Mirrors in Shinto

A Shinto mirror (神鏡, Shinkyou) is a sacred mirror in Shinto. Some mirrors are enshrined in the main hall of a shrine as a sacred object of the divine spirit, or are placed in front of the deity in a hall of worship. Mirrors in ancient Japan represented truth because they merely reflected what was shown, and were a source of much mystique and reverence. Japanese folklore is rich in stories of life before mirrors were commonplace.

The Yata no Kagami, one of the Three Sacred Treasures, is also one of the sacred mirrors.