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Magatama ( or ), are curved bead
Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for yarn or stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter....
s which first appeared in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 during the Jomon period
Jomon period

The is the time in history of Japan from about 14th millennium BC to 5th century BC.The term "Jomon" means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jomon people....
.

They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus
Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of Soil and Rock s raised over a Grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, H?gelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world....
 graves
Grave (burial)

A grave is a place where a dead body is burial. The grave is usually in a graveyard or cemetery.Graves may contain objects that provide clues for archaeology about the life and culture of the time....
 as offerings
Sacrifice

Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the deity as an act of propitiation or worship....
 to deities
Deity

A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
 (see grave goods
Grave goods

Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods....
). They continued to be popular with the ruling
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 elite
Elite

Elite is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect". In sociology as in general usage, the elite is a relatively small dominant Group within a large society, which enjoys a privileged status envied by individuals of lower social status....
s throughout the Kofun Period
Kofun period

The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of tumuluss dating from this era. The Kofun period follows the Yayoi period....
 of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of the Yamato
Yamato period

The is the period of history of Japan when the Japanese Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province.While conventionally assigned to the period 250?710 , the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed....
 Dynasty
Dynasty

A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations. A dynasty is also often called a "Royal House", e.g. the House of Saud or House of Habsburg....
 of Japan.






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Magatama
Magatama ( or ), are curved bead
Bead

A bead is a small, decorative object that is pierced for yarn or stringing. Beads range in size from under a millimeter to over a centimeter or sometimes several centimeters in diameter....
s which first appeared in Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
 during the Jomon period
Jomon period

The is the time in history of Japan from about 14th millennium BC to 5th century BC.The term "Jomon" means "cord-patterned" in Japanese. This refers to the markings made on clay vessels and figures using sticks with cords wrapped around them which are characteristic of the Jomon people....
.

They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus
Tumulus

A tumulus is a mound of Soil and Rock s raised over a Grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, H?gelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world....
 graves
Grave (burial)

A grave is a place where a dead body is burial. The grave is usually in a graveyard or cemetery.Graves may contain objects that provide clues for archaeology about the life and culture of the time....
 as offerings
Sacrifice

Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the deity as an act of propitiation or worship....
 to deities
Deity

A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
 (see grave goods
Grave goods

Grave goods, in archaeology and anthropology, are the items buried along with the body.They are usually personal possessions, supplies to smooth the deceased's journey into the afterlife or offerings to the gods....
). They continued to be popular with the ruling
Government

Government is the body within any organization that has the authority to make and the power to enforce laws, regulations, or rules. Typically, the government refers to a civil government -- local, provincial, or national -- but commercial, academic, religious, or other formal organizations are also administered by governing bodies....
 elite
Elite

Elite is taken originally from the Latin, eligere, "to elect". In sociology as in general usage, the elite is a relatively small dominant Group within a large society, which enjoys a privileged status envied by individuals of lower social status....
s throughout the Kofun Period
Kofun period

The is an era in the history of Japan from around 250 to 538. The word kofun is Japanese for the type of tumuluss dating from this era. The Kofun period follows the Yayoi period....
 of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of the Yamato
Yamato period

The is the period of history of Japan when the Japanese Imperial court ruled from modern-day Nara Prefecture, then known as Yamato Province.While conventionally assigned to the period 250?710 , the actual start of Yamato rule is disputed....
 Dynasty
Dynasty

A dynasty is a succession of rulers who belong to the same family for generations. A dynasty is also often called a "Royal House", e.g. the House of Saud or House of Habsburg....
 of Japan. They are mainly made of jade
Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
 , agate
Agate

Agate is a microcrystalline variety of quartz , chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks but can be common in certain metamorphic rocks....
 , quartz
Quartz

Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust . It is made up of a Crystal structure of silica tetrahedra. Quartz has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and a density of 2.65 g/cm?....
 , talc
Talc

Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula Hydrogen2Magnesium34 or Magnesium3Silicon4Oxygen102....
 , and jasper
Jasper

Jasper is an Opacity , impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow or brown in color. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone....
 . Some consider them to be an Imperial
List of Emperors of Japan

The following is a traditional list of Emperor of Japan. Dates for the first 28 emperors, and especially the first 16, are based on the Japanese era name system....
 symbol
Symbol

A symbol is something such as an entity, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention....
, although in fact ownership
Ownership

Ownership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an personal property, land ownership, or some other kind of property ....
 was widespread throughout all the chieftain
Tribal chief

A traditional tribal chief is the leadership of a tribe, or the head of a tribal form of self-government.The notion of a "tribal chief" is rather vague and arbitrary; neither chief nor tribe is clearly defined, so in many cases other designations are used for the same institution, such as petty ruler or even headman ....
ships 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
Prayer beads

Prayer beads or Rosaries are used by members of various religions such as Islam, Roman Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Bah?'? to count the repetitions of prayers, chants or devotions....
 in the Nara period
Nara period

The of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijo-kyo . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyo, in 784 before moving to Heian-kyo , or Kyoto, a decade lat...
.

