The , also sometimes read as or , is an early

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese chronicle of

myth Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

s, legends,

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

s, genealogies,

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

s, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

, the , and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by

Ō no Yasumaro was a Japanese people, Japanese Nobility, nobleman, bureaucrat, and chronicler. He may have been the son of , a participant in the Jinshin War of 672.Philippi (1968:546) He is most famous for compiling and editing, with the assistance of Hieda ...

at the request of

Empress Genmei , also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 throug ...

in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in

. The myths contained in the as well as the are part of the inspiration behind many practices. Later, they were incorporated into

Shinto Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...

practices such as the purification ritual.

Composition

It is believed that the compilation of various genealogical and anecdotal histories of the imperial (Yamato) court and prominent clans began during the reigns of Emperors Keitai and Kinmei in the 6th century, with the first concerted effort at historical compilation of which we have record being the one made in 620 under the auspices of

Prince Shotoku A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

and

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during the rules of Emperor Bidatsu and Empress Suiko and established the Soga clan's stronghold in the govern ...

. According to the '' Nihon Shoki'', the documents compiled under their initiative were the ''

Tennōki , alternatively known as ''Sumera Mikoto no Fumi'', is a historical text purported to have been written in 620 by Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako. It is recorded in the '' Nihon Shoki'', but no extant copies are known to exist. According to th ...

'' (, also ''Sumera-mikoto no fumi'') or the "Record of the Emperors", the ''Kokki'' (, also ''Kunitsufumi'') or the "National Record", and other "fundamental records" (, ''hongi'' or ''mototsufumi'') pertaining to influential clans and free subjects. Out of these texts, only the ''Kokki'' survived the burning of

Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato Imperial Court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to the ...

's estate (where these documents were kept) during the Isshi incident of 645, and was itself apparently lost soon after. The ''Kojiki'' preface indicates that leading families also kept their own historical and genealogical records; indeed, one of the reasons it gives for the compilation of the ''Kojiki'' is the correction of errors that had supposedly crept into these documents. According to the preface,

Emperor Tenmu was the 40th emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 天武天皇 (40) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 53. Tenmu's re ...

(reigned 673–686) ordered the review and emendation of clan documents and commissioned a certain court attendant (''toneri'') of exceptional memory named

Hieda no Are is primarily known for being instrumental to the compilation of the Japanese text '' Kojiki'' in 712. While birth and date are unknown, Are was active during the late 7th and early 8th century. Background Very little is known about Are's backgro ...

to memorize records and

s concerning the imperial lineage. Beyond this memorization, nothing occurred until the reign of

(reigned 707–715), who on the 18th of the 9th month of 711 ( Wadō 4) ordered the courtier

to record what had been learned by Hieda no Are. He finished and presented his work to Empress Genmei on the 28th of the 1st month of 712 (Wadō 5).

Purpose

The ''Kojiki'' is a collation of different traditions woven into a single "official" mythology, made in an attempt to justify the rule of the imperial Yamato

polity A polity is an identifiable Politics, political entity – a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of Institutionalisation, institutionalized social relation, social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize ...

and at the same time to subsume different interest groups under its wing by giving them a place and an interest in the national genealogy-mythology. Apart from furthering the imperial agenda, an increased interest in the nation's origins in reaction to the influx of foreign culture and the need for an authoritative genealogical account by which to consider the claims of noble families and to reorganize them into a new system of ranks and titles are also possible factors for its compilation.Philippi, Donald L. (2015). ''Kojiki''. Princeton University Press. pp. 6–14. The ''Kojiki'' narrative establishes the Yamato line's right to rule via myth and legend, portraying it as the progeny of heavenly deities and the rightful heir to the land of Japan. A good part of the latter portion of the text is spent recounting various genealogies which served not only to give the imperial family an air of antiquity (which may not necessarily reflect historical reality), but also served to tie, whether true or not, many existing clans' genealogies to their own. Regardless of the work's original intent, it finalized and possibly even formulated the framework by which Japanese history was examined in terms of the reign of emperors. In contrast to the ''Nihon Shoki'' (compiled 720), the first of six histories commissioned by the imperial court, which was modeled on

Chinese dynastic histories The ''Twenty-Four Histories'' (), also known as the ''Orthodox Histories'' (), are the Chinese official dynastic histories covering from the earliest dynasty in 3000 BC to the Ming dynasty in the 17th century. The Han dynasty official Sima Qia ...

and was intended to be a national chronicle that could be shown with pride to foreign envoys, the ''Kojiki'' is inward looking, concerned mainly with the ruling family and prominent clans, and is apparently intended for internal consumption. Whereas the ''Nihon Shoki'' uses a variety of source documents (including Chinese texts), the ''Kojiki'' is apparently based on sources handed down within the court.

Transmission and study

Whereas the ''Nihon Shoki'', owing to its status as one of the six imperial histories, was widely read and studied during the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

(794–1185), the ''Kojiki'' was mostly treated as an ancillary text. Indeed, a work known as the ''

Sendai Kuji Hongi , or , is a historical Japanese text. It was generally believed to have been one of the earliest Japanese histories until the middle of the Edo period, when scholars such as Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tada Yoshitoshi successfully contended that it was ...

'' (also known as the ''Kujiki''), claimed to have been authored by Prince Shōtoku and Soga no Umako, was considered to be earlier and more reliable than the ''Kojiki''. (Modern scholarly consensus holds the ''Kuji Hongi'' to be a Heian period forgery based on both the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Shoki'', although certain portions may indeed preserve genuine early traditions and sources.) By the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

(1185–1333), the work languished in obscurity such that very few people had access to the text, particularly that of the middle (second) volume. It is due to this neglect that the ''Kojiki'' is available only in comparatively late manuscripts, the earliest of which dates to the late 14th century.Philippi, Donald L. (2015). ''Kojiki''. Princeton University Press. pp. 30–32. It was with the advent of printing in the early modern period that the ''Kojiki'' first reached a wide audience. The earliest printed edition of the text was the ''Kan'ei Kojiki'' (), published in Kyoto in 1644 (

Kan'ei was a after ''Genna'' and before ''Shōhō.'' This period spanned the years from February 1624 through December 1644. The reigning emperors and empress were , and .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834) ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 411./ref> Chang ...

21). A second edition, the ''Gōtō Kojiki'' (, "''Kojiki'' with Marginal Notes") was printed by Deguchi (Watarai) Nobuyoshi, a priest at

Ise Shrine The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner ...

, in 1687 (

Jōkyō was a after ''Tenna'' and before ''Genroku.'' This period spanned the years from February 1684 through September 1688. The reigning emperors were and .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'' p. 415./ref> Change of era * 1 ...

4).

The birth of nativist studies (''

kokugaku ''Kokugaku'' ( ja, 國學, label=Kyūjitai, ja, 国学, label=Shinjitai; literally "national study") was an academic movement, a school of Japanese philology and philosophy originating during the Tokugawa period. Kokugaku scholars worked to refo ...

'') and nationalist sentiment during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

saw a reappraisal of the ''Kojiki''. ''Kokugaku'' scholars saw Japan's earliest writings as the repository of a uniquely superior Japanese identity that could be revived by recovering the ancient language they were written in; the ''Kojiki'', by virtue of its antiquity, gained the status of a sacred text. The ''Kojiki'' came to be highly regarded that scholars such as

Kada no Azumamaro was a poet and philologist of the early Edo period. His ideas had a germinal impact on the nativist school of National Learning in Japan. Life Azumamaro was born the second son of Hakura Nobuaki (1625-1696), father of a scholarly family that ...

and

Kamo no Mabuchi was a ''kokugaku'' scholar, poet and philologist during mid-Edo period Japan. Along with Kada no Azumamaro, Motoori Norinaga, and Hirata Atsutane, he was regarded as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku, and through his research into the spiri ...

– himself a student of Azumamaro – produced annotated versions of it. Motoori Norinaga self portrait

The ''Kojiki'' received its most serious study and exposition in the hands of

Motoori Norinaga was a Japanese scholar of ''Kokugaku'' active during the Edo period. He is conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies. Life Norinaga was born in what is now Matsusaka in Ise Province (now part of Mie Pre ...

