Mirrors in Shinto

A mirror on an altar at Fushimi Inari-taisha .

A divine mirror (神鏡, Shinkyou) is a mirror used in shinto shrines and rituals. Some mirrors are worshiped in the main building of a shrine as a sacred object of the divine spirit, or are placed before the deity in a hall of worship.

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 gave her grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the mirror Yata no Kagami and told him : “Take this and worship it as if it were myself.” That mirror is one of the Three Sacred Treasures of the Japanese Imperial family.

Shinto followers believe that by worshiping a mirror, they recognize and honor the divine within themselves.

References

  1. ↑ "Shinto Shrine Yushoku Kokusitsu", p. 129, 7, July 1, 1951. Published by the Jinja Main Office on July 1, 1951
  2. ↑ 日本国語大辞典,デジタル大辞泉,世界大百科事典内言及, 精選版. "神鏡とは". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2022-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "Mirrors may have worked magic in ancient Japanese rituals". www.kaogu.cn. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  4. 1 2 "The circular mirror: Shinto symbol". Green Shinto. 2012-02-17. Retrieved 2022-05-15.
  5. ↑ Denney, John W. (2011). Respect and Consideration. Lulu.com. pp. 321, 318–326. ISBN 978-0-9568798-0-6.
  6. ↑ "The Magic Mirror Maker". Kyoto Journal. 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2022-05-15.