Myojin (living god) - Akitsukami

Japanese: 明神(現神) - あきつかみ

It is often used to refer to the Emperor, meaning a god who is actually visible. It is also called "Akitsumikami." The trend of praising the Emperor as a god grew after the Jinshin War (672) in the 7th century, and during the reigns of Emperor Tenmu and Empress Jito, the song "Okimi wa Kami ni Shimaseba" was often sung by court poets such as Kakinomoto no Hitomaro. This phenomenon is related to the formation of the Kojiki and Nihon shoki myths that claim the Emperor to be descended from heavenly gods. In response to this, the Taiho Code (701) officially established titles such as "Akitsumikami to Amenoshitashiroshimesu Nihon Tenno" (Emperor of the Imperial Court, the Emperor of Japan).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

現に姿をあらわしている神の意で多く天皇に用いられる。〈あきつみかみ〉ともいう。天皇を神とたたえる風潮が強まるのは，7世紀の壬申の乱(672)以降で，天武，持統両朝には〈大君は神にしませば〉という歌が柿本人麻呂ら宮廷歌人により多くうたわれた。天皇を天津神（あまつかみ）の裔に系譜づける記紀神話の形成と関連しあう現象といえる。以上をうけて大宝令(701)は〈明神御宇（あきつみかみとあめのしたしろしめす）日本天皇〉などの称呼を公式に定めるに至った。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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