, who obtained a copy of the Kan'ei printed edition in 1754. After meeting Mabuchi in 1763, Norinaga began to devote his efforts to an in-depth scholarly study of the text. A monumental 44-volume study of the ''Kojiki'' called , composed over a 34-year period (1764–1798), was the fruit of his labor. With Norinaga, the ''Kojiki'' assumed an importance equal to the ''Nihon Shoki''; in fact, in his view the ''Kojiki'' was a more trustworthy source for ancient Japanese traditions than was the ''Shoki'' precisely because it was free of "Chinese mentality". He viewed the ''Kojiki'' as a true account of actual events that when read correctly, could reveal Japan in its pristine, ideal state as a community where the ''kami'', the emperor and the people lived in harmony. Norinaga's work was carried on in different directions by his disciple

Hirata Atsutane was a Japanese scholar, conventionally ranked as one of the Four Great Men of Kokugaku (nativist) studies, and one of the most significant theologians of the Shintō religion. His literary name was , and his primary assumed name was . He also u ...

and his rivals Fujitani Mitsue (1781–1849) and Tachibana Moribe (1768–1823), who each produced commentaries and treatises on the text. The ''Kojiki'' became once more the object of scholarly focus and discussion in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

with the introduction of Western academic disciplines such as

philology Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...

and

comparative mythology Comparative mythology is the comparison of myths from different cultures in an attempt to identify shared themes and characteristics.Littleton, p. 32 Comparative mythology has served a variety of academic purposes. For example, scholars have used ...

. The importance of the text as a work of literary value was recognized, and scholars realized that its accounts were comparable in many ways to

ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

and Roman myths. At the same time, however, the ''Kojiki'' and ''Nihon Shoki'' achieved a sort of scriptural status under

State Shintō was Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that emphasized the Emperor as ...

, which viewed the stories contained therein as orthodox national history. Official ideology upheld as unquestionable fact the belief in the emperor's divinity and the idea of Japan as a racially superior "national body" (''

kokutai is a concept in the Japanese language translatable as "system of government", "sovereignty", "national identity, essence and character", "national polity; body politic; national entity; basis for the Emperor's sovereignty; Japanese constituti ...

''), with scholars who questioned their veracity facing the threat of censorship, forced resignation, or even trial in court. In 1913, Tsuda Sōkichi argued in a study that the ''Kojiki'', particularly in its earlier sections, was neither history nor myth but a document created to legitimize the rule of the imperial line. While his conclusions led to considerable controversy, his influence remains in subsequent studies of the text (particularly in post-

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

scholarship), which amounts largely to development and correction of the line of thought originally proposed by him. In reaction to Tsuda, Watsuji Tetsurō (1920) argued for a literary appreciation of the Kojiki, claiming that this gave it inner coherence. Kurano Kenji (1927) took it a step further, proposing that the ''Kojiki'' may best be compared with Western

epic literature An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants. ...

and regarded as a national epic like ''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

'' is in the English-speaking world. During the 1920s and 30s, linguist

Hashimoto Shinkichi was a Japanese linguist, born in Tsuruga, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Biography Hashimoto is especially noted for the discovery of Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai, which makes it clear that Old Japanese made more syllabic distinctions than later period ...

studied the phonology of the

Old Japanese language is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Jap ...

, and his conclusions were applied by scholars to the study of the text. The ''Kojiki'' continued to attract the attention of academics and other specialists in the post-war period, which saw the appearance of numerous editions, translations and commentaries on the text by authors such as Kurano Kenji, Takeda Yūkichi, Saigō Nobutsuna, and Kōnoshi Takamitsu.

Manuscripts

There are two major branches of ''Kojiki'' manuscripts: Ise and Urabe. The extant Urabe branch consists of 36 existing manuscripts all based on the 1522 copies by Urabe Kanenaga. The Ise branch may be subdivided into the manuscript of 1371–1372 and the manuscripts. The Dōka sub-branch consists of: * the manuscript of 1381; only the first half of the first volume remains * the manuscript of 1424; only the first volume remains, and there are many defects * the manuscript of 1426; one volume The Shinpukuji-bon manuscript (1371–1372) is the oldest existing manuscript. While divided into the Ise branch, it is actually a mixture of the two branches. The monk Ken'yu based his copy on Ōnakatomi Sadayo's copy. In 1266, Sadayo copied volumes one and three but did not have access to the second volume. Finally, in 1282, he obtained access to the second volume through a Urabe-branch manuscript that he used to transcribe.

