Divine-Producing-Wondrous-Deity. These three Deities were all Deities born alone, and hid their persons.”
A Kokugakuin University paper on how kami is understood. It notes that kami is usually translated "god", but that it is often claimed that the Japanese word and the English word are quite different concepts, and it contrasts the monotheism of the Jewish and Christian tradition with the polytheistic ideas of Shinto.
A Kokugakuin University paper on the kami concept. It calls "God" an inapt translation of kami, and says the kami idea does not point to a principle or being apart from creation but to a quality of being that takes part in the unity of existence. It quotes Ueda Kenji that both the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki speak of a preexisting substance from which the kami came to be. It reports Ueda Kenji's view that the earliest Japanese myths lack any creator deity.
The Encyclopedia of Shinto says Amenominakanushi (Ame-no-minakanushi) was the first kami to come into being in the Plain of Heaven, as a solitary kami (hitorigami). It says the kami came to be valued more highly once scholars of National Learning turned to the Kojiki, and that Hirata Atsutane's theology made him the chief kami of the seven stars of Ursa Major. As a result of that influence he became a central deity at the Daikyoin in the early Meiji period.
The Encyclopedia of Shinto calls musuhi (musubi) the symbol of life and production, and says beliefs in it added new qualities to kami rooted in agriculture. It says Shinto was first a religious practice passed down as part of everyday customs, and did not depend upon missionaries and scriptures.
The Encyclopedia of Shinto counts Takamimusuhi (Takami-musubi) and Kamimusuhi (Kami-musubi) among the Kojiki's three kami of creation (zōka sanshin). It describes each as a solitary kami (hitorigami) whose person was not seen, and notes that musuhi (musubi) in the name is also read as "to join".
The Preface and the Nihon Shoki
A Shinto reader will point to the Preface, which says the Three Deities performed the commencement of creation. Read the whole sentence. Chaos has begun to condense, and Heaven and Earth first part. Only then do the Three Deities begin. The Nihon Shoki's main text gives the same order. Heaven is formed first, then Earth, and thereafter divine beings are produced between them. Its opening describes a chaotic mass, like an egg, that already contained germs.
“Now when chaos had begun to condense, but force and form were not yet manifest, and there was nought named, nought done, who could know its shape? Nevertheless Heaven and Earth first parted, and the Three Deities performed the commencement of creation;”
“Of old, Heaven and Earth were not yet separated, and the In and Yō not yet divided. They formed a chaotic mass like an egg which was of obscurely defined limits and contained germs.”
“Heaven was therefore formed first, and Earth was established subsequently. Thereafter Divine Beings were produced between them.”
What comes into being is not the source of everything
Here reason can speak before any scripture does. What comes into being has a beginning, and a beginning has a cause. The Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki's main text place their kami at the beginning of heaven and earth, or after it. One version the Nihon Shoki sets beside its main text puts a kami before heaven and earth. But even there the kami grows out of something already there, which the book compares to "a cloud floating over the sea". So the kami cannot be the answer to why there is a heaven and earth at all. Shinto scholars themselves say the kami are not apart from creation. They say both books speak of a preexisting substance from which the kami came to be. One of them, Ueda Kenji, describes the earliest Japanese myths as lacking any creator deity. The Qur'an asks the question that remains: were they created from nothing, or were they themselves the creators?
“The names of the Deities that were born in the Plain of High Heaven when the Heaven and Earth began were the Deity Master-of-the-August-Centre-of-Heaven, next the High-August-Producing-Wondrous Deity, next the Divine-Producing-Wondrous-Deity. These three Deities were all Deities born alone, and hid their persons.”
“Heaven was therefore formed first, and Earth was established subsequently. Thereafter Divine Beings were produced between them.”
“Before Heaven and Earth were produced, there was something which might be compared to a cloud floating over the sea.”
A Kokugakuin University paper on the kami concept. It calls "God" an inapt translation of kami, and says the kami idea does not point to a principle or being apart from creation but to a quality of being that takes part in the unity of existence. It quotes Ueda Kenji that both the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki speak of a preexisting substance from which the kami came to be. It reports Ueda Kenji's view that the earliest Japanese myths lack any creator deity.
