After the introduction of Confucianism to Japan, some have interpreted the Three Sacred Treasures as representations of santoku (the three primary virtues): the mirror representing "wisdom," the jewel representing "benevolence," and the sword representing "valor."
儒学伝来以後、鏡は「知」、勾玉は「仁」、剣は「勇」というように、三種の神器は三徳を表わすという解釈もある。