- Sep 15
- 3 min read
The Mystery of the Three Boxes
Written by Adam
Throughout Assassin’s Creed Shadows' story, the player is constantly reminded of the box that Naoe swore to protect and by its conclusion, Naoe and Yasuke have two of the three boxes in their possession.
Now, Shadows adopts a “tell, but don't show” approach whereby we know what's in the boxes, but at no point do we see them: the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi (草薙劍), the mirror Yata no Kagami (八咫鏡), and the jewel Yasakani no Magatama.
These are known as the Three Sacred Treasures, and they are the Imperial Regalia of Japan. They each represent one of the three virtues: valour (the sword), wisdom (the mirror), and benevolence (the jewel).
However, the real-life historical status of these artefacts is unconfirmed due to their not being seen for hundreds of years.
Since they appear in Assassin’s Creed, one of the burning questions many of you may have is: “Are these artefacts Pieces of Eden?” In short, the answer is yes. There's no way the devs would include such revered objects and not have them be Pieces of Eden.
However, this raises more questions. If they are POEs, what are their functions? Well, luckily for you, I have ideas about that and I'd like to share them with you.
Kusanagi no Tsurugi
Contrary to what you may think, this sword would not be a Katana. The sleek, gentle curves of the Katana are a far cry from this sword, which is far more likely to resemble a Chinese Jian or an early Three Kingdoms period Korean sword.
In Assassin's Creed media, swords of Eden are shown to be able to project beams of light, translocate enemies (similar to Eagle Vision) and empower users with boundless charisma.
Eivor wielding Excalibur - Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
As for what this particular sword grants its user, it's anyone's guess, but I'd like to think that even though it's not a Katana, famed for its sharpness, it explains why Samurai are framed in the media as peerless masters of the sword, with some able to cut down foes in a single, faster-than-the-eye cut. I believe that the sword would allow the wielder to tap into this power.
Yata no Kagami
This may be cliché, but given the mystical nature of these objects, it leads me to suspect the mirror has all-seeing capabilities. What I mean by this is it could allow the user to either gain insight into someone's mind or allow the viewing of a distant location.
It may seem fantastical, but we have seen technology similar to this in Assassin’s Creed before. It's unclear how the Apple of Eden works, for instance.
Or the portal that seemingly was able to reach through time and space during the Asgard Arc, where we heard Ezio's voice from Assassin’s Creed II. As Arthur C. Clarke’s third law states: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Yasakani no Magatama
Yasakani no Magatama is the most vague of the Regalia described in Shadows, only being noted as a “jewel”. While this is accurate, it doesn't give us the full picture.
A Magatama is a specific type of comma-shaped bead that appears in Japan from the Jomon to the Kofun period. They were originally used as decorative jewellery, but were revered as religious and ceremonial objects during the Kofun period.
Interestingly, Yasakani no Magatama is the only original Regalia used in the enthronement ceremony of the Emperor of Japan. Replicas of the sword and mirror are used due to concerns about their fragility.
This is where we can speculate using the virtue it represents: benevolence. This seems to indicate a calming effect, perhaps similar to the Apple of Eden, but less invasive and more portable. The Isu are known for overlapping functions on their technology.