Yata no Kagami – The Sacred Mirror of Japan

Who doesn't have a mirror at home? After all, it is a very used object, and in many ways. However, mirrors are often associated with supernatural phenomena or something religious. In Japan, Yata no kagami, is a sacred mirror for the country.

Why is it considered a sacred object? What is the story behind its importance? These are the answers that we will give throughout this article for everyone. After all, not just any object is part of a country's national treasure.

Yea, Yata no Kagami [八咫の鏡] is one of three sacred objects called sanjingi [三神器] that are part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. remembering that this is the mirror, we still have a sword and a magatama stone. But let's talk about these objects in other articles. Let's explain right away what we have on hand.

These round mirrors made of bronze, silver or gold date back to many years before Christ. They were also common in China and Egypt, but it was the Japanese who considered such objects as something rare and mysterious.

Yata no Kagami - The eight ta mirror

Yata no Kagami, can be literally translated as "the eight o'clock mirror”. Ta is a unit of diameter measurement. This name refers to its shape and size, which you can see in the image.

Yata no kagami - the sacred mirror of Japan

This sacred mirror, as has been said, is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It is said to be located in the Great Shrine of Ise in Mie Prefecture, Japan. this is stated even with the lack of public access to have a verification.

Like the other treasures, the Yata no Kagami represents a certain virtue. In this case, “wisdom” or “honesty”, depending on the source. Mirrors in ancient Japan represented the truth because they simply reflected what was shown.

In addition, mirrors have always been considered a source of much mystique and reverence. Japanese folklore is full of stories of life before mirrors were commonplace. In Shintoism, this mirror was forged by the deity Ishikoridome.

Yata no kagami - the sacred mirror of Japan

Along with the Yasakani no magatama stone, the Yata no Kagami was hung from a tree by the deity. With the intention of attracting Amaterasu, the sun deity, from a cave. They were given to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto.

It was delivered when he went to pacify Japan along with the Kusanagi sword. From there, the treasures passed into the hands of the Imperial House of Japan. And as we know, to this day these objects remain sacred and immaculate.

YATA NO KAGAMI and the 3 Sacred Treasures

The mirror, magatama stone and sword are as sacred as any Vatican treasure. And just like them, they are not usually presented freely to the common audience.

The exhibitions are very rare, in the case of the Yata no Kagami, we can say that it is a mystery. After all, there is a certain incident that leaves the truth a little blurred.

Yata no kagami - the sacred mirror of Japan
The mirror in the image represents the true form of the yata no kagami

In the year 1040, the compartment that contained the Holy Mirror ended up being burned in a fire. Whether that mirror was irrevocably lost or not remains a mystery. This is a question that few, if any, know the answer to.

It is common to hear that he is housed today in the Great Shrine of Ise. At the same time a replica is enshrined in Three Shrines of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. It's worth taking a look to confirm how it's handled. After all, it is a national treasure.

What is your opinion on yata no kagami?

It's tricky trying to guess where a sacred object might be. In fact, there is no way to do this without a lot of important information. Which are often restricted access, which few people are allowed to access. That is, only very well-educated figures can know this.

But one thing is for sure, this is a item that Japan highly values. We can say this just because it is one of the three sacred objects in Japan. the Yata no Kagami ends up being an object adored by the masses and part of the country's culture.

But anyway, it's not because we don't know that we can't try to guess its whereabouts. Leave it there in the comments where you think it might be.

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