“Were they created of nothing, or were they themselves the creators? Or did they create the heavens and the earth? Nay, they have no firm belief.”
The One who has no beginning
The Qur'an names the One whom the books leave unnamed. Allah (﷾) is One and Eternal, and He neither begets nor is begotten. He is the First and the Last, and the Creator of all things. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah (﷾) was, and there was nothing other than Him (Bukhari 3191). He is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing like Him. He is free of all wants, and it is we who have need of Him. He is not one more being among those that came to be. He is the answer to why there is anything at all.
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
“He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent: and He has full knowledge of all things.”
Imran ibn Husayn reports that people from Yemen told the Prophet (ﷺ) they had come to ask him about this matter. He said: Allah was, and there was nothing other than Him. His Throne was over the water, He wrote everything in the Record, and He created the heavens and the earth.
“Allah is the Creator of all things, and He is the Guardian and Disposer of all affairs.”
“(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things).”
“O ye men! It is ye that have need of Allah: but Allah is the One Free of all wants, worthy of all praise.”
Awe belongs to the Maker
Motoori Norinaga defined kami as whatever has an extraordinary power and inspires awe. Islam does not ask anyone to feel less awe. It asks where the awe should go. The Qur'an says that everything in the heavens and the earth declares God's (﷾) glory. It names the sun and the moon among His signs, and it turns the heart from the sign to the One who made it.
In his commentary on the Kojiki, Motoori Norinaga said that earlier explanations of the word kami were wrong. He defined it by how it is used: the kami of heaven and earth in the old books, and also anything else that has an extraordinary power and inspires awe, among them people and natural things, good or evil.
“The seven heavens and the earth, and all beings therein, declare His glory: there is not a thing but celebrates His praise; And yet ye understand not how they declare His glory! Verily He is Oft-Forbear, Most Forgiving!”
“Among His Signs are the Night and the Day, and the Sun and the Moon. Do not prostrate to the sun and the moon, but prostrate to Allah, Who created them, if it is Him ye wish to serve.”
Thanks at the table
Before a meal, many people in Japan say itadakimasu, "I humbly receive". It thanks those who provided the food, and the food itself. Islam gives that thanks its address. A Muslim begins by mentioning the name of Allah (﷾), as the Prophet (ﷺ) taught a boy in his care. He then gives thanks to Allah (﷾) for what He has provided. The Qur'an tells believers to eat what is lawful and good and to be grateful for His favours. It also says: be grateful to Me.
Explains that itadakimasu, roughly "I partake" or "I humbly receive", is said before eating as thanks to those who provide the food and for the food itself, and that it can also be understood as thanks to the living things that become food.
Umar ibn Abi Salama reports that, as a boy in the Prophet's (ﷺ) care, his hand roamed around the dish while he ate. The Prophet (ﷺ) told him to mention the name of Allah, to eat with his right hand, and to eat from the part of the dish nearest to him. He says he kept to this from then on.
“So eat of the sustenance which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good; and be grateful for the favours of Allah, if it is He Whom ye serve.”
“Then do ye remember Me; I will remember you. Be grateful to Me, and reject not Faith.”
How to weigh the answer
Islam does not ask for a leap. It asks you to consider the Qur'an with care and to see whether it holds together. It also asks you to consider the man who brought it. Muhammad (ﷺ) was sent to all people, and he is the Seal of the Prophets. Islam is a complete way of life, with belief in one Creator, prayer, food, family and character together. The first step is to read the Qur'an for yourself.
“Do they not consider the Qur'an (with care)? Had it been from other Than Allah, they would surely have found therein Much discrepancy.”
“Say: "O men! I am sent unto you all, as the Messenger of Allah, to Whom belongeth the dominion of the heavens and the earth: there is no god but He: it is He That giveth both life and death. So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the Unlettered Prophet, who believeth in Allah and His words: follow him that (so) ye may be guided."”
“Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things.”
