Ask John: What are the Significane of a Sword, Mirror and Jewel?

Question:
What is the significance of having these three objects together: a sword, a circular mirror, and an orb? I’ve seen these objects in Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho. Sailor Uranus had the sword, Sailor Neptune the circular mirror, and Sailor Pluto the orb on the top of her staff. In Yu Yu Hakusho, Hiei had the sword, Kurama the circular mirror, and Gouki had the orb. Maybe it’s just me, but I was just wondering if there was any kind of story behind this? Maybe not, since the objects did possess different powers in the two anime shows.

Answer:
The sword, mirror and jewel are the royal symbols of Japan said to have been passed down from the gods to the first emperor of Japan and on through the ruling family. These three objects are collectively known as “Sanshu no Jingi.”

In Shinto creation mythology, the sun goddess Amaterasu no Omikami sealed herself into a cave after being offended by her brother Susanoo’s mischievous pranks, sending the world into darkness. To lure Amaterasu out of the cave, the goddess Ama no Uzume danced naked before the cave, creating a great commotion that aroused Amaterasu’s curiosity. The gathered gods also hung “Yasakani no Magatama,” green curved jewels (the same ones frequently seen in anime) on the sacred sakaki tree outside the cave, and positioned the “Yata no Kagami” (“Eight Sided Mirror”) outside the cave to reflect Amaterasu’s rays and heighten her curiosity when she peeked out. The commotion caused by Uzume’s dance, and the reflection of the mirror and jewels drew Amaterasu’s attention and caused her to peek far enough out of the cave that she was easily drawn out, returning light to the world.

In punishment for enraging Amaterasu, Susanoo no Mikoto was ordered to earth, where he came across a farmer whose daughter was to be sacrificed to the eight-headed dragon Yamata no Orochi. Susanoo gave the dragon 8 barrels of sake. After the dragon became drunk and uncoordinated, Susanoo fought and eventually killed it. Inside the dragon’s tail, Susanoo discovered a sword now called “Kusanagi no Tsurugi.” Susanoo presented this sword to his sister Amaterasu as an apology gift for his unruly behavior.

Amaterasu presented the Sanshu no Jingi to her grandson Ningi no Mikoto when he came to earth. Ningi no Mikoto then passed along the sacred items to his grandson Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan. The three items are now considered the symbols of Japanese royalty. The mirror is now housed in the Inner Shrine of Ise. The sword is kept at the Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya. And the magatama jewel is kept at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.