Yata no kagami
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Yata No Kagami (八咫鏡?) the sacred mirror, is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan. It is said to be housed in Ise Shrine in Mie prefecture, Japan, although a lack of public access makes this difficult to verify. The Yata No Kagami represents "wisdom" or "honesty," depending on the source.
In Japanese myth this mirror and the Yasakani No Magatama were hung from a tree to lure out Amaterasu from a cave. They were given, with the sword Kusanagi, to Amaterasu's grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, when he went to pacify Japan. From there the treasures passed into the hands of the Imperial House of Japan.
[edit] Other references
- In Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, this artifact acts like the mirror of seeing in the hands of an Imperial family member. This allows the Imperial family member to see into any room anywhere in Japan. It also allows communication to anyone they have met before. Using this mirror, any imperial family once per day may try to talk to Amaterasu. If anybody but an Imperial family member uses this mirror, the mirror acts as a gateway for divine attacks to go through. (Source: Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Deities and Demigods.)
- In xxxHOLiC, a student teacher wishes on a monkey's paw to gain possession of the Yata No Kagami.
- In Ōkami, the mirror is a main weapon in the game, and is presented as a large flaming disk on Amaterasu's back.
- In the video game Tales of Symphonia, the player can obtain an item known as the "Yata Mirror" by defeating the Sword Dancer in the first of 3 battles. In the second and third battles, the rest of the Japanese Imperial Regalia, the items "Yasakani Jewel" and "Kusanagi Blade" respectively, can be obtained.