Seven replies answered
Kojiki, Preface, paragraph 2 — the beginning
“Now when chaos had begun to condense, but force and form were not yet manifest, and there was nought named, nought done, who could know its shape? Nevertheless Heaven and Earth first parted, and the Three Deities performed the commencement of creation;”
Cited for
The Preface says the Three Deities performed the commencement of creation, so Shinto does have creators.
The response
The same sentence says that Heaven and Earth first parted, and only then do the Three Deities begin. Before that, chaos had begun to condense. Volume 1 lists the first three Deities among those that came into being. So the Preface describes a beginning of creation within a world that is already there. It does not say who made heaven and earth.
Where it lands — The Preface puts the Three Deities' work after the parting of Heaven and Earth, so it leaves the question of the Maker open.
Encyclopedia of Shinto: Ancient Shinto
The Encyclopedia of Shinto calls musuhi (musubi) the symbol of life and production, and says beliefs in it added new qualities to kami rooted in agriculture. It says Shinto was first a religious practice passed down as part of everyday customs, and did not depend upon missionaries and scriptures.
Cited for
Musubi is the power of life and production itself, and a power does not come into being.
The response
Shinto may well hold musubi to be a power that runs through all things. But the Kojiki does not present it as a power without a beginning. It names two kami who bear the word, and it lists them among the Deities that came into being. If musubi is a power that brings things into being, ask where the power comes from. Islam's answer is that Allah (﷾) is the Creator of all things.
Where it lands — The Kojiki lists the Producing kami among those that came into being, and a power that begins in time still needs a source.
Encyclopedia of Shinto: Amenominakanushi
The Encyclopedia of Shinto says Amenominakanushi (Ame-no-minakanushi) was the first kami to come into being in the Plain of Heaven, as a solitary kami (hitorigami). It says the kami came to be valued more highly once scholars of National Learning turned to the Kojiki, and that Hirata Atsutane's theology made him the chief kami of the seven stars of Ursa Major. As a result of that influence he became a central deity at the Daikyoin in the early Meiji period.
Cited for
Later Shinto scholars, such as Hirata Atsutane, raised Ame-no-minakanushi to a central place. So Shinto does have one highest kami at the start of things.
The response
Then those scholars were looking for the one source of everything, and the Qur'an names Him. But the Kojiki still names Ame-no-minakanushi among the Deities that came into being when heaven and earth began. The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Allah (﷾) was, and there was nothing other than Him (Bukhari 3191). The One the search points to had no beginning.
Where it lands — The search for one highest source is right. The Kojiki's first kami came into being with heaven and earth, and the Qur'an names the One who was before all things.
Motoori Norinaga on the meaning of kami
In his commentary on the Kojiki, Motoori Norinaga said that earlier explanations of the word kami were wrong. He defined it by how it is used: the kami of heaven and earth in the old books, and also anything else that has an extraordinary power and inspires awe, among them people and natural things, good or evil.
Cited for
Kami is a word for whatever inspires awe. It describes an experience and makes no claim about a Maker.
The response
Granted. Islam does not deny the awe. It asks where the awe should go. The sun, the moon and the mountains are signs, and the Qur'an says that everything in heaven and earth declares God's (﷾) glory. It turns the heart to the One who made the signs.
Where it lands — Awe is real. The Qur'an directs it to the Maker of what inspires it.
Kojiki, Volume 1, section 3 (Chamberlain Sect. III), paragraph 1 — the drifting land
“ordering them to “make, consolidate, and give birth to this drifting land.””
Cited for
Izanagi and Izanami made the land, so the kami are makers.
The response
The Kojiki says the Heavenly Deities ordered the two kami to make, consolidate and give birth to a drifting land. The land is already there, and the order comes from Deities who came into being before them. Making land is not making heaven and earth. The Qur'an says that Allah (﷾) is the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
Where it lands — The kami in this passage shape land that already drifts, at the order of earlier kami. That does not answer who made heaven and earth.
Qur'an 112:1-4 — Surat al-Ikhlas (Sincerity), verses 1-4
“Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”
Cited for
If everything needs a maker, then who made Allah?
