KUSANAGI

(Japanese: Grass-Mower), in Japanese mythology, the miraculous sword that the sun goddess Amaterasu gave to her grandson Ninigi when he descended to earth to become ruler of Japan, thus establishing the divine link between the imperial house and the sun. The sword, along with the mirror and jeweled necklace, still forms one of the three Imperial Treasures of Japan. The sword was discovered by the storm god Susanoo in the body of the eight-headed dragon (which he killed) and presented by him to his sister Amaterasu. It derives its name from an incident when the hero Yamato Takeru was attacked by Ainu warriors. They started a grass fire around him, from which he escaped by cutting down the burning brush with the sword.