antique shinto shrine mirror on ornate stand - spiritual home decor

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

Enhance your spiritual space with this majestic rare antique Shinto shrine mirror. Resting on an intricately carved stand, this piece is a unique and beautiful addition to any sacred setting. Invite tranquility and elegance into your home with this spiritual space enhancer. A truly special find!

Among the Three Regalia (sanshu no jingi), in Shinto ritual, the Shinto mirror is a revered object in which the chosen deity resides, most often the sun goddess, Amaterasu. Some mirrors are enshrined in the main hall of the shrine as a sacred object of the divine spirit. Others are placed in front of the deity in a hall of worship. 

The very heavy cast bronze mirror is decorated in delightful scenes from nature, featuring a pine tree, bamboo, crane and minogame (turtle) design on the back, a typical design of mirrors made in the Edo era. These auspicious images are all symbols of long life, strength and happiness. The design is created in detail by the mirror blacksmith, using a sand mold technique. The  front of the mirror still maintains its sheen with some tarnishing and dull spots due to age. 

Wonderful craftsmanship in the intricately carved wooden hinoki base, supporting this mirror. The stand is covered in stylized clouds and waves. In Shinto religion, clouds are a dwelling place for the kami (gods and sprits) and regarded as a vehicle for their descent from heaven. Also a symbol of good luck, they indicate the imminent  rain necessary for a good harvest. Waves represent life, motion, and change with water purity signifying the cleansing of the spirit.

The stand is in good structural condition with no cracks in the wood and some signs of wear. There is the smallest chip (almost unnoticeable) on the tip of the uppermost left hand side wave projection. 

The mirror is placed in the detachable circular part of the stand and then the protruding handle of the mirror  is placed into the slot of the bottom section of the stand. The mirror can only fit  in the correct position (shiny part facing the front) and cannot be reversed.

- mirror and stand measures around 45.5 cm (18”) tall x44 cm (17.3”) across x 12.5 cm (5”) deep.
- weighs 3400gm.

(listing for mirror on stand only)

SHIPPING INFORMATION
- please read our shipping notes in shipping policy.
- we use recycle packaging wherever possible and wrap for safety, rather than  appearance!

ABOUT OUR VINTAGE, ANTIQUE AND OTHER ITEMS
We list pieces we feel are worthy of display. There may be scratches, dents, fading and signs of wear and tear. We try to explain the condition of each item exactly, but may miss something.

Information regarding the item and it’s age is obtained from dealers and our personal research. We do our best to give you the correct information but please be aware that we cannot guarantee this information.

Please message us prior to purchase with any questions you may have about our products.

SHINTO IN BRIEF
Shinto is Japan’s own religion that started with Emperor Gimmu in BC 600s. Shinto is worshipping nature and worshiping ancestors. Everything has a spirit and humans have a good nature. Evil spirits are kept away by praying and giving offerings to the higher level spirits. The most important deity is the Sun-god Amaterasu.
Important values are ritual purity, sincerity, animism (mountains and rivers have spirits, people become spirits, words have spirits), presence (no life after death), the imperial family is sacred, nature should be preserved and worshipped, people with grudges become evil spirits, festivals are important and a must for social harmony and a good harvest.

SHINTO MIRROR (SHINKYO)
The circular mirror of Shinto is a potent symbol. It stands on the altar reresenting the kami (god). It also functions as the ‘spirit-body’ (goshintai) of the kami. It is the object the spirit enters to take physical form. The mirror acts as an interface between the physical and spiritual realms of existence.

Japanese mythology claims that the original ‘spirit-body’ was that of Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, who gave a circular mirror to her grandson, Ninigi, when he descended to earth.  It had been used previously to lure her out of a cave in which she was hiding.  Her absence had plunged the world into darkness, and to tempt her out she was told that there was another goddess as beautiful as herself.  The mirror was held up so that when she peeked out she was greeted by her own radiance, and the momentary hesitation allowed a rope to be tied across the cave entrance to prevent her from re-entering.  Sunlight was restored to the world.

Later when Amaterasu decreed that a mission be sent down to earth from the High Plains of Heaven, her grandson Ninigi-no-mikoto was chosen to lead it.  Before he departed, she presented him with the very same mirror which had played such an important part in the rock-cave incident.  ‘Take this and revere it as if it were myself,’ she told him.  Within the reflecting surface something of her essence had become ingrained.

Ninigi passed the mirror down to his heirs, who formed the imperial line which continues to this day (the present emperor is the 125th).  For a long time the mirror was kept in the palace of the king of Yamato, the dominant state in ancient Japan, but in the early centuries of the Common Era it was deposited at Ise Jingu.  Since that time it has been kept secluded from human eye, acting as the unseen focus of worship for the millions of pilgrims and worshippers who file before it each year. 

