The Spear of the Gods: The Enduring Mystery of Japan’s “Heavenly Reversed Halberd”

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Atop the sacred peak of Mount Takachiho, straddling the border of Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in Japan, stands a mysterious and ancient weapon plunged deep into the volcanic rock. Known as the Ame-no-Sakahoko, or the “Heavenly Reversed Halberd,” this enigmatic artifact is one of Japan’s “Three Great Curiosities”—three legendary structures whose origins are considered miraculous. But what is this strange, inverted spear, and who plunged it into the mountaintop centuries ago?

A Weapon That Created a Nation—And Could Unmake It

According to Japan’s oldest mythological texts, the Ame-no-Sakahoko is a divine spear of immense power. It is said to be the very same weapon, the Ame-no-Nuboko (Heavenly Jeweled Spear), used by the creator deities Izanagi and Izanami. They stood on the bridge of heaven and churned the chaotic ocean below with this spear, and the salty drops that fell from its tip formed the first islands of Japan.

After creating the nation, the gods plunged the spear upside down into the summit of Mount Takachiho, the site where the sun goddess Amaterasu’s grandson, Ninigi-no-Mikoto, descended from the heavens to establish the imperial line. This act, it is said, was a seal—a promise that the spear would never be used again.

Why seal such a powerful weapon? One chilling theory suggests the spear possesses the divine power to unmake creation, to return the islands of Japan to the primordial sea. It was thrust into the mountain to prevent a future ruler from using it as a “last resort” in a failed reign, or worse, to stop a malevolent force from resetting creation for their own nefarious purposes.

A History of Samurai, Revolutionaries, and Lost Originals

While its mythological origins are grand, the spear’s recorded history is just as fascinating. It was mentioned in travelogues as early as the 17th century, proving its ancient existence. Perhaps its most famous historical encounter involves Sakamoto Ryoma, one of Japan’s most celebrated samurai revolutionaries. During his honeymoon in 1866, Ryoma and his wife, Oryo, visited the peak and, in a moment of legendary bravado, are said to have pulled the divine spear from the rock. In a letter to his sister, Ryoma famously boasted about the act, adding that he “put it back where it belonged.”

But who placed it there in the first place? One theory suggests it was placed by followers of Shugendo, a form of ascetic mountain worship that has long revered the Kirishima mountains. Another, more compelling theory, points to Shimazu Yoshihisa, the powerful 16th-century daimyo (feudal lord) who unified southern Kyushu. The Shimazu clan were devout patrons of the local Kirishima Shrine, and it’s believed that Yoshihisa may have had the spear crafted and placed on the summit as a powerful symbol of his clan’s divine right to rule.

The Missing Original and a Lingering Enigma

Today, the mystery of the Ame-no-Sakahoko deepens. The spear that currently stands on Mount Takachiho is, in fact, a replica. The original was said to have been broken during a volcanic eruption sometime after Ryoma’s visit. However, other accounts claim it was already a replica centuries before Ryoma arrived.

The fate of the true, original spear is unknown. Legend says the broken pieces were presented to the Shimazu clan and, after passing through many hands, have since been lost to history.

The Heavenly Reversed Halberd remains an object of profound mystery. Is it a divine weapon capable of ending the world, a symbol of a powerful samurai clan’s ambition, or an ancient offering from mountain ascetics? As long as the original remains lost, we can only gaze at the replica on its lonely peak and wonder—and perhaps, as the old legends suggest, pray that the real one has not fallen into the wrong hands.

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