The response
That is not the argument here. The Kojiki itself says its kami came into being, and what comes into being has a beginning. The Qur'an says Allah (﷾) neither begets nor is begotten, and that He is the First. The argument is about what begins, and the One who is the source of every beginning does not Himself begin. The page "If everything needs a creator, who created God?" takes this up in full.
Where it lands — The argument concerns what comes into being and begins. The Qur'an describes the One who does not.
Perspectives toward Understanding the Concept of Kami
A Kokugakuin University paper on how kami is understood. It notes that kami is usually translated "god", but that it is often claimed that the Japanese word and the English word are quite different concepts, and it contrasts the monotheism of the Jewish and Christian tradition with the polytheistic ideas of Shinto.
Cited for
Shinto is lived more than argued. These are questions for theologians, not for a visit to a shrine.
The response
Granted that many people come to a shrine for a festival, a custom or their family, with no theory in mind. But the question of who made us is not only for theologians. Many people ask where the world came from. Islam answers it plainly, and the answer is the start of a way of life: one Creator, prayer, food, family and character together.
Where it lands — The question of the Maker is an ordinary one. Islam answers it, and the answer shapes the whole of life.
Perspectives
Shinto: the kami of the old books
Shinto honours the kami of heaven and earth for their power and the awe they inspire. Its scholars say the kami are not a Being apart from the world, and the old books tell of kami who arose within it.
The Kojiki's Preface says the Three Deities performed the commencement of creation, so Shinto does have creators.
Rebuttal
Granted that the Preface speaks of creation. But its sentence has Heaven and Earth part first, and the Three Deities begin afterwards. That reads as work in a world already there, and it does not say who made heaven and earth.
Takami-musubi and Kami-musubi bear the name musubi, which Shinto honours as the symbol of life and production.
Rebuttal
Granted that Shinto honours musubi as the symbol of life and production. But the Kojiki lists both kami among those that came into being. What comes into being has a beginning, and Islam asks what began it.
A kami is anything with an extraordinary power that inspires awe (Motoori Norinaga). So a kami need not be a creator.
Rebuttal
Granted. The question is then why the world inspires awe, and who made it. Awe points beyond what inspires it, to the One who made the sun and the moon.
Kami are not "gods" in the Western sense, and not a Being apart from creation.
Rebuttal
Granted that this is how Shinto scholars describe the kami. Then the kami do not answer who made the world they belong to. The Qur'an names the Creator of all things.
Izanagi and Izanami made the land, so the kami are makers.
Rebuttal
Granted that the Kojiki tells of land being made. The Heavenly Deities order it, and the land is already drifting. Making land is not making heaven and earth.
Kami are present throughout nature, in mountains, seas and the sun.
Rebuttal
Granted that Shinto finds the sacred throughout nature. The Qur'an too says that everything in heaven and earth declares God's (﷾) glory. But what glorifies is made, and worship belongs to its Maker.
The Islamic perspective
The old Shinto books tell of kami who came into being within something already there, mostly at or after the beginning of heaven and earth. Islam asks who made heaven and earth, and answers: the One who has no beginning, the Creator of all things. It gives thanks and awe to Him, and invites the reader to weigh the Qur'an and the last Prophet (ﷺ). Belief, worship and character belong together as one way of life.
In the Kojiki the first kami come into being when heaven and earth begin. In the Nihon Shoki's main text, divine beings are produced after heaven and earth are formed. A version it sets beside the main text has a kami grow out of something like a cloud floating over the sea.
Shinto scholars say the kami are not apart from creation. They add that both books speak of a preexisting substance from which the kami came to be. One says the earliest myths lack any creator deity.
What comes into being has a beginning, and a beginning needs a source. So the kami of the books are not the answer to why there is a heaven and earth.
The Qur'an names the One who has no beginning: the First and the Last, the Creator of all things, free of all wants. The Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) was, and there was nothing other than Him.
The awe that things inspire points to the One who made them. The Qur'an says everything in the heavens and the earth declares His glory.
Thanks at a meal has its address in Islam. The name of Allah (﷾) comes at the start, and gratitude to Him for what He has provided.
The Qur'an invites careful reading, and Muhammad (ﷺ), the last Prophet, was sent to all people.