Mirrors in Shinto

A  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. "Shinto Shrine Yushoku Kokusitsu", p. 129, 7, July 1, 1951. Published by the Jinja Main Office on July 1, 1951

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. 

 Related pages 

 Bronze mirror

 References 

Category:Shinto religious objects
Category:Mirrors