Okami reminds me of the movies by Miyazaki. It is havily based on Japanese folklore and mythology. In order to enjoy this game it appears necessary to understand better its cultural background and myths.

The main character is "Amaterasu, the powerful sun goddess of Japan, is the most well-known deity of Japanese mythology. Her feuding with her uncontrollable brother Susanoo, however, is equally infamous and appears in several tales."

For example, part of the story is based on the the Hakkenden "The Legend of the Dog Warriors". During a part of the game, Amaterasu must seek out the eight canine warriors, who are portrayed as the embodiment of the eight virtues of Confucianism: "Jin Gi Rei Chi Chuu Shin Kou Tei."

• kō (孝) - filial piety; devotion
• gi (義) - duty and obligation, but it can also be translated as righteousness
• chū (忠) - loyalty
• shin (信) - faith
• tei (悌) - brotherhood; brotherly affection
• jin (仁) - sympathy and benevolence, but note that, according to Confucianism, "jin" is also the greatest and most perfect virtue of all. It should come as no surprise that the bearer of this bead also happens to be the most powerful warrior of the eight.
• chi (知) - wisdom
• rei (礼) - courtesy, but this can also be translated as proper form, i.e. an extensive knowledge and proper observation of tradition and manners

I will try to post more about the legends behind this story in the future, for the moment I am still struggling on how to extract the flash videos you can see if you click on the circled icon from this site: (since the old site seems to have been disabled).