Magatama
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Magatama.jpg
- For other uses, see Magatama (disambiguation).
Magatama(勾玉) (Japanese name, Kokkok in Korean) are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jomon period. They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus graves as offerings to deities (see grave goods). They continued to be popular with the ruling elites throughout the Kofun Period of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of the Yamato Dynasty of Japan. Some consider them to be an Imperial symbol, although in fact ownership was widespread throughout all the chieftainships of Kofun Period Japan. It is believed that magatama were popularly worn as jewels for decoration, in addition to their religious meanings. In this latter regard they were later largely replaced by Buddhist prayer beads in the Nara period.
In modern Japan, the magatama's unique shape of a sphere with a flowing tail is still the usual visual representation of the human spirit. Wearing one during life is considered a way of gaining protections from kami.
While some claim that magatama originated in the Asian continent and spread through Korea, where they are known as kokkok, no site of magatama production has been found in the Asian continent, including neighboring China, Manchuria, and Siberia. The Korean kokkok are indistinguishable from their Japanese contemporaries, a fact which suggests that kokkok were exported from Japan during this period rather than vice-versa.
Yasakani no Magatama
The most important magatama is the Yasakani no Magatama (八尺瓊曲玉), which is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan, added some time around the Heian period. The Yasakani no Magatama stands for benevolence, and is one of the three items used in the ceremony of imperial ascension. Little is known about this treasure, save that it is a necklace of magatama stones instead of the solitary one attributed to popular culture, and that it is composed of jade. It is enshrined in Kokyo, the Japanese Imperial Palace.
In popular culture, the Yasakani no Magatama has been presented as a baseball-sized orb with a tail, similar to a three-dimensional comma, cored through by a hole in the center. It is thought that the original magatama was broken somehow and crafted into the jade necklace that is the current one, though there is no historical evidence that points to this.