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Ninigi

Ninigi-no-Mikoto, commonly known simply as Ninigi, is a deity in Shinto and a central figure in Japanese myth. He is described as the grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu and the progenitor of the Japanese imperial line.

According to the mythologies in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, Amaterasu sent Ninigi from Takamagahara, the Plain

Amaterasu entrusted Ninigi with the Three Sacred Treasures—the mirror Yata no Kagami, the sword Kusanagi no

Ninigi is traditionally considered to have married Konohanasakuya-hime, the blossom princess, and his descendants would form

The figure of Ninigi serves as a foundational myth within Shinto and Japanese historiography, linking the imperial

of
High
Heaven,
to
Ashihara
no
Nakatsukuni
to
govern
the
earthly
realm
and
establish
order.
This
event,
known
as
the
Tenson
kōrin
(Descent
of
the
Heavenly
Grandchild),
marks
the
divine
origin
of
the
Japanese
rulers.
Tsurugi,
and
the
jewel
Yasakani
no
Magatama—as
symbols
of
imperial
legitimacy
and
to
aid
him
in
ruling.
the
Yamato
imperial
line.
Among
those
descendants
is
Jimmu,
regarded
in
Japanese
legend
as
the
first
emperor.
house
to
divine
origins
and
to
Amaterasu.
In
literature
and
ritual,
Ninigi’s
descent
is
used
to
frame
the
legitimacy
of
the
emperors
and
the
sacred
nature
of
the
state.