Mirror - Kagami (English spelling) mirror

Japanese: 鏡 - かがみ（英語表記）mirror

Generally, it refers to a smooth surface that reflects light well. Depending on the shape of the surface, there are plane mirrors, concave mirrors, convex mirrors, etc. Mirrors commonly used today are made by applying mercury amalgam to the back of glass and then applying a protective film on top of it. For scientific purposes, a film of aluminum, silver, platinum, etc. is applied to the surface of the glass by vacuum deposition, and the metal surface is used as the mirror surface. This is called a front-surface mirror. When making a mirror using the vacuum deposition method, a mirror that is thinly coated so that half of the light passes through is called a semi-transparent mirror. Mirrors have a long history, and the oldest mirror discovered in the world is a circular mirror made of polished obsidian excavated from the Çatalhöyük ruins in Anatolia, estimated to date to around 6000 BC. Before glass mirrors were made in Venice in the 15th century, metal mirrors made of polished bronze, cupro-nickel, iron, etc. were used. The main shapes are round, square, and patterned mirrors. In the West, patterned mirrors have been traditional since the mirrors left in the Egyptian 11th Dynasty reliefs, while round mirrors are overwhelmingly more common in China, with patterns cast on the back. Depending on the pattern, they are called fine sawtooth mirrors, inner floral mirrors, human image mirrors, divine beast mirrors, or sea beast and grape mirrors, and depending on the production technique, they are called mother-of-pearl mirrors, glass mirrors, or gilded mirrors. Many of the mirrors have inscriptions with auspicious phrases or historical events, and some have inscriptions with dates. In Japan, Chinese mirrors (imported mirrors) have been actively imported since the Yayoi and Kofun periods, and mirrors that are modeled after or imitate these mirrors are called imitation mirrors. Mirrors from the late Heian period onwards are called Japanese mirrors because they have Japanese motifs such as autumn grasses, flowing water, flowers, and birds, and among these, mirrors with handles began to be used at the end of the Muromachi period. In addition to reflecting objects, mirrors also have the ability to collect light, such as in concave mirrors, and are therefore used in the worship of the sun god, as symbols of the powerful people associated with it, as sacred treasures, and even in historical books as a projection of the real world.

Mirror

The former town area in the northwest of Yatsushiro City, in the south-central part of Kumamoto Prefecture. It is located in the middle of the Yatsushiro Plain. It was incorporated as a town in 1889. In 1955, it merged with Arisa Village and Bunsei Village. In 2005, it merged with the five municipalities of Yatsushiro City, Sakamoto Village, Sencho Town, Toyo Village, and Izumi Village to form Yatsushiro City. It consists of three districts, Kagami, Bunsei, and Arisa, of which the Bunsei district was reclaimed in 1821 (Bunsei 4). Nori seaweed is cultivated in the area facing the Yatsushiro Sea. In addition to cultivating rush grass, rice, and forcing vegetables, the area is also thriving with the production of tatami mats made from processed rush grass.

Mirror

This former village area is located in the middle reaches of the Kagami River, in the northwest of Kochi City, in central Kochi Prefecture. It was established as a village in 1889 and was incorporated into Kochi City in 2005. Silkworm farming was popular before World War II, but agriculture and forestry became the main industry after that. In 1966, Kagami Dam was constructed on the Kagami River for the purpose of providing water for Kochi City and disaster prevention functions. There are scenic spots such as Mount Sekkou and Heike Falls, and the southeastern part belongs to Kitayama Prefectural Natural Park, and the northern part belongs to Kuishiyama Jingamori Prefectural Natural Park.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

一般に光をよく反射するようにした滑らかな面をいう。面の形によって平面鏡，凹面鏡，凸面鏡などがある。現在一般に使われる鏡は，ガラスの裏面に水銀アマルガムをつけ，その上に保護膜をつけたものである。科学的な目的にはガラスの表面に真空蒸着でアルミニウム，銀，プラチナなどの膜をつけ，その金属面のほうを鏡面として用いる。これを表面鏡という。真空蒸着法で鏡をつくるとき，膜を薄くつけて光が半分透過するようにしたものを半透明鏡という。鏡の歴史は古く，現在発見されている世界最古の鏡は，アナトリアのチャタル・ヒュユク遺跡から出土した黒曜石をみがいた円鏡で，前 6000年頃と推定されている。 15世紀にベネチアでガラス鏡がつくられる以前は，青銅，白銅，鉄などを磨き上げた金属鏡が使われた。形はおもに円鏡，方鏡，柄鏡で，西洋ではエジプト第 11王朝の浮彫に残された鏡以来柄鏡が伝統で，中国では円鏡が圧倒的に多く，裏 (鏡背) に文様が鋳出される。その文様によって細線鋸歯文鏡，内行花文鏡，人物画像鏡，神獣鏡，海獣葡萄鏡などと呼ばれたり，製作技術によって螺鈿鏡，玻璃鏡，鍍金鏡といわれたりする。在銘のものは多く吉祥句，故事が書かれ，紀年銘のあるものもある。日本では弥生・古墳時代以来，中国鏡 (舶載鏡) を盛んに輸入したが，これを型にしたり，模倣したものを仿製鏡という。平安後期以後のものは日本的な秋草，流水，花，鳥などの文様をつけたので和鏡と呼ばれ，そのうちでも室町末期には柄鏡が使われはじめた。また物を映すだけでなく，凹面鏡などの光を集める作用から，太陽神崇拝，それに付随する権力者の象徴，神宝などに，さらには現実世界の投影という意味から歴史書の意味にも使われる。

鏡
かがみ

熊本県中南部，八代市北西部の旧町域。八代平野中部にある。 1889年町制。 1955年有佐 (ありさ) 村，文政 (ぶんせい) 村と合体。 2005年八代市，坂本村，千丁町，東陽村，泉村の5市町村と合体して八代市となった。鏡，文政，有佐の3地区からなり，そのうち文政地区は文政4 (1821) 年に干拓された地域。八代海に面する地域ではノリの養殖が行なわれている。イグサ栽培，米作，野菜の促成栽培のほか，イグサ加工による畳表の製造が盛ん。

鏡
かがみ

高知県中部，高知市北西部にある鏡川中流域の旧村域。 1889年村制。 2005年高知市に編入。第2次世界大戦前は養蚕が盛んであったが，その後農林業が主産業になった。 1966年高知市の用水と防災機能などを目的とした鏡ダムが鏡川に建設された。雪光山や平家の滝などの景勝地があり，南東部は北山県立自然公園に，北部は工石山陣ヶ森県立自然公園に属する。

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