This article contains Japanese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of kanji or kana.

The Imperial Regalia of Japan (三種の神器, Sanshu no Jingi^?), also known as the Three Sacred Treasures, consist of the sword, Kusanagi (草薙劍), the jewel or necklace of jewels, Yasakani no magatama (八尺瓊曲玉), and the mirror Yata no kagami (八咫鏡). Also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, the regalia represent the three primary virtues: valor (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel). These may be connected with Buddhist thought. Image File history File links 書.svg‎ The Chinese character 書, in regular script. ... The UTF-8-encoded Japanese Wikipedia article for mojibake, as displayed in ISO-8859-1 encoding. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji   ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the Arabic numerals. ... Japanese writing Kanji 漢字 Kana 仮名 Hiragana 平仮名 Katakana 片仮名 Manyogana 万葉仮名 Uses Furigana 振り仮名 Okurigana 送り仮名 Rōmaji ローマ字 For other meanings of Kana, see Kana (disambiguation). ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Kusanagi (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Gemstone (disambiguation). ... Magatama Magatama(Japanese: 勾玉), are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jomon period. ... A mirror, reflecting a vase. ... Yata No Kagami ) the sacred mirror, is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. ... Virtue (Greek αρετη; Latin virtus) is the habitual, well-established, readiness or diposition of mans powers directing them to some goodness of act. ... Look up valor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the apocryphal book of the Bible, see Book of Wisdom. ... For a characteristic of many gods, see omnibenevolence For the phrenological faculty, see Benevolence (Phrenology) Look up Benevolence in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...

Due to the legendary status of these items, their locations are not confirmed, but it is commonly thought that the sword is located at Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya, the jewel is located at Kokyo (the Imperial Palace) in Tokyo and the mirror is located in the Grand Shrine of Ise in Mie prefecture ^[1]. One or more of these may not be the originals. Atsuta Shrine Atsuta Shrine ) is a Japanese Shinto shrine in Atsuta-ku, Nagoya. ... Nagoya ) is the fourth largest city in Japan. ... Panorama of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Map of the Imperial Palace and surrounding Gardens Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace. ... For other uses, see Tokyo (disambiguation). ... Ise Shrine (Ise-jingū 伊勢神宮; alternately Grand Shrines of Ise or Ise Daijingū 伊勢大神宮) is a shrine to Shinto goddess Amaterasu ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. ... Mie Prefecture (三重県; Mie-ken) is part of the Kinki region on Honshu island, Japan. ...

Tradition

Since 690, the presentation of these items to the Emperor by the priests at the shrine are a central part of the imperial enthronement ceremony. This ceremony is not public, and these items are by tradition only seen by the emperor and certain priests. Because of this, no known photographs or drawings exist. Beginning of Wu Zetians Zhou Dynasty in China. ... For the CPR ocean liner, see Empress of Japan. ... Roman Catholic priest A priest or priestess is a holy man or woman who takes an officiating role in worship of any religion, with the distinguishing characteristic of offering sacrifices. ... A asses is a ceremony marking the investment of a monarch with regal power through, amongst other symbolic acts, the placement of a crown upon his or her head. ... An emperorrefers to Nick Herringshaw, a title, empress may only indicate the wife of an emperor (empress consort. ...

According to legend, these artifacts were brought by Ninigi-no-Mikoto, legendary ancestor of the Japanese imperial line, when his grandmother, the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, sent him to pacify Japan. The origin of the items remain a question today. There is speculation that they are from Bronze Age China or Korea, which were among the first countries to reach Japan, where bronze was still unknown, near the threshold from prehistory to history. Traditionally, they were a symbol of the emperor's divinity as a descendant of Amaterasu, from which he derived legitimacy as paramount ruler of Japan. In Japanese mythology, Ninigi no Mikoto (瓊瓊杵尊) was the grandson of Amaterasu, who sent him down to earth to plant rice there. ... Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. ... The Sun goddess emerging out of a cave, bringing sunlight back to the universe. ... The Bronze Age is a period in a civilizations development when the most advanced metalworking has developed the techniques of smelting copper from natural outcroppings and alloys it to cast bronze. ... This article is about the Korean peninsula and civilization. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... The word legitimacy comes from the Latin word legitimare and it has two uses: Legitimacy (political science) is variously defined, but refers in general to the peoples acceptance of a law, ruling, or a regime itself as valid. ...

According to legend, when Amaterasu hid in a cave from her brother Susanoo, thus plunging the world in darkness, the goddess Ama-no-Uzume hung the mirror and jewels outside the cave and lured her out of the cave, at which point she saw her own reflection and was startled enough that the gods could pull her out of the cave. Susanoo later presented in apology to Amaterasu the sword, Kusanagi, which he had obtained from the body of an eight-headed serpent, Orochi. Susanoo, (Japanese: 須佐之男命, Susa-no-O-no-Mikoto; also romanized as Susanoo, Susa-no-O, and Susanowo) in Shinto is the god of the sea and storms. ... Categories: Stub | Japanese goddesses ... Susanoo slaying the Yamata no Orochi, by Toyohara Chikanobu “Orochi” redirects here. ...

