Within the ritual world of Ryōbu Shintō, the kami are not set apart as an independent pantheon, but are reinterpreted through a Buddhist lens. They are regarded as local, trace manifestations (suijaku or gongen) of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, whose original ground (honji) lies in the Buddhist cosmos. To venerate a kami in this setting is therefore to address, at a deeper level, the corresponding Buddhist deity that stands behind that presence. This understanding allows traditional kami worship to continue, yet situates it within a more encompassing Buddhist doctrinal framework.

Ritually, the kami are fully integrated into Buddhist practice. They are invoked alongside Buddhas and bodhisattvas, often through mantras, mudras, and other esoteric forms, while still receiving offerings familiar from shrine practice, such as rice, sake, and sacred branches, together with Buddhist offerings like incense and flowers. In many cases, shrines function in ways analogous to temples, hosting ceremonies in which Buddhist prayers and formulas are directed to the kami rather than classical Shinto norito alone. Through such rites, the kami serve as accessible intermediaries, making the more abstract Buddhist principles tangible in specific places and communities.

At the same time, the kami retain their character as guardians and protectors. They are seen as tutelary deities of particular regions, clans, and activities, yet now as protectors of the Buddhist teachings and their practitioners as well. Rituals for protection, prosperity, healing, and communal welfare appeal to the kami as local custodians who cooperate with and safeguard the dharma. In this capacity, they mediate the compassionate power and merit of the Buddhas, transmitting that salvific efficacy into the concrete concerns of everyday life.

This syncretic arrangement also establishes a subtle hierarchy and a bridge. The kami are honored and propitiated, yet are understood as subordinate to the ultimate Buddhist reality whose traces they embody. Joint ritual spaces and combined ceremonies allow shrine and temple, kami and Buddha, to be experienced together rather than in opposition. Through this layered vision, Ryōbu Shintō offers a religious landscape in which the nearness of the kami and the vastness of the Buddhist cosmos mutually illuminate one another.