ABSTRACT
The Shinto cult is associated strongly with a myth of Japanese origins in divine activity-kingship symbolized by the three regalia (magatama)—sword (courage), jewel (benevolence), and mirror (purity)—and the idea that emperors are divine, born of the sun Goddess, Amaterasu. The three regalia establish standards for governing the Land of the Rising Sun and stand as commands from a divine source. Other meanings of the regalia are resolution and wisdom for the sword, compassion and meekness for the jewel, and a selfless reflection of things as they are for the mirror. The mirror is associated with the sun, the jewel with the moon, and the sword with the stars-which affirms their cosmic importance.