CLOUD AND WAVE SYMBOLOGY
In ancient Shinto religion, the world is believed to be inhabited by a myriad kami (gods or spirits). Clouds play a role as dwelling places or vehicles for these deities. In some legends, clouds act as chariots for the gods, indicating their arrival or departure.

The Ainu have as one of their creation myths, the descent of a deity from heaven upon a five-colored cloud:
“the world was created when oil floating in the ocean rose like a flame and became the sky. What was left turned into land. Vapor gathered over the land and a god was created. From the vapor of the sky, another god was created who descended on five-colored clouds. Out of those clouds, the two gods created the sea, soil, minerals, plants, and animals. The two gods married and produced many gods including two shining gods—the Sun god and the Moon god, who rose to Heaven in order to illuminate the fog-covered dark places of the world.”

Clouds are considered to be lucky. For farmers, the symbols were harbingers of rain and thunder. Clouds were happy signs for the imminent rains needed for watering their crops.

Waves represent life, motion, and change. Water purity signifies the cleansing of the spirit. Waves, an indication of the mighty ocean's restlessness, also represent faith, hope, and joy even in the deepest of troubles.

BRONZE MIRRORS
Bronze mirrors were introduced into Japan from China and Korea during the Yayoi period (about 300 BC - AD 300). At first they had a religious function and were revered as sacred objects representing the gods.

The Japanese soon learnt to make their own mirrors using the lost-wax technique, decorating them with Chinese or native Japanese designs. 

By the Nara period (AD 710 -794) mirrors were being made for everyday use, with the increasing use of Japanese designs, such as native plants and animals symbolizing good fortune. From the Kamakura period (1185-1333) a design showing Hôraizan (the Chinese 'Island of Immortality') became popular. 

Mirrors gradually became more robust. They mostly had a central knob, often in the shape of a tortoise, which was pierced with a hole through which a cord was strung for holding.

The first handled mirrors appeared in the Muromachi period (1333-1568). During the Edo period (1600-1868), mirrors decorated with lucky symbols or Chinese characters were given at weddings. Mirrors became larger as hairstyles became more ornate; some mirrors in Kabuki theatre dressing-rooms were up to fifty centimeters across and were placed on stands. 

The faces of mirrors were highly polished or burnished, with itinerant tanners and polishers specializing in this work. Since the mirror, together with the sword and the jewel, were symbols of Imperial power, mirror-makers were deeply revered and often given honorary titles such as Tenka-Ichi ('First under Heaven'). However, this title was often misused and was officially prohibited in 1682. 

Bronze mirrors were replaced by glass mirrors after the Meiji Restoration (1868).

THE PINE TREE 
The pine is known as the symbol of life. During the long winter the pine does not lose it’s leaves or it’s lush dark green color. 

A pine tree represents the ability to weather hard times.  The pine has the unique ability to withstand harsh winds and up to subzero temperatures. A pine tree’s roots are tenacious and will burrow deep to find their way to hold fast on even the craggiest, rock-strewn outcropping. They endure, no matter what the circumstances. 

In Japanese culture, the pine tree is known to represent longevity, good fortune, steadfastness, resilience and even immortality. The pine tree is iconic of the Japanese New Year, as a symbol of rebirth, renewal, and a bright (hopeful) future.

RED-CROWNED CRANE (TSURU)
For the Japanese, the red-crowned crane symbolizes a long life. It was believed, in earlier times, that cranes could live up to a thousand years. It was also the belief that cranes had the power to grant wishes and prayers if someone acted selflessly.  These beliefs still prevail today in Japan.  

Since cranes usually have only one life partner, they represent loyalty. A male and female crane standing happily together also represent a good and long relationship with a partner. 

Red-crowned cranes are a symbol of strength as they can fly long distances when they migrate.

MINOGAME TURTLE
The Minogame, in Japan, symbolizes longevity, good luck, and support.  It is considered to be the symbol of Kumpira, the god of seafaring people.

Most Minogame are believed to live up to 10,000 years.  The most striking thing about a Mingoame is that it looks like a turtle but due to it’s very old age, a long tail of seaweed and algae has grown from the back of its shell. 

BAMBOO
Bamboo (take), being a very strong plant with very sturdy roots is a symbol of prosperity in Japan.  It is also a symbol of innocence and purity.  Bamboo stalks are beautifully simple and unadorned.  There is a saying in Japan that a man with a frank nature is like fresh split bamboo. 

Bamboo and bamboo grass (sasa) are often used in Japanese festivals to ward off evil.