The Treasure of the Emperor of Japan 'taken from the 8-headed caudal fin'

The Emperor of Japan today, when he was crowned, was passed on to the trio of the Three Gods of the Spirit, including the legendary sword of the legendary Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

is a legendary Japanese sword. This weapon is one of the Three Sacred Treasures (three divine treasures) of Japan, and is believed to be a symbol of courage.

Legend of the wind god Susanoo destroys the 8-headed serpent.

The other two treasures are the mirror Yata-no-Kagami symbolizing wisdom and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama symbolizing benevolence.

In feudal times, Kusanagi was considered a weapon to express power, affirming the legitimate rule of the Emperor of Japan. But where is this treasure now stored?

Legend of 8-headed soap

The story of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi begins with an eight-headed snake in the legend called Yamata no Orochi.

During the years of raging, Yamata no Orochi attacked a Japanese family, eating 7 girls in the family for 7 years. The father in the last attempt to call for a talented swordsman is also the wind god Susanoo to destroy Orochi.

The original Susanoo attacked the monster directly but failed. The father then expressed his wish to marry his last daughter if Susanoo defeated the snake.

Susanoo kills the Yamata no Orochi snake.

Accepting the challenge, Susanoo wind god used giant rice wine bowls to lure 8 snake heads. After the snake got drunk and slept, Susanoo silently closed its head with its sword. Susanoo also severed the snake's tail to make sure it never returned.

That is when Susanoo found the sword Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi (Celestial Angel of the Sword) - the original name of Kusanagi, hidden in a snake's tail. This sword later played an important role in Japanese beliefs.

Becoming a symbol of Japanese emperor

Susanoo doesn't hold the sword long. Susanoo herself is also being punished and expelled from heaven. Japanese legend says that Susanoo gave the sword to her sister, Amaterasu, to create a good relationship and also to end her exile.

Because the emperor was portrayed as a descendant of Amaterasu, the god of the Sun and the cosmos, this sword was also associated with the Japanese royal family through generations.

Atsuta temple is said to hold the treasure of Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi.

In the 12th century emperor (70-130 years), Yamato Takeru, the son of the emperor Keikō possessed a sword.

During a hunt, Takeru was burned by burning fires around the enemy. He uses the sword to cut off the burning grass, then direct the fire towards the enemy.

That was when the sword was renamed Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. The sword was passed down from generation to generation until Kusanagi was thought to be the cause of Emperor Temmu's death in 686.

Since then Kusanagi has been preserved at Temple Atsuta, but the sword held to this day is more likely to be a replica.

The reason is that in the 12th century, the naval battle between the two most powerful families of Japan, Minamoto and Taira, made the Kusanagi sword permanently lost.

Sketch the trio of the Three Sacred Gods of Japan.

When the Taira clan failed, the young Emperor Antoku and his mother had to jump into the sea to commit suicide. Kusanagi sword was also thrown into the sea to avoid falling into the Minamoto clan's hands.

So far, many Japanese people believe that the sword has remained permanently under the seabed.

The fate of finding Kusanagi today

Whether the modern Kusanagi sword is the real one, it is still an important symbol in Japanese culture. Kusanagi is one of the Three Sacred Treasures transferred to the Japanese emperor whenever he came to power.

The current Japanese emperor Akihito received the sword during the throne ceremony in 1989. But it was wrapped in a cloth and no one could see it.

Kusanagi is so influential that it appears in Japanese movies, animation and games.