Kojiki

Kojiki, or Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest extant Japanese chronicle, compiled in 712 CE. It was commissioned by Empress Genmei and compiled under the direction of the court official Ō no Yasumaro, drawing on earlier oral and ceremonial sources preserved by aristocratic clans. The text is written in early Japanese using man’yōgana, a script that uses Chinese characters for their phonetic value.

The work presents a sequence beginning with the Age of the Gods (kami no yo), detailing creation myths in which the gods Izanagi and Izanami shape the Japanese archipelago and the birth of major deities such as Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo. It then recounts the descent of the heavenly grandchild Ninigi to earth and the eventual founding of the Japanese imperial line. The narrative continues through a succession of emperors, blending myth with legendary history, and closes with chronicles of the early emperors and their deeds.

As a key source for Shinto beliefs and for the legendary origins of the Japanese state, Kojiki has profoundly influenced Japanese literature, art, and nationalist historiography. It is often studied in relation to the Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan), the other early chronicle compiled in the Nara period, which presents a more courtly and Chinese-influenced account of events.

The Kojiki survives in later manuscript copies and has been translated into English and other languages. It remains a foundational text for understanding early Japanese mythology, the imperial cult, and the development of Japan’s literary and historical tradition.