In modern Japan, the magatama's shape of a sphere with a flowing tail is still the usual visual representation of the human spirit (hitodama
Hitodama

are believed in Japanese folklore to be the souls of the newly dead taking form of mysterious fiery apparitions. The word hitodama is a combination of the Japanese words hito, meaning "human", and tama , meaning "soul"....
). Wearing one during life is considered a way of gaining protection from kami
Kami

is the Japanese language word for the spirits within objects in the Shinto faith. The oldest surviving record of their creation is in the Kojiki of 712....
.

Yasakani no Magatama

The most important magatama is the Yasakani no Magatama (?????, also ?????), which is part of the Imperial Regalia of Japan
Imperial Regalia of Japan

The , also known as the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, consist of the sword, Kusanagi , the gemstone or necklace of jewels, Magatama#Yasakani no Magatama , and the mirror Yata no kagami ....
, added some time around the Heian period
Heian period

The is the last division of classical History of Japan, running from 794 to 1185. It is the period in Japanese history when Confucianism and other Chinese culture were at their height....
. The Yasakani no Magatama stands for benevolence, and is one of the three items used in the ceremony of imperial ascension
Coronation

A coronation is a ceremony marking the investiture of a monarch with regal power, specifically involving the placement of a coronation crown upon his or her head, and the presentation of other items of regalia....
. In Japanese mythology, the jewels, along with the mirror, were hung on the tree outside of Amaterasu's cave (where she had hidden) to lure her out. It is believed to be a necklace composed of jade
Jade

Jade is an ornamental stone.The term jade is applied to two different metamorphic rocks that are made up of different silicate minerals:...
 magatama stones instead of a solitary gem as depicted in popular culture. It is believed to be enshrined in Kokyo
Kokyo

is the imperial main residence of the Emperor of Japan. It is a large park-like area located in Chiyoda, Tokyo close to Tokyo Station and contains various buildings such as the main palace and the private residences of the imperial family....
, the Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
ese Imperial Palace.

Origins

Magatamarm
The consensus among Japanese archaeologists is that magatama originated in Jomon Japan before spreading to the Asian continent through the Korean peninsula. It is notable that the earliest Korean prehistoric magatama date to the Early Mumun
Mumun pottery period

The Mumun pottery period is an archaeological era in Prehistoric Korea that dates to approximately 1500-300 BC. This period is named after the Korean name for undecorated or plain cooking and storage vessels that form a large part of the pottery assemblage over the entire length of the period, but especially 850-550 B.C....
 (post-850 BC) and are generally found in the southern part of peninsula in proximity to Japan. Charles Keally, an archaeologist who has conducted research on magatama, states:

"The magatama's origins are more controversial. These curved jewels of jadeite are common in Kofun Period burials, and they are common also in Korean sites of the same age. But magatama are found in Yayoi sites, too, and unquestionable true magatama are reported also in Jomon sites in Tohoku as early as about 1000 B.C., long before true magatama appeared in Korea."


See also

  • Amaterasu
    Amaterasu

    , or is in Japanese mythology a Solar deity and perhaps the most important Shinto . Her name, Amaterasu, means literally " illuminates Heaven"....
  • Japanese mythology
    Japanese mythology

    Japanese mythology is a system of beliefs that embraces Shinto and Buddhist traditions as well as agriculture-based folk religion. The Shinto pantheon alone consists of an uncountable number of kami ....
  • Shinto
    Shinto

    is the former state religion of Japan and remains the most common name for the nation's non-Buddhist ethnic religion practices. It was formed from disparate local mythologies, beginning with the Kojiki of 712, into an imperial cult called State Shinto that solidified in the Meiji period....
  • Susanoo
    Susanoo

    is the Shinto god of the sea and storms....
  • Tomoe
    Tomoe

    A tomoe or tomoye is a Japanese abstract art shape that resembles a comma or the usual form of magatama. It is a common design element in and corporation logos, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsu tomoe....
  • Gogok
    Gogok

    Gobeunok or Gogok refers to comma-shaped or curved beads and jewels, found in Korea and Japan. Gogok is also sometimes romanized as "kogok" and "kokkok" or "kokok." In Japanese, they are called magatama....


External links

  • by the Canadian Institute of Gemmology