Shintai

In Shinto, shintai (神体, "body of the kami"), or go-shintai (御神体, "sacred body of the kami") when the honorific prefix go- is used, are physical objects worshipped at or near Shinto shrines as repositories in which spirits or kami reside.^[1] Shintai used in Shrine Shinto (Jinja Shinto) can be also called mitamashiro (御霊代, "spirit replacement" or "substitute").^[1]

In spite of what their name may suggest, shintai are not themselves part of kami, but rather just temporary repositories which make them accessible to human beings for worship.^[2] Shintai are also of necessity yorishiro, that is objects by their very nature capable of attracting kami.