magatama; comma-shaped bead
A comma-shaped bead from prehistoric Japan, often made of jade or other stone, and associated with archaeological sites and Shinto mythology.
Many magatama beads were excavated from this archaeological site.
One of the Three Sacred Treasures is the magatama.
Standard kanji spelling; the most common form in modern Japanese.
Rarely used kanji form; the character 曲 means 'curved' and reflects the shape.
Mixed kanji-kana spelling, sometimes used for clarity or in educational contexts.
Probably named for its curved form, from 曲がる, “be curved,” and 玉, “jewel, bead.” The older spelling 曲玉 makes that analysis explicit; 勾玉 became the usual spelling.