Nihon Shoki

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Japanese Mythology

Religions  · Divinities
Creatures & Spirits
Stories and Myths
Kojiki  · Kwaidan
Nihon Shoki  · Otogizōshi
Yotsuya Kaidan
Legendary Figures
Abe no Seimei  · Hidari Jingorō
Kintarō  · Kuzunoha  · Momotarō
Nezumi Kozō  · Tamamo-no-Mae
Tomoe Gozen  · Urashima Tarō
Sacred Objects
Amenonuhoko  · Kusanagi
Sesshō-seki  · Tonbogiri
Three Sacred Treasures
Mythical & Sacred Locations
Hōrai  · Mount Hiei
Mt. Fuji  · Rashōmon
Ryūgū-jō  · Suzakumon
Takamagahara  · Yomi
Japanese Mythology

The Nihon Shoki (日本書紀?), sometimes translated as The Chronicles of Japan, is the second oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate than the Kojiki, the oldest, and has proven invaluable to historians as it includes the most complete extant historical record of ancient Japan. The Nihon Shoki was finished in 720 under the editorial supervision of Prince Toneri and with the assistance of Ōno Yasumaro. The book is also called the Nihongi (日本紀).

Like the Kojiki, the Nihon Shoki begins with mythological tales, but continues its account through to contemporary events. It is believed to record accurately the latter reigns of Emperor Tenji, Emperor Temmu, and Empress Jitō, and focuses on the merits of the virtuous rulers and the mistakes of the bad ones. It describes episodes from mythological eras and diplomatic contacts with other countries. The Nihon Shoki was written in classical Chinese, as was common for official documents at that time. By contrast, the Kojiki was written in Japanese transliterated into Chinese characters.

Contents

[edit] Chapters

  • Chapter 01: (First chapter of myths) Kami no Yo no Kami no maki.
  • Chapter 02: (Second chapter of myths) Kami no Yo no Shimo no maki.
  • Chapter 03: (Emperor Jimmu) Kamuyamato Iwarebiko no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 04:
  • Chapter 05: (Emperor Sujin) Mimaki Iribiko Iniye no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 06: (Emperor Suinin) Ikume Iribiko Isachi no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 07:
  • Chapter 08: (Emperor Chuai) Tarashi Nakatsuhiko no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 09: (Regent Empress Jingu) Okinaga Tarashihime no Mikoto.
  • Chapter 10: (Emperor Ojin) Homuda no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 11: (Emperor Nintoku) Ōsasagi no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 12:
  • Chapter 13:
  • Chapter 14: (Emperor Yūryaku) Ōhatsuse no Waka Takeru no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 15:
  • Chapter 16: (Emperor Buretsu) Ohatsuse no Waka Sasagi no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 17: (Emperor Keitai) Ōdo no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 18:
  • Chapter 19: (Emperor Kimmei) Amekuni Oshiharaki Hironiwa no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 20: (Emperor Bidatsu) Nunakakura no Futo Tamashiki no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 21:
  • Chapter 22: (Empress Suiko) Toyomike Kashikiya Hime no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 23: (Emperor Jomei) Okinaga Tarashi Hihironuka no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 24: (Empress Kogyoku) Ame Toyotakara Ikashi Hitarashi no Hime no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 25: (Emperor Kotoku) Ame Yorozu Toyohi no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 26: (Empress Saimei) Ame Toyotakara Ikashi Hitarashi no Hime no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 27: (Emperor Tenji) Ame Mikoto Hirakasuwake no Sumeramikoto.
  • