Magatama(勾玉) (Japanese name, Kokkok in Korean) are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jomon period. They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus graves as offerings to deities (see grave goods). They continued to be popular with the ruling elites throughout the Kofun Period of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of the Yamato Dynasty of Japan. Some consider them to be an Imperial symbol, although in fact ownership was widespread throughout all the chieftainships of Kofun Period Japan. It is believed that magatama were popularly worn as jewels for decoration, in addition to their religious meanings later largely replaced by Buddhist prayer beads in the Nara period.

In modern Japan, the magatama's unique shape of a sphere with a flowing tail is still the usual visual representation of the human spirit. Wearing one while one is alive is considered a way of gaining protections from kami.

While some claim that magatama originated in the Asian continent and spread through Korea, where they are known as kokkok, no site of magatama production has been found in the Asian continent, including neighboring China, Manchuria, and Siberia. The Korean kokkok are indistinguishable from their Japanese contemporaries, a fact which suggests that kokkok were exported from Japan during this period.

The most important magatama is that of the Japanese imperial regalia, Yasakani no magatama , which is one of the three items used in the ceremony of imperial ascension.

See also

• Amaterasu
• Japanese mythology
• Shinto
• Susanowo