noun
suddenly popular god; faddish deity; trendy shrine
Refers to a deity or shrine that gains sudden, widespread popularity, often due to a rumored miracle or media attention, but may fade quickly. Can be used literally or figuratively.
あの神社は最近流行神になって、参拝客が急増した。
That shrine has recently become a faddish deity, and the number of visitors has surged.
彼は一時期流行神のようにもてはやされたが、すぐに忘れられた。
He was once celebrated like a suddenly popular god, but was soon forgotten.
Compound of 流行 (はやり, 'trend, fashion') and 神 (かみ, 'god, deity'), with rendaku voicing かみ → がみ. The term likely arose from historical and modern instances of shrines or deities gaining sudden fame.