Structure

The ''Kojiki'' contains various songs and poems. While the historical records and myths are written in a form of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

with a heavy mixture of Japanese elements, the songs are written with

Chinese character Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the Written Chinese, writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are k ...

s, though only used phonetically. This special use of Chinese characters is called ''

Man'yōgana is an ancient writing system that uses Chinese characters to represent the Japanese language. It was the first known kana system to be developed as a means to represent the Japanese language phonetically. The date of the earliest usage of this ...

'', a knowledge of which is critical to understanding these songs, which are written in

Old Japanese is the oldest attested stage of the Japanese language, recorded in documents from the Nara period (8th century). It became Early Middle Japanese in the succeeding Heian period, but the precise delimitation of the stages is controversial. Old Jap ...

Sections

The ''Kojiki'' is divided into three parts: the , the and the . *The ''Kamitsumaki'', also known as the , includes the

preface __NOTOC__ A preface () or proem () is an introduction to a book or other literary work written by the work's author. An introductory essay written by a different person is a '' foreword'' and precedes an author's preface. The preface often closes ...

of the ''Kojiki'', and is focused on the deities of creation and the births of various deities of the ''kamiyo'' () period, or

Age of the Gods In Shinto chronology, the is the period preceding the accession of Jimmu, the first Emperor of Japan. The kamiyo myths are chronicled in the "upper roll" (''Kamitsumaki'') of the ''Kojiki'' and in the first and second chapters of the '' Nihon Sho ...

. The ''Kamitsumaki'' also outlines the myths concerning the foundation of Japan. It describes how

Ninigi-no-Mikoto is a deity in Japanese mythology. Grandson of the sun goddess Amaterasu, Ninigi is regarded according to Japanese mythology as the great-grandfather of Japan’s first emperor, Emperor Jimmu. The three sacred treasures brought with Ninigi from ...

, grandson of

Amaterasu Amaterasu, also known as Amaterasu Ōmikami () or Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami (), is the goddess of the sun in Japanese mythology. One of the major deities (''kami'') of Shinto, she is also portrayed in Japan's earliest literary texts, the ''Kojik ...

and great-grandfather of

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

to Takachihonomine in

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

and became the

progenitor In genealogy, the progenitor (rarer: primogenitor; german: Stammvater or ''Ahnherr'') is the – sometimes legendary – founder of a family, line of descent, clan or tribe, noble house, or ethnic group.. Ebenda''Ahnherr:''"Stammvater eines G ...

of the Japanese Imperial line. *The ''Nakatsumaki'' begins with the conquests of

Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and ''Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Emperor of Japan The Emperor of Japan is the monarch and the head of the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family of Japan. Under the Constitution of Japan, he is defined as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, and his positio ...

; and ends with the 15th Emperor, Ōjin. The

second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

through

ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

Emperors' reigns are recorded in a minimum of detail, with only their names, the names of their various descendants, and the locations of their palaces and tombs listed, with no mention of their achievements. Many of the stories in this volume are mythological; the allegedly historical information is highly suspect. *The ''Shimotsumaki'' covers the 16th to 33rd Emperors and, unlike previous volumes, has very limited references to interactions with deities. (Such interactions are very prominent in the first and second volumes.) Information about the 24th to 33rd Emperors is scant.

Synopsis

What follows is a condensed summary of the contents of the text, including many of the names of gods, emperors, and locations as well as events which took place in association with them. The original Japanese is included in parentheses where appropriate.

Preface ()

's preface, in the form of a dedicatory address to

, begins with a poem summarizing the main contents of the work. He then relates how

commissioned

to memorize the genealogies and records of the imperial house years earlier, and how Genmei in turn ordered Yasumaro to compile a written record of what Are had learned. He finally concludes the preface with a brief explanation of the

Chinese characters Chinese characters () are logograms developed for the writing of Chinese. In addition, they have been adapted to write other East Asian languages, and remain a key component of the Japanese writing system where they are known as ''kanji' ...

used to

transcribe Transcription refers to the process of converting sounds (voice, music etc.) into letters or musical notes, or producing a copy of something in another medium, including: Genetics * Transcription (biology), the copying of DNA into RNA, the fir ...

native Japanese words in the text and the division of the work into three volumes.

