A mirror, a sword and a gem: Inside the mystery-laden coronation of a new Japanese emperor

Perhaps unsurprisingly for the world’s oldest hereditary monarchy, the abdication of Emperor Akihito and the ascension of his son Crown Prince Naruhito will be shrouded in a series of ancient rituals and ceremonies as complex as they are mysterious.

Forget fairytale crowns. A sword, a mirror and a jewel will instead play the most symbolic role in the imperial transition in Japan, as the nation bids farewell to the emperor and welcomes his son in his place under strict Shinto conventions.

The so-called Imperial Regalia of Japan, or the Three Sacred Treasures of Japan, comprise a a sword known as Kusanagi symbolising valour; an eight-sided Yata no Kagami mirror, which represents wisdom; and the …