antique shinto altar mirror on carved wood stand - spiritual decor accent

Love Japanese Style Like We Do

Infuse your home with serenity and spiritual elegance with this wonderful Shinto shrine mirror. Set upon an intricately carved wooden stand, this stunning piece is more than just a decor item—it’s a meaningful addition to any space that seeks harmony and balance.

In Shinto tradition, mirrors are sacred objects, believed to house the divine presence. Often associated with the sun goddess Amaterasu, the Shinto mirror is one of the revered Three Regalia (sanshu no jingi), embodying divine light and energy. These mirrors, enshrined in the main halls of shrines or placed before deities in sacred spaces, are channels to the spiritual world.

The back of this mirror features a beautiful Japanese family crest, or mon, gracefully surrounded by delicate foliage. Meanwhile, the front of the mirror retains its tarnished brass finish, offering a timeless, antique appeal.

Resting on a carved wooden stand adorned with stylized clouds and waves, this mirror is a symbol of spiritual depth. In Shinto belief, clouds are seen as the divine realm of the kami (gods and spirits) and are a sign of good fortune, bringing rain for a bountiful harvest. The waves on the stand represent life’s constant motion and change, while the flowing water evokes spiritual purification and renewal.

This captivating piece not only enhances your home decor but also serves as a powerful spiritual enhancer, inviting tranquility and a deeper connection to the divine.

Both the mirror and stand are in excellent structural condition, ensuring this sacred artifact remains a cherished part of your space for years to come.

- mirror and stand measures around 27.5 cm (10.8”) tall x 24 cm (9.4”) across x 6.5 cm (2.3”) deep.
- weighs 650 gm.

(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.