Did you notice a crow with three legs on the uniform of Japan national foot ball team? It is Yatagarasu (八咫烏), the crow in Japanese mythology.
When Kamiyamatonoiwa Arehiko no Sumera Mikoto was on the eastern expedition, it led him to Kashihara. He enthroned himself as Emperor Jinmu(神武天皇), the first emperor of Japan in 660 B.C. He is a mythological figure but we considered it is the beginning of our country. For instance, Koki(皇紀), the imperial year, commenced on the year and 2026 marks Koki 2686.
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Due to the role in the mythology, Yatagarasu as known a deity or a symbol of guidance who lead us to good fortune. Its three legs stands for Kami (Deity of Japanese mythology), Nature, and Human individually. Japan Football Association adopted it as its symbol for victory.
The mythology is still alive in our mind.
As described in this post, Amaterasu Ohmikami gave Ninigi no Mikoto the permission to rule Japan.
By Meiji restoration in the 19th century, the Imperial court and the Shogunates had co-existed for over 600 years and their legitimacy had based on the story: Every Shogun had to be a descendant of an emperor.
As a part of the restoration, Japan adopted a constitutional monarchy. In 1947, the constitution of Japan founded on popular sovereignty came into effect.
However, we still have the mythology back in our mind. We assume that it really happened. Half believe, half doubt, unconsciously. It may sound strange but we actually do.合掌
