Yasakani no Magatama

The Yasakani no Magatama is one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan (Sanshu no Jingi), along with the sacred mirror Yata no Kagami and the divine sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi. These three treasures represent the legitimacy of the Japanese Imperial line, descended from the sun goddess Amaterasu herself.

A magatama is a curved, comma-shaped bead with a hole at one end, a form found in Japanese archaeology dating back thousands of years. The Yasakani no Magatama is believed to be made of jade or a similar precious stone, though its exact appearance is unknown as it has never been publicly displayed or photographed.

The Cave of Amaterasu

According to the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the sacred jewel was created during the crisis when Amaterasu, the sun goddess, withdrew into the Ama-no-Iwato cave after being offended by her brother Susanoo's destructive behavior. With the sun hidden, the world fell into darkness.

The other gods devised a plan to lure Amaterasu out. They hung the Yasakani no Magatama and the Yata no Kagami on a sacred sakaki tree outside the cave, while the goddess Ame-no-Uzume performed a ribald dance that caused the assembled deities to laugh uproariously.

Curious about the commotion, Amaterasu peered out, saw her beautiful reflection in the mirror, and was drawn forth. Light returned to the world. The jewel and mirror that had enticed her forth became sacred treasures.

Descent to Earth

When Amaterasu sent her grandson Ninigi-no-Mikoto to pacify and rule the terrestrial realm, she gave him the three sacred treasures as proof of his divine mandate. From Ninigi descended the imperial line that continues to the present day, with the regalia serving as material proof of the emperor's divine ancestry and legitimacy.

The Yasakani no Magatama is the only one of the three regalia kept in the Imperial Palace rather than a Shinto shrine. It is traditionally used during the enthronement ceremony (Sokui no rei) as one of the objects formally transferred to the new emperor.

Unlike the sword (which was legendarily lost at sea in 1185 during the Genpei War and may have been replaced) and the mirror (which is kept at Ise), the magatama is believed to be the original artifact from the age of the gods, never lost or destroyed throughout Japan's turbulent history.