Three Imperial Regalia—Japan
Symbols of the emperor's right to rule, Japan's imperial regalia (sanshu-no-shinki), take the form of three sacred treasures—the mirror, the sword, and the jewel, all of which are believed to have been handed down from emperor to emperor throughout Japanese history. The initial stage of imperial enthronement ceremonies occurs when the regalia are passed into the possession of the new emperor, legitimizing his claim to the throne.
The regalia are thought to have been divinely bestowed and have been venerated throughout history. Their origins are described in accounts of the mythological creation of Japan. The curved jewel of increasing prosperity (yasakani-no-magatama) and the mirror of illuminating brightness (yata-no-kagami) were used to lure Amaterasu Omikami, the sun goddess, out of a cave, where she had hidden herself after a quarrel with her brother, Susanoo no Mikoto, the storm god. The sword is said to have been cut from the tail of an eight-headed serpent slain by Susanoo no Mikoto. He named it the "sword of the gathering clouds of heaven" (ame-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi) before presenting it to Amaterasu. She then passed the three treasures to her grandson Ninigo-no Mikoto as symbols of his authority when he descended from heaven to rule over Japan. Later the sword is said to have been used by the imperial prince Yamato-take to cut an escape route when surrounded by fire on a grassy plain, and from then on it has been known as the grass-cutter sword (kusanagi-no-tsurugi).
Throughout Japanese history, the regalia have been the cause of disputes and political intrigues, and copies and counterfeits have been made. The epic Tale of the Heike recounts how the grass-cutter sword, or perhaps a copy, was lost in the decisive twelfth-century naval battle at Dannoura, where the infant emperor Antoku perished. During the fourteenth century, the regalia played an important role in the power struggles between the Northern and Southern imperial courts, which arose because the princes of the two imperial lines fought for the right to rule as emperor.
The mirror is now believed to be enshrined in the inner sanctum of the Grand Shrine at Ise and the sword in Nagoya's Atsuta Shrine. The jewel and replicas of the mirror and sword are in the possession of the current emperor and are enshrined in the Kashiko-dokoro Shrine on the grounds of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Wrapped in layer on layer of silk and enclosed in boxes, the regalia have long been kept hidden from view, and their exact appearance is uncertain. They have never been exhibited or displayed, and their use in the imperial accession ceremony takes place behind closed doors. They played a crucial role, however, in the 1989 enthronement of the present emperor Akihito and continue to legitimize the Japanese imperial line.
Further Reading
Holtom, Daniel Clarence. (1996) The Japanese Enthronement Ceremonies: With an Account of the Imperial Regalia. London: Kegan Paul Japan Library.
Martin, Peter. (1997) The Chrysanthemum Throne: A History of the Emperors of Japan. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
McCullough, Helen C., trans. (1988) The Tale of the Heike. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
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