Yata no Kagami

Sacred mirror that is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan

is a sacred bronze mirror that is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan.

The Yata no Kagami represents "wisdom" or "honesty," depending on the source. Mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they merely reflected what was shown, and were objects of mystique and reverence (being uncommon items). According to Shinsuke Takenaka at the Institute of Moralogy, Yata no Kagami is considered the most precious of the three sacred treasures.

In the year 1040 (Chōkyū 1, 9th month), the compartment which contained the Sacred Mirror was burned in a fire. Whether that mirror was irrevocably lost or not, it is said to be housed today in Ise Grand Shrine, in Mie Prefecture, Japan, although a lack of public access makes this difficult to verify. Presently, a replica is enshrined in Three Palace Sanctuaries of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. The researcher Shinsuke Takenaka said according to the legends, Amaterasu told Ninigi: "Serve this mirror as my soul, just as you would serve me, with clean mind and body."

[[File:Fukakusa Kaidoguchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture 612 0805, Japan panoramio (1). jpg|thumb|A mirror on an altar at Fushimi Inari taisha, Yata no Kagami is seen as prototypical for the use of mirrors when worshipping other deities. Masakaki come in sets of two, with the left one containing a replica of Kusanagi no Tsurugi and the right one containing a replica of Yata no Kagami and Yasakani no Magatama.