During the Northern and Southern dynasties period in the 14th century, the possession by the Southern Dynasty of the imperial regalia has led modern chroniclers to define that as the legitimate dynasty for purposes of reign names and genealogy. The Nanboku-cho period (Japanese: 南北朝時代, nanbokuchō-jidai, South and North courts period), also known as the Northern and Southern Courts period, spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the early years of the Muromachi period of Japans history. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... ... Genealogy (from Greek: γενεα, genea, family; and λόγος, logos, knowledge) is the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ...

In the PBS documentary "Victory in the Pacific" (2005), broadcast in the "American Experience" series, the historian Donald Miller reports that in the days after the Potsdam Declaration on July 26, 1945, Emperor Showa was more concerned with moving the mirror, sword, and jewel to a secure location than he was with "the destruction of his country." This comment is based on the declarations made by Hirohito to Koichi Kido on 25 and 31 July 1945, when he ordered the keeper of the privy seal to protect "at all cost" the imperial regalia ^[2] Not to be confused with Public Broadcasting Services in Malta. ... American Experience (sometimes abbreviated AmEx) is a television program airing on the PBS network in the United States. ... The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender (not to be confused with the Potsdam Agreement) was a statement issued on July 26, 1945 by Harry S. Truman, Winston Churchill, and Chiang Kai-Shek which outlined the terms of surrender for Japan as agreed upon at the... Hirohito (裕仁), the Shōwa Emperor (昭和天皇), (April 29, 1901 - January 7, 1989) reigned over Japan from 1926 to 1989. ... Marquis Koichi Kido (木戸幸一 Kido Kōichi, July 18, 1889 - April 6, 1977), grandson of Kido Takayoshi, served as Lord Privy Seal from 1940 to 1945, and was Emperor Hirohitos closest advisor throughout World War II. He was also one of the more cautious advisors... The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan ) was an administrative post not of cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan. ...

The Imperial Regalia in popular culture

As ancient artifacts closely associated with great magical powers, the Regalia often appear in popular culture.

• In Okami, a PS2 action-RPG, the Regalia are the three types of weapon Amaterasu can use, though the Jewel is replaced with a rosary.
• In Yu Yu Hakusho , Yusuke, the spirit dectective, has to retrieve three treasures, the sword mirror and jewel.
• In Sailor Moon, Sailor Uranus's talisman is a sword, the Space Sword, Sailor Neptune's talisman is a mirror, te Deep Aqua Mirror, and Sailor Pluto's talisman is a jewel, the Garnet Orb.
• In King of Fighters '97, the protaganist Kyo Kusanagi is the descendant of the keeper of the sword, his rival, Iori Yagami, the descendant of the keeper of the jewel, and Chizuru Kagura, the current keeper of the mirror.

ÅŒkami (大神 in Japanese) is a cel-shaded video game developed by Clover Studio that will be coming coming for the PS2 sometime in late 2005 or 2006. ... Our Lady of Lourdes - Mary appearing at Lourdes with Rosary beads. ... YuYu Hakusho logo (English manga) YuYu Hakusho (幽★遊★白書 YūYū Hakusho, literally The Playful Ghost White Paper, meaning Ghost Files/Poltergeist Report) is a manga and anime series by Yoshihiro Togashi. ... For the title character, see Sailor Moon (character) and for the first story arc, see Sailor Moon (arc). ... Haruka Tenoh Haruka Tenoh (天王 はるか Tenō Haruka) is a Sailor Senshi, one of the central characters of the anime and manga Sailor Moon. ... Michiru Kaioh Michiru Kaioh (海王 みちる Kaiō Michiru) is a character in the Japanese manga and anime metaseries known as Sailor Moon. ... Setsuna Meioh Setsuna Meioh (冥王 せつな Meiō Setsuna) is a character in the anime Bishōjo Senshi Sailor Moon. ... This article or section on a video game-related subject may need to be cleaned up and rewritten because it describes a work of fiction in a primarily in-universe style. ...

See also

• Japanese mythology
• Shinto
• Crown Jewels
• Order of the Sacred Treasures

Japanese mythology is a very complex system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. ... Shinto ) is the native religion of Japan and was once its state religion. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The Order of the Sacred Treasures ) is a Japanese Order (decoration), established on January 4, 1888 by Emperor Meiji of Japan. ...

References

1. ^ A replica of the mirror (Yata no kagami) is also said to be in the Kashikodokoro, one of the Three Palace Sanctuaries
2. ^ Kido Koichi nikii, Tokyo, Daigaku Shuppankai, 1966, pp.1120-21