Imperial Regalia of Japan

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) (or possibly a replica of the original), 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.

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 mirror is located in the Grand Shrine of Ise in Mie prefecture, and the jewel is located at Kokyo (the Imperial Palace) in Tokyo. One or more of these may not be the originals. The Yata no kagami is also said to be in the Kashikodokoro, one of the Three Palace Sanctuaries.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, the Emperor was more concerned with moving the mirror, sword, and jewel to a secure location than he was with "the destruction of his country."


[edit] The Imperial Regalia in popular culture
As ancient artifacts closely associated with great magical powers, the Regalia often appear in popular culture:

In the current storyline of The King of Fighters series, it revolves around Ash Crimson seeking the three sacred treasures from their keepers, Chizuru Kagura, Iori Yagami, and Kyo Kusanagi. As of The King of Fighters XI, he has obtained the first two, and only Kyo stands in his way.
In the Ghost in the Shell second manga, artist Masamune Shirow suggests that the three treasures represent the three ages of man: the first ruled by swords (blade), the second by religion (Jewel), and the third (Mirror, our present age) a time of looking back on what has been done before. His heroine in the first story is called Motoko Kusanagi, though the heroine of the second is Motoko Aramaki.
In Ōkami, the main character (Amaterasu) wields weapons (called "Divine Instruments") based on the regalia. Furthermore, the first glaive is obtained from Orochi's body with the help of a warrior named Susano, similar to the legend, though it's not the Kusanagi blade (which is won from a different enemy).
In Shadow Hearts: Covenant, the final boss is an incarnation of Susanoo, and as you fight him, the three Regalia fight alongside him as the Yata Mirror, the Kusanagi Sword and the Yasakini Jewel.
In the 1990 essay by Alvin Toffler Powershift, he interpreted the jewels as the three sources of power, not only in the Japanese case but in general: violence (the sword), wealth (the jewel) and knowledge (the mirror).[1]
In Sailor Moon S, there was a story arc involving the recovery of the three sacred treasures. These were called the three Talismans - Sailor Uranus' Space Sword, Sailor Neptune's Aquamarine Mirror, and Sailor Pluto's Garnet Orb. These were similar in nature to the Kusanagi, Yata no kagami and the magatama respectively. The Space Sword was used in Uranus' Space Sword Blaster, the Aquamarine Mirror could dispel illusions and reveal an opponents' weaknesses, while the Garnet Orb was used to focus and activate Pluto's attacks including Dead Scream and Time Stop.
In the video game series Sakura Wars, there is a "shadow" version of the Sanshu no Jingi known as the "Majingi" ("Demon-Jingi"). If a person with sufficient spiritual power were to wield the Majingi, he or she would be able to channel the power of a god - or a demon - based upon what was in his or her heart. The price for such power, however, was that the wielder would soon die. The Majingi were used twice during the series - once to seal away a demon lord, and once by a villain to break that very same seal and release the demon lord- and were destroyed at the climax of Sakura Wars 2 in order to prevent any third use.
In Tales of Symphonia, an optional boss known as Sword Dancer gives awards the player a part of the The Imperial Regalia each time it is defeated.
In the book "The Sword that Cut the Burning Grass", the sword Kusanagi plays a major role. (The book is named after it)
In the anime series YuYu Hakusho, the part of the first story arc (the "Spirit Detective Saga") has Yusuke solving a case involving three stolen artifacts: a sword, a mirror, and a magical orb. This culture reference is the first of many in the Yu Yu Hakusho series. However, at least in this case the artifacts are given a reverse nature: the items in Japanese culture are associated with good virtues but in the series they are known as "Artifacts of Darkness".
In Dream Saga all three of them appear. The mirror Shinjukyou (Yata no kagami) and an additional mirror, the Shinkakyou, open the stairs to Tenjukyu. A sword, probably the Kusanagi, is retrieved from one of the crystal Orochi's scales. And the six magic stones (Amaterasu's, Susanoo's and the four gatekeeper's stones) resemble the Yasakani no magatama.
In the anime/manga Naruto, the villain Orochimaru occasionally uses the Sword of Kusanagi which he regurgitates from his own stomach, a reference to the Yamata-no-Orochi and the Legend of the Great Jiraiya where he gets his name. This was also a reference to the fact that according to legend the sword was inside of Orochi's stomach.
In the Playstation game The Legend of Dragoon, a good portion of the game is focused on the struggle for the three Moon Items, the Moon Dagger, the Moon Jewel, and the Moon Mirror.
In the gamecube game baten kaitos: eternal wings and the lost ocean the artifacts were called the ocean mirror, the earth seal and the sword of the heavens.
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