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Shinto Texts
are the holy books of Shinto. The main two books are the Kojiki and the Nihon Shoki, collectively called the . Content * Tennōki record of the genealogy of the Imperial Family. Burned in a fire in 645 with no other copies existing. Only record is in the Nihon Shoki. * One of the Kiki. * One of the Kiki, first of the Rikkokushi. * * * a book that used to be part of the Kiki, generally seen as a forgery based on the ''Nihon Shoki'', the ''Kojiki'' and the .Encyclopedia of Shinto' entry by Masafumi Motosawa, 2007. Kokugakuin University. Accessed 2013-6-19. No longer seen as scripture These books are sometimes considered scripture * Engishiki * * Manyoshu * * Rikkokushi * Shoku Nihongi * '' Konjaku Monogatarishū'' * ''Nihon Ryōiki'' History The Kojiki was written first in 711. It is the oldest surviving Japanese book. It is believed that the compilation of various genealogical and anecdotal histories of the imperial (Yamato) court and prominent clans began durin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kojiki Den
The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperial line. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by Ō no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the as well as the are part of the inspiration behind many practices and unified "Shinto orthodoxy". Later, they were incorporated into Shinto 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 b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 female equivalent is a princess. The English word derives, via the French word ''prince'', from the Latin noun , from (first) and (head), meaning "the first, foremost, the chief, most distinguished, noble ruler, prince". In a related sense, now not commonly used, all more or less sovereign rulers over a state, including kings, were "princes" in the language of international politics. They normally had another title, for example king or duke. Many of these were Princes of the Holy Roman Empire. Historical background The Latin word (older Latin *prīsmo-kaps, ), became the usual title of the informal leader of the Roman senate some centuries before the transition to empire, the ''princeps senatus''. Emperor Augustus established the form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Takamimusubi
Takamimusubi (高御産巣日, lit. "High Generative Force") is a Creator deity, creation deity in Japanese mythology, who was the second of the Kotoamatsukami, first beings to come into existence. It is speculated that Takamimusubi was originally the tutelary deity for the Imperial House of Japan, Japanese imperial family. According to the Kojiki, Takamimusubi was a hitorigami. Mythology According to ''Kojiki'', when the Japanese creation myth, heaven and earth were created, Ame-no-Minakanushi was the first one to appear in Takamagahara, Takamimusubi the second, and Kamimusubi the third. Together with Amaterasu, he jointly rules the Takamagahara. One myth tells of a bird named Nakime who was sent down to earth to check in on Ame-no-wakahiko, Amewakahiko. Amewakahiko shot the bird with his bow. The arrow pierced through the bird, but the arrow flew all the way to heaven. Takamimusubi saw the arrow and threw it back at the earth where it hit Amewakahiko while he was lying in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ame-no-Minakanushi
Ame-no-Minakanushi (天之御中主, lit. "Heavenly Ancestral God of the Originating Heart of the Universe") is a deity (''kami'') in Japanese mythology, portrayed in the ''Kojiki'' and the ''Nihon Shoki'' as the first or one of the first deities who manifested when heaven and Earth came into existence. Name The ''kami'' is given the name 'Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Kami' (天之御中主神; Old Japanese: ''Ame 2-no2-Mi1nakanusi'') in the ''Kojiki'' (ca. 712 CE). The same deity is referred to as 'Ame-no-Minakanushi-no-Mikoto' (天御中主尊) in a variant account cited in the ''Nihon Shoki'' (720 CE). Mythology The ''Kojiki'' portrays Ame-no-Minakanushi as the first god to appear in the heavenly realm of Takamagahara after the emergence of heaven and Earth from the primeval chaos: Unlike later generations of ''kami'', the first seven gods were "single" or "solitary" in that they came into being one by one, without any counterparts, and are described as hiding their presence upo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nihongi
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeologists as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan. The was finished in 720 under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri with the assistance of Ō no Yasumaro and presented to Empress Genshō. The book is also a reflection of Chinese influence on Japanese civilization. In Japan, the Sinicized court wanted written history that could be compared with the annals of the Chinese. The begins with the Japanese creation myth, explaining the origin of the world and the first seven generations of divine beings (starting with Kuninotokotachi), and goes on with a number of myths as does the , but continues its account through to events of the 8th century. It is believed to record accurately the latter reig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polity
A polity is a group of people with a collective identity, who are organized by some form of political Institutionalisation, institutionalized social relations, and have a capacity to mobilize resources. A polity can be any group of people organized for governance, such as the board of a corporation, the government of a country, or the government of a country subdivision. A polity may have various forms, such as a republic administered by an elected representative, the realm of a hereditary monarch, and others. The preeminent polities today are Westphalian sovereignty, Westphalian states and nation-states, commonly referred to as countries. Overview In geopolitics, a polity can manifest in different forms such as a State (polity), state, an empire, an international organization, a political organization or another identifiable, resource-manipulating organizational structure. A polity like a state does not need to be a Sovereignty, sovereign unit. The preeminent polities tod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ō No Yasumaro
