People built shrines for benevolent gods, those who appeared to bless them. At first they did not carve images of the gods but worshiped the shintai, in which spirits of gods were said to reside. Even an entire mountain, such as Fuji, could serve as a shintai.

[Picture on page 190]

An entire mountain, such as Fuji, is sometimes viewed as a shintai, or object of worship