Imperial Regalia of Japan

The sword, mirror and jewel make up the imperial regalia of Japan. They are said to be gifts from Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, given to Ningi-no-Mikoto, her grandson, when he was sent to pacify the Earth. In turn, Ningi-no-Mikoto passed them on to his grandson Jimmu, the first emperor of Japan. They are proof that the emperor was a direct descendant from the gods, or so the story goes. This story and it's symbols are heavily ingrained into Japanese folklore and mythology

So how is this legend still used today and taught to the Japanese youth? The stories these items show up in are so popular, it is likely that many Americans are very familiar with them as well, even if they don't know it, and that is through The Legend of Zelda video games.

So now, I'm sure this is starting to click with a lot of readers who are familiar with the game. The playable character of the game, Link, uses a sacred sword to fight evil, he carries a mirror (sometimes in different forms such as a shield in Ocarina of Time), and collects jewels or pendants on his quest.

Now there's more to this. Each of the items represents something different. The sword is power, the mirror wisdom and the jewel is courage. That ties into another aspect of the Zelda games, which is the triforce.

As seen in the picture, the triforce is made up of three pieces, each representing something different: power, wisdom and courage. Link, the playable character of the Zelda games, carries the courage triforce. So, that means that he is the embodiment of courage and as he adventures he collects pendants, which represent courage. Oh the symbolism!

Anyway, the imperial regalia has found its way into modern Japanese youth culture, and in turn American culture as well.

Sources: http://www.scribd.com/doc/51162579/Legend-of-Zelda-a-Link-to-the-Past