was a Japanese nobleman, bureaucrat, and chronicler. He may have been the son of Ō no Honji, a participant in the Jinshin War of 672.Philippi (1968:546) He is most famous for compiling and editing, with the assistance of Hieda no Are, the ''Kojiki'', the oldest extant Japanese history. Empress Genmei (r. 707-721) charged Yasumaro with the duty of writing the ''Kojiki'' in 711 using the differing clan chronicles and native myths. It was finished the following year and presented to Empress Genmei in 3 volumes in 712.''Obunsha Japanese Encyclopedia 3rd Edition'' Career details In 704, Yasumaro was promoted from Shorokuinoge (Senior Sixth Rank, Lower Grade) to the rank of Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade). In 711, Yasumaro was promoted to Shogoinojo (Senior Fifth Rank, Upper Grade). In September of the same year, Emperor Genmei presumably ordered him to combine two pre-existing documents, the "Imperial Sun-lineage" and "Ancient Dicta of Former Ages", which was le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wadō (era)
was a after '' Keiun'' and before '' Reiki''. This period spanned the years from January 708 through September 715. The reigning monarch was Empress Genmei (元明天皇, Genmei-tennō). Change of era * 708 : The new era name ''Wadō'' (meaning "Japanese copper") was created because a high-quality copper mine was discovered in Chichibu in Musashi Province, what is now known as Wadō Archaeological Site. The previous era ended and the new one commenced in the spring of ''Keiun'' 5, on the 11th day of the 1st month of 708. The Japanese word for copper is ; and since this was indigenous copper, the ''"wa"'' (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the ''"dō"'' (copper) to create a new composite term -- "''wadō''"—meaning "Japanese copper". A mint was established in the province of Ōmi;Ponsonby-Fane, Richard Arthur Brabazon. (1959). ''The Imperial House of Japan'', p. 56. and the ''Wadō'' era is famous for the coin , which is recognized as the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 through 715. She established the capital at Heijō-kyō in 710, marking the beginning of the Nara period. In the history of Japan, Genmei was the fourth of eight women to take on the role of empress regnant. The three female monarchs before Genmei were Suiko, Kōgyoku/Saimei, and Jitō. The four women sovereigns reigning after Genmei were Genshō, Kōken/Shōtoku, Meishō, and Go-Sakuramachi. Traditional narrative Before her ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne, her personal name (''imina'') was Abe''-hime''.Brown, p. 271. Empress Genmei was the fourth daughter of Emperor Tenji; and she was a younger sister of Empress Jitō by a different mother. Her mother, Mei-no-Iratsume (also known as Soga''-hime''), was a daughter of '' Udaijin'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oral Tradition
Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication in which knowledge, art, ideas and culture are received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another.Jan Vansina, Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985), reported statements from present generation which "specifies that the message must be oral statements spoken, sung or called out on musical instruments only"; "There must be transmission by word of mouth over at least a generation". He points out, "Our definition is a working definition for the use of historians. Sociologists, linguists or scholars of the verbal arts propose their own, which in, e.g., sociology, stresses common knowledge. In linguistics, features that distinguish the language from common dialogue (linguists), and in the verbal arts features of form and content that define art (folklorists)."Ki-Zerbo, Joseph: "Methodology and African Pre-history", 1990, ''UNESCO International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hieda No Are
is primarily known for being instrumental to the compilation of the Japanese text '' Kojiki'' in 712. While birth and death are unknown, Are was active during the late 7th and early 8th century. Background Very little is known about Are's background. A passage in the ''Seikyūki'' (西宮記) suggests that Are belongs to the Sarume-no-kimi family, who trace their ancestry back to the goddess Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto.Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten Henshū Iinkai (1986:1518) Scholars such as Kunio Yanagita was a Japanese author, scholar, and Folklore studies, folklorist. He began his career as a bureaucrat, but developed an interest in rural Japan and its folk traditions. This led to a change in his career. His pursuit of this led to his eventual e ... and Saigō Nobutsuna theorize that Are was a woman. Are was given the title of , which is typically a male title.Kurano (1958:46–47) However, members of the Sarume-no-kimi family are renowned as shrine maidens to the court, a fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. He ascended to the throne following the Jinshin War, during which his army defeated that of Emperor Kōbun. Tenmu reigned from 673 until his death in 686, amid Hakuhō period or the late Asuka period. During his reign, Tenmu implemented political and military reforms, consolidating imperial power and centralizing governance. His foreign policy favored the Korean kingdom of Silla while severing diplomatic relations with the Tang dynasty of China. He used religious structures to bolster the imperial authority, building several Buddhist temples including Yakushi-ji and monasteries as well as strengthening ties with the Ise Shrine. He was succeeded by his wife, Empress Jitō. Tenmu is the first monarch of Japan contemporaneously documented as us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
