Mirrors in Shinto

A Shinto mirror is a sacred mirror in Shinto. Some mirrors are enshrined in the main hall of a shrine as a sacred object of the divine spirit, or are placed in front of the deity in a hall of worship. Mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they merely reflected what was shown, and were a source of much mystique and reverence. Japanese folklore is rich in stories of life before mirrors were commonplace.

The Yata no Kagami, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, is also one of the sacred mirrors.

Significance
Spirits are enshrined in divine mirrors as Shintai Mirrors are believed to have been used to reflect sunlight during Sun-Worship creating optical effects

In the Nihon Shoki, Amaterasu tells her grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, "Take this and revere it as if it were myself".

It is believed a mirror helps a believer see a true image of themselves and their devotion and worshipping the divine within themselves.

Ancient Chinese theologians believed the soul to be a circular disk, so the usage of a circular mirror was seen as reflecting this.

History of divine mirrors
It is said that the origin of the divine mirror dates back to China. In China, more ancient divine mirrors have been unearthed than in Japan, and compared to the oldest mirror in Japan, the "Four divine mirrors with a rectangular shape inscribed in the third year of Seiryu," which is dated to 235 A.D., the oldest divine mirror in China is the "Leaf Vein Mirror (葉脈文鏡)," which is an order of magnitude older than Japan, dating from 1600 to 770 B.C. In addition, according to the "wajinden", Himiko, the queen of the Yamatai Kingdom, sent an envoy to Wei and received a hundred bronze mirrors from Wei, suggesting that Japan's divine mirror culture is a cultural import from China.

The divine mirror at Iishi Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture is said to have been introduced by a naturalized celestial spear from Silla. On the other hand, the Ministry of the Imperial Household issued a notice to official national shrines founded after 1895 (28th year of Meiji) that their sacred objects should be divine mirrors.

Types of divine mirrors
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Mirror with foliate pattern

 * This is the oldest shinto mirror in the world, dating from 1600 B.C.~770 B.C., and belonging to the Shang dynasty and Zhou dynasty of the Chinese dynasty. It is the oldest shinto mirror in the world, dating from 1600 B.C.~770 B.C. Even today, only 21 mirrors have been found, and although the bronze mirrors are simple, they show geometric patterns such as leaf vein patterns and parallel lines, which are common in Japanese earthenware. Geometric patterns such as leaf vein patterns and parallel lines, which are common in Japanese earthenware, can be seen.

Somen mirror

 * A shinto mirror from 770 B.C. to 220 B.C. during the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period. As its name suggests, it is simple and flat in appearance, but its thinness and lightness show the improvement of technology.

Hanryu Hishimonkyo

 * A mirror from 219 BC to 111 BC in the early Western Han period. Designs of dragons and snakes that wind around the tongue are engraved.

Mirror of the Four Gods

 * 1st~2nd century Later Han Dynasty mirror. A square line is carved in the center, and each section is decorated with the designs of four gods: Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Genbu.

Divine Immortal Image Mirror

 * A 2nd~3rd century Later Han Chinese shinto mirror. The design features carvings of Shen Xian, The Old Man of the South Pole, the Emperor of China, Father of the East, Mother of the West, and others.

The Three-year Inscription of Qinglong's Square and the Four Magic Mirrors
This is the oldest mirror in Japan. This mirror is the oldest of its kind in Japan. The year "Seiryu 3" in the inscription of this mirror corresponds to the year 235 AD in the Chinese Wei Dynasty, and in the "Wei Shi Wajin Den", the queen of Umataikoku, Himiko, sent an envoy to Wei in the third year of Jingzhuang (239), and returned to Japan in the first year of Shoshi (240). It has been pointed out that this mirror may have been among them.

Chinese Dragon and Tiger Mirror

 * Late 3rd-century Han mirror. It is called this because of the dragon and tiger patterns staring at each other in the center.

Triangular Edge God Beast Mirror
This mirror is made of bronze and has a triangular rim. This type of mirror is made of bronze and has a triangular cross-section with protruding triangles and inscriptions of sacred animals. This type of mirror is found only in Japan, but there are many examples in China and Korea as well.

It is said to be one of the 100 bronze mirrors given to Himiko by the Wei emperor, but it has not been found in any 3rd century ruins or tombs during the period of the Yamataikoku, but only in the 4th century Kofun period.-->

Goryo Shintai
In Shinto shrines and the imperial court, mirrors are often used as Shintai. The regulations state, "The diameter of the mirror shall be 1 shaku for the heavenly deities and emperors, and 7 shaku for the nobles. The name of the deity shall be engraved on the reverse side, a red cord shall be attached to a knob, and it shall be placed in a brocade pouch. The mirror may be wrapped in silk and placed in the hidai, then in the funadai, and then covered with the bedding.