The Kami-dana or spirit shelf is used in Shinto belief as the residing place of the God or Spirit. There is but one God to the Japanese, the American Indian, the ninja, and other eastern beliefs - the one God is everything. If God is everything, then everything is instilled with the Spirit of God. The kami-dana is that place where one can concentrate his spirit and try to meld in harmony with the spirit of the universe.

Ninpo is not just a physical art. It is very heavily imbued with the spiritual and to be a true practitioner of Ninpo, or for that matter any true traditional martial art, one must delve into the spiritual. Without the spiritual aspects we are little more than trained fighting animals.

But we are martial artists, not animals. At the beginning of class we all focus our energy on the central point of the dojo, the kami-dana, so that all will be in harmony when we train.

The actual kami-dana should be placed if possible, on the north wall of the dojo. The second choice is the West wall, next is the East wall, and last is South. The north has the significance of being heaven's path since the north star is considered the first star of heaven. Remember that in ancient times the North star was the beacon of heaven on which navigators plotted their course.

Once you have decided its location, put up a shelf about five or six feet long and on this place a wooden shrine. This shrine should have a "prayer paper" inside.

On either one side or both sides of the shrine you should place cuttings from a green plant, or a plant itself, in a small container. This stands for life, something growing.

Next put three separate containers, one with salt, the next with rice (wash it first) and the last filled with water on the kami-dana. These represent the elements needed to sustain life. Place these to the side of the shrine.

After all this place three, five, seven or nine candle holders on the foremost edge of the shelf (in front of the shrine). For a dojo it is best with either five or nine candles. Before each class the candles are lit, at which time we meditate, then we have our recitation, and finally our bow. The fire from the candle has many meanings for us. The fire means the light we give to the world of darkness.

You should hang a rice rope in front and above the kami-dana (if you can't get rice rope then any kind of natural fiber rope will do).

Last but not least get rice paper and cut and fold it so that you end up with four or five pieces of paper resembling lightning bolts. Hang these from the rope. The white rice paper has the meaning of "this Is the Spirit's place, pure and clean."

If you wish to put up pictures of your instructor or master, hang them to the left or right of the kami-dana and not on the shelf itself. This way there is no mixing of the spiritual with the mundane.

In the Dojo there is no preference of religion. We in reality, are not dealing with religion. We are in the place of the martial artist. We come together as one in the universal spirit of the martial arts: HARMONY.