The Kamitsumaki (), or first volume

The Nakatsumaki (), or second volume

*Kamu-Yamato-Iwarebiko-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Emperor Jimmu was the legendary first emperor of Japan according to the '' Nihon Shoki'' and '' Kojiki''. His ascension is traditionally dated as 660 BC.Kelly, Charles F"Kofun Culture"Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

**The sword from heaven, or Futsu no mitama () and the three legged crow, or

Yatagarasu Yatagarasu (Yatagarasu, Yata no Karasu) is a mythical crowThe Book of Ancient Matters, The Book of Ancient Matters, Gakken, pp. 130, 138, 139. and a guiding Kami, god in Shinto mythology. During Emperor Jimmu#Migration, Emperor Jimmu's Eastern E ...

() **The emperor's brother Hikoitsuse no Mikoto () **From Kumano () to

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial House of Japan. Japanese his ...

() **An ancient ballad, kumeuta () **The Empress Isukeyorihime or Empress Hime Tatara Isuzu () **The rebellion of Tagishimimi no Mikoto () *Kamu-Nunakawamimi-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Suizei , also known as , was the second legendary emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Suizei is known as a "le ...

() *Shikitsuhiko-Tamatemi-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Annei , also known as was the third legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Annei is known as a "lege ...

() *Ōyamatohiko-Sukitomo-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Itoku , also known as was the fourth legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Itoku is known as a "le ...

() *Mimatsuhiko-Kaeshine-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Kōshō , also known as was the fifth legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōshō is known as a "le ...

() *Ōyamato-Tarashihiko-Kuni-oshihito-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Kōan , also known as was the sixth legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōan is known as a "leg ...

() *Ōyamato-Nekohiko-Futoni-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Kōrei , also known as was the seventh legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōrei is known as a " ...

() *Ōyamato-Nekohiko-Kunikuru-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Kōgen , also known as was the eighth legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further verification and study. Kōgen is known as a "le ...

() *Wakayamato-Nekohiko-Ōbibi-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Kaika , also known as in the ''Kojiki'', and in the '' Nihon Shoki'' was the ninth legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further v ...

() *Mimakiirihiko-Inie-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Sujin , also known as in the ''Kojiki'', and or in the '' Nihon Shoki'' was the tenth Emperor of Japan. While Sujin is the first emperor whose existence historians widely accept, he is still referred to as a "legendary emperor" due to a lack of info ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **The god of

Mount Miwa or is a mountain located in the city of Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It has been an important religious and historical mountain in Japan, especially during its early history, and serves as a holy site in Shinto. The entire mountain is co ...

() or Mimoro (),

Ōmononushi Ōmononushi ( ja, 大物主神, Ōmononushi-no-Kami; historical orthography: ''Ohomononushi'') is a ''kami'' in Japanese mythology associated with Mount Miwa (also known as Mount Mimoro) in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture. He is closely linked in the ...

() **The rebellion of Takehaniyasu no Miko () **Emperor Hatsukunishirashishi () *Ikume-Iribiko-Isachi-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Suinin , also known as was the 11th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Less is known about ''Suinin'' than his father, and likewise he is also considered to be a "legendary emperor". Both the ''Kojiki'', and t ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **The Sahobiko () and Sahobime () **Homuchiwakenomiko () () **The fruit of time *Ōtarashihiko-Oshirowake-no-Sumeramikoto (), or

Emperor Keikō , also known as and , was the 12th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Keikō's all ...

() **The emperor's son and queen ** Yamato-Takeru-no-Mikoto's () conquest of the

Kumaso The were a mythical people of ancient Japan mentioned in the '' Kojiki'', believed to have lived in the south of Kyūshū until at least the Nara period. The last leader of the Kumaso, Torishi-Kaya was killed by Yamato Takeru in 397. The name o ...

people () **Izumo-Takeru's () Subjugation **Yamato Takeru's conquest of the eastern regions **Miyazuhime () **The Kunishinobiuta (), or country song **Yahiroshiro Chidori () **Yamato-Takeru's Posterity *Wakatarashihiko-no-Sumeramikoto (), or

Emperor Seimu , also known as , was the 13th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Seimu's alleged l ...

