Inari

In old days, people believed that there lived some kinds of deities in mountans nearby. When they cultivate rice field for sowing in spring, they welcomed a deity to come down from the mountains, and considered him as a deity of good crop of rice. When harvest in autumn had been finished, he was sent back to the mountains. A fox (inari) living in near the village was considered the messenger of such deity.

Ookami

A deity who has a figure of wolf, is sent to an uraban village by other greater deity living in mountains nearby.

Ohake

A sacred sign showing the place of alightment for god from sky or mountain.

Omori

the same meaning as furo.

Kaki

It is what encloses the sacred place. There are often traveler's guardian deity in the enclosure.

Kudo

It is used for cooking where is placed one or two pots on it, some kinds of fireplace. The isi(stone)-kudo is no more fireplace, not even used for cooking, but is the target of the faith.

Kuro

almost the same meaning as misaki.

Saru

A monkey (saru) is deified as a guardian deity of cattle and horse. So, the figure of monkey is set in the farming hut.

Sanma

Usually, it is a name of a certain fish, but in this case it means graveyard.

Sime

It indicates a god's territory on earth. The sime-nawa (rope) is used to establish the sacrid territory.

Toubyo

Toubyo is believed to be a little snake with yellowish white ring-like mark around the neck and bring many fortunes to believers. There was a couple of shrine dedicated to Toubyo in Okayama area.

Toko

The place to deify old ancestors in a house.

Namera

It is the place where had been sacred in the old days, then turned to the horrible and/or eveil place with going out of faith. It is also called namame, masudi, mamiti, tukinowa. By now, it means especially the track where demons pass to and fro through. Perhaps, it may have the old meaning for snake.

Hebi and Ryuu

Hebi (snake) and ryuu (dragon) is a diety for water. For example, they control safe voyage at sea; also control rainfall probability in mountains. If a drought would happened, people would perform a ceremony to pray for rain. In Okayama, there are many mountains which part of their name contains Ryuu( dragon).

Furo

The woods that had become the target of the faith. So, even if a tree was cut, it was often said that it brought the evils. And many stories in relation to that kinds were left.

Misaki

It is the deity that brings curse. It's hard to explain because it appears so many varieties of forms, such as a small mound, tombstone, piled up many pebbles, etc. usages: misaki of seven beings, misaki of tombstone, misaki of water, misaki of fire.