Japanese Pantheontool
Yata no Kagami
- Truth Reflection
- Light Attraction
- Divine Wisdom
- Soul Revelation
The Eight-Span Mirror, one of the three Imperial Regalia representing the virtue of wisdom. It was used to lure Amaterasu from the cave where she hid, restoring light to the world.
About Yata no Kagami
Mirror that drew the sun
Kojiki: Amaterasu hides in the rock-cave; the world goes dark. Ishikoridome's mirror, hung on a tree with magatama and a noisy dance, lures her out. The Yata no Kagami becomes an imperial treasure, later tied to Ise. The chronicle is eighth-century court myth, written long after any supposed event. Later moralizing makes the mirror "wisdom" among the three regalia; the Kojiki scene itself is political-ritual: light returns when the sun sees her own face. The mirror is not displayed.
Origin
Forged by the god Ishikoridome and hung on a sacred tree to capture Amaterasu's attention during her self-imposed exile.
Sources and further reading
Source notes
These references are recorded in the catalog. Their passage wording and translation have not been checked, so quotations are not displayed here.
- Kojiki (rock-cave of heaven)
About this entry
By Elizabeth Stein for Mythos Atlas. About the author. Editorial notes are grounded in the site's cited sources and can be challenged through the contact page.
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