Kojiki
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| Part of the series on Japanese Mythology |
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 |
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| Religions · Divinities | |
| Creatures & Spirits | |
| Stories and Myths | |
|---|---|
| Kojiki · Kwaidan | |
| Nihon Shoki · Otogizoshi | |
| Yotsuya Kaidan | |
| Legendary Figures | |
| Abe no Seimei · Hidari Jingoro | |
| Kintarō · Kuzunoha · Momotarō | |
| Nezumi Kozo · Tamamo-no-Mae | |
| Tomoe Gozen · Urashima Tarō | |
| Sacred Objects | |
| Amenonuhoko · Kusanagi | |
| Sessho-seki · Tonbogiri | |
| Three Sacred Treasures | |
| Mythical & Sacred Locations | |
| Horai · Mt. Hiei | |
| Mt. Fuji · Rashōmon | |
| Ryugu-jo · Suzakumon | |
| Takamagahara · Yomi | |
| Japanese Mythology | |
Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記), also known in English as the Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest surviving historical book recounting events of ancient earth in the Japanese language. A document claiming to be an older work, the Kujiki (which the Kojiki dates to AD 620), also exists, but its authenticity is questionable.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Kojiki was presented by Ō no Yasumaro to Emperor Temmu in CE 680, based upon the events which had been memorized from the previous book, the Kujiki, and by those whom held the stories which had been passed down over generations, as well as stories which had been memorized by Hieda no Are in 712. Despite the fact that many note a difference in some precepts of the Kojiki and similar Chinese stories, it is thought that these may have been stories which had traveled and become known in areas of Japan and China. Nevertheless, the idea that the Kojiki mimics deities descending from China to Japan, is incorrect due to the fact that the Kojiki is a story detailing the creation of deities, and throughout Chamberlain's translation in 1882, the area in which the events were said to have unfolded is not explained, and is thought to occur upon the "island" or land-mass created by Izanami and Izanagi[1]
[edit] Story of the Kojiki
[edit] Misconceptions
Many times, the Kojiki has been mistakenly referred to as "another version" of the Nihon Shoki, or as a reference of Japanese events, and thus labeled as an entirely Japanese religious text, and subsequently religion. However, it should be noted that the Kojiki itself is a text which details the creation of the Kami, their siblings, and the earth itself, and not the History of Japan itself. Despite the fact that the Nihongi details events of deities in Japan it should be thought of as a Japanese recollection of events, and not the entire encompass of the Shinto religion itself.
[edit] Creation
The very beginning of the Kojiki deals specifically with the precursory kami, which were created in the beginning upon the plane of high heaven. The creation of the plane of high heaven is said to have taken place amongst the events of the Kujiki, but was lost and is unknown.
It also contains various songs/poems. While the historical records and myths are written in a form of Chinese with a heavy admixture of Japanese elements, the songs are written with Chinese characters used to convey sounds only. This special use of Chinese characters is called Man'yōgana, a knowledge of which is critical to understanding these songs. These songs are in the dialect of the Yamato area from about 7th century to 8th century CE, a language called Jōdai Nihongo (lit. "upper age Japanese"). In English, this is most commonly called Old Japanese.
The Kojiki is divided into three parts: Kamitsumaki (lit. "upper roll"), Nakatsumaki (lit. "middle roll"), and Shimotsumaki (lit. "lower roll").
The Kamitsumaki includes the preface and is focused on the deities of creation and the births of various deities.
The Nakatsumaki begins with the story of Emperor Jimmu, the first Emperor, and his conquest of Japan, and ends with the 15th Emperor, Emperor Ōjin. Many of the stories it contains are mythological, and the allegedly historical information in them is highly suspect. For unknown reasons, the 2nd to 9th Emperors are listed but their achievements are largely missing.
The Shimotsumaki covers the 16th to 33rd Emperors, and, unlike previous volumes, has very limited references to the interactions with deities which are so prominent in the first and second volumes. Information on the 24th to 33rd Emperors are largely missing as well.
In the Edo period, Motoori Norinaga studied the Kojiki intensively, the results of which were published in his Kojiki-den (Kojiki Commentary). It was first claimed in the Edo period that the Kojiki may have been forged later than it was supposed to have been written.
The first and best-known English translation of the Kojiki was made by the renowned Japanologist Basil Hall Chamberlain. More recently, a well-regarded translation was made by Donald L. Philippi. It was published by Columbia University Press in October 1982 (ISBN 0-86008-320-9).
[edit] Notes
- ^ The Kojiki itself should be read carefully. The first chapter details that the earth was created, and later chapters talk that when Amenonuhoku was dipped into the water, an island was created. This would suggest that the earth was mainly a body of water and then a land-mass was raised up (Onogoro).
- ↑ Chamberlain, B.H. (1882-1919) The Kojiki - translated by Basil Hall Chamberlain Public Domain (Published before copyright)
- ↑ Ono, Motonori Shinto: The Kami Way
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- The Internet Sacred Text Archive - An online version of Basil Hall Chamberlain's 1919 translation of Kojiki.
