Shintoku

   Divine virtue. The particular influence exerted by a kami. Generally speaking it means the benefits people pray to the kami for, such as business prosperity, recovery from illness or traffic safety. Parents and students seek the assistance of Sugawara, Michizane (Tenjin) for educational success at numerous shrines, while the Izumo taisha in Shimane prefecture is visited almost constantly by young couples because the deity there helps cement marriages. Though the basis for a shintoku ascribed to a particular kami may sometimes be found in ancient texts, in practice there are variations and inconsistencies in the powers which a particular named kami was or is believed to possess since these depend on the time and context of the kami's enshrinement and the particular views of those who enshrined the kami.