() *Tarashi-Nakatsuhiko-no-Sumeramikoto (), or

Emperor Chūai , also known as was the 14th legendary Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Both the ''Kojiki'', and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (collectively known as the ''Kiki'') record events that took place during Chūai's alleged li ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **The divine possession of Price Jingū () **The prince's expedition to

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

() **Kagosaka no Miko () and Oshikuma no Miko's () rebellion **The great god Kehi () **The Sakekura song () *Homudawake-no-Mikoto (), or

Emperor Ōjin , also known as (alternatively spelled 譽田別命, 誉田別命, 品陀和気命, 譽田分命, 誉田別尊, 品陀別命) or , was the 15th (possibly legendary) Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dat ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **Price Ōyamamori no Mikoto () and Emperor Ōsazaki no Mikoto () **Yakahaehime () **Kaminagahime () **The Kuzu song () **The tribute of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

() **The rebellion of Price Ōyamamori no Mikoto () **Visit of

Amenohiboko was a legendary prince of Silla who settled in Japan during the era of Emperor Suinin, around the 3rd or 4th century and was said to have lived in Tajima Province. His descendants are the Tajima clan. Amenohiboko is the ancestral god of Tajima Pro ...

() **Akiyama Shitahiotoko () and Haruyama Kasumiotoko () **The emperor's posterity

The Shimotsumaki (), or final volume

*Ōsazaki no mikoto (), or

Emperor Nintoku , also known as was the 16th Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Due to his reputation for goodness derived from depictions in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, he is sometimes referred to as the . While his existence ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **Kibi Kurohime () **Yatanowakiiratsume () and Iha no hime () **Hayabusawake no kimi () and Medori no kimi () **Wild goose eggs **A boat called Kareno (), or desolate field *Izahowake no miko (), or

Emperor Richū , also known as was the 17th legendary Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 履中天皇 (17) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or ...

() **The rebellion of Suminoenonakatsu no kimi () **Mizuhawake no kimi () and Sobakari () *Mizuhawake no mikoto (), or

Emperor Hanzei was the 18th legendary Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 反正天皇 (18) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan,'' p. 38. ...

() *Osatsumawakugonosukune no miko (), or

Emperor Ingyō was the 19th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 允恭天皇 (19) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but he is ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **Uji

kabane were Japanese hereditary noble titles. Their use traces back to ancient times when they began to be used as titles signifying a family's political and social status. History As the national unification by the Yamato imperial court progressed ...

system () **Karunohitsugi no miko () and Karunōhoiratsume () *Anaho no miko (), or

Emperor Ankō (401 — 24 September 456) was the 20th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 安康天皇 (20) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. Emperor Ankō is the earliest generally agreed u ...

() **Ōkusaka no kimi () and Nenōmi () **The incident of Mayowa no kimi () and Mayowa no ōkimi () **Ichinobenōshiwa no kimi () *Ōhatsusewakatake no mikoto (), or

Emperor Yūryaku (418 - 8 September 479) was the 21st legendary Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 雄略天皇 (21) retrieved 2013-8-28. according to the traditional order of succession. He is remembered as a patron of sericulture.Nippon ...

() **The emperor's son and queen **Wakakusakabe no kimi () **Akaiko () **Yoshinomiya () **Kazuraki () Hitokotonushi no ōkami () **Odohime (), Mie Uneme () *Shiraka no ōyamato (), or Emperor Seinei () **Shijimu Nihimurōtage () **

Utagaki Utagaki (歌垣), also read kagai (嬥歌), was an ancient Japanese Shinto ritual gathering. Villagers would meet on a mountaintop, where singing, dancing, eating, having free sexual intercourse and the reciting of poetry would occur, in celebratio ...

() *Iwasuwake no mikoto (), or

Emperor Kenzō (450 — 2 June 487) was the 23rd legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 顕宗天皇 (23) retrieved 2013-8-29. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life ...

() **Okeme Roujo () **Misasagi no Tsuchi () *Ōke no miko (), or

Emperor Ninken (449 — 9 September 498) was the 24th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 仁賢天皇 (24) retrieved 2013-8-30. according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's ...

() *Ohatsuse no wakasazaki no mikoto (), or

Emperor Buretsu (489 — 7 January 507) was the 25th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 武烈天皇 (25)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but ...

() *Ohodo no mikoto (), or

Emperor Keitai (died 10 March 531) was the 26th legendary emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 継体天皇 (26)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this emperor's life or reign, but h ...

() *Hirokunioshitakekanahi no miko (), or

Emperor Ankan (466 — 25 January 536) was the 27th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 安閑天皇 (27)/ref> according to the traditional List of Emperors of Japan, order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this ...

() *Takeohirokunioshitate no mikoto (), or

Emperor Senka (467 — 15 March 539) was the 28th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宣化天皇 (28)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, but ...

() *Amekunioshiharukihironiwa no sumeramiko (), or

Emperor Kinmei was the 29th Emperor of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 欽明天皇 (29) retrieved 2013-8-22. according to the traditional order of succession. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)pp. 34–36 Brown, Delmer. (1979) ''Gukanshō,'' pp. 261– ...

() *Nunakurafutotamashiki no mikoto (), or

Emperor Bidatsu was the 30th Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')敏達天皇 (30) retrieved 2013-1-31. according to the traditional order of succession. The years of reign of Bidatsu start in 572 and end in 585; however, there are no c ...

() *Tachibananotoyohi no miko (), or

Emperor Yōmei was the 31st Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 用明天皇 (31)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Yōmei's reign spanned the years from 585 until his death in 587. Traditional narrative He was call ...

() *Hatsusebenowakasazaki no sumeramikoto (), or

Emperor Sushun was the 32nd Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')崇峻天皇 (32)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Sushun's reign spanned the years from 587 through 592. Traditional narrative Before his ascension to ...

() *Toyomikekashikiyahime no mikoto (), or

Empress Suiko (554 – 15 April 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 推古天皇 (33)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Suiko reigned from 593 until her death in 628. In the history of Japan ...

()

English-language translations

* Chamberlain, Basil Hall. 1882. ''A translation of the "Ko-ji-ki" or Records of ancient matters''. Yokohama, Japan: R. Meiklejohn and Co., Printers
(www.sacred-texts.com)
* Philippi, Donald L. 1968/1969. ''Kojiki''. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press and Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. () * Heldt, Gustav. 2014. ''The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters.'' New York: Columbia University Press. ()

Notes

References

* Bentley, John R. ''The Authenticity of Sendai Kuji Hongi: A New Examination of Texts, With a Translation And Commentary''. () * Brownlee, John S. (1997) ''Japanese historians and the national myths, 1600-1945: The Age of the Gods and Emperor Jimmu''. Vancouver:

University of British Columbia Press The University of British Columbia Press (UBC Press) is a university press that is part of the University of British Columbia. It was established in 1971. The press is based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and has editorial offices in Kelo ...

. () Tokyo:

University of Tokyo Press The is a university press affiliated with the University of Tokyo in Japan. It was founded in 1951, following the post-World War II reorganization of the university. Honors * Japan Foundation: Special Prize, 1990. Location The headquarters of t ...

. () * Brownlee, John S. (1991). ''Political Thought in Japanese Historical Writing: From ''Kojiki'' (712) to Tokushi Yoron (1712)''. Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. () * * Ono, Motonori ''Shinto: The Kami Way'' * Starrs, Roy (2005). "The ''Kojiki'' as Japan's National Narrative", in ''Asian Futures, Asian Traditions'', edited by Edwina Palmer. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental, *Wittkamp, Robert F. (2018). "The Body as a Mode of Conceptualization in the ''Kojiki'' Cosmogony" in「東西学術研究所紀要」第51輯 (''Tōzai gakujutsu kenkyūsho kiyō'' 51, pp. 47–64, PDF online available). *Wittkamp, Robert F. (2020): "Re-Examining Japanese Mythologies: Why the ''Nihon Shoki'' has two books of myths but the ''Kojiki'' only one" in「東西学術研究所紀要」第53輯 (''Tōzai gakujutsu kenkyūsho kiyō'' 53, pp. 13–39, PDF online available). *

External links

* Original Text of the Kojiki. * Chamberlain's translation of ''Kojiki'': *
full text at the Internet Sacred Text Archive
*
scan from ''The sacred books and early literature of the East'', edited by Charles Horne
*
''Encyclopedia of Shinto''
��Kokugakuin University *
Basic Terms of Shinto
��Kokugakuin University *

*

Waseda University , abbreviated as , is a private university, private research university in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as the ''Tōkyō Senmon Gakkō'' by Ōkuma Shigenobu, the school was formally renamed Waseda University in 1902. The university has numerou ...

Library
1644 manuscript, three volumes
{{Authority control Old Japanese texts 8th-century history books History books about Japan Nara-period works 8th century in Japan Japanese mythology Shinto texts 8th-century works East Asian religious texts Asuka period Japanese literature in Classical Chinese 711 712