is a historical text that categorizes and chronologizes the events listed in the ''

Six National Histories is a general term for Japan's Six National Histories chronicling the mythology and history of Japan from the earliest times to 887. The six histories were written at the imperial court during the 8th and 9th centuries, under order of the Emperors. ...

''. It was compiled by

Sugawara no Michizane was a scholar, poet, and politician of the Heian Period of Japan. He is regarded as an excellent poet, particularly in Kanshi poetry, and is today revered in Shinto as the god of learning, . In the poem anthology '' Hyakunin Isshu'', he is know ...

and completed in 892. The text was commissioned by

Emperor Uda was the 59th emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 宇多天皇 (59)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. Uda's reign spanned the years from 887 through 897. Traditional narrative Name and legacy Befor ...

The text was originally 200 volumes in length with two indexes and three genealogical volumes. However, much of it was lost during the

Ōnin War The , also known as the Upheaval of Ōnin and Ōnin-Bunmei war, was a civil war that lasted from 1467 to 1477, during the Muromachi period in Japan. '' Ōnin'' refers to the Japanese era during which the war started; the war ended during the Bun ...

in the late 15th century. Only 62 volumes are currently extant: volumes 1-5, 8-11, 14-16, 19, 25, 28, 31-36, 40, 54, 61, 66, 71-75, 77-80, 83-84, 86-89, 99, 101, 107, 147, 159, 165, 170-171, 173, 177-180, 182, 185-187, 189-190, 193-194, 199.Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten (1986:1938) The text categories and subcategories the historical accounts given in the ''Six National Histories'', listing each of which in chronological order..Koten Bungaku Jiten (1997:1507) There are a total of eighteen categories, with another five lost in the missing volumes. While the final national history, ''

Nihon Sandai Jitsuroku , abbreviated as Sandai Jitsuroku, is an officially commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 901, it is the sixth and final text in the Six National Histories series. It covers the years 858–887. Background Following the earlier natio ...

'', was completed in 901, nine years later, Michizane was one of the contributing editors and was thus able to incorporate early content. The editorial policy was to be true to the original sources without modifying or adding to the content. It is thus a valuable resource in reconstructing '' Nihon Kōki'', ''

Shoku Nihon Kōki is an officially commissioned Japanese history text. Completed in 869, it is the fourth volume in the Six National Histories. It covers the years 833–850. Background Following the earlier national history ''Nihon Kōki'' (840), in 855 Emperor ...

'', and ''

'', all of which were largely lost over time.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiju Kokushi Late Old Japanese texts 9th-century history books History books about Japan Nara period 892 9th century in Japan Sugawara no Michizane History books of the Heian Period

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