Ninigi no Mikoto

Ninigi is the divine grandson (tenson) of Amaterasu whose descent from the High Celestial Plain to the peak of Takachiho in Hyuga marks the pivotal transition from the Age of the Gods to the Age of Men. Amaterasu entrusted him with the three Imperial Regalia—the mirror Yata no Kagami, the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama—as symbols of divine authority.

Upon arriving in the terrestrial realm, Ninigi was guided by Sarutahiko and accompanied by a retinue of heavenly deities. He married Konohanasakuya-hime, the beautiful daughter of the mountain god Oyamazumi, but rejected her sister Iwanagahime, inadvertently establishing the mortality of his descendants.

Ninigi's descent (Tenson Korin) is one of the foundational myths of Japanese sovereignty, connecting the imperial institution directly to the sun goddess through an unbroken chain of descent. His role is less that of a heroic figure than a transitional one—the vessel through which heavenly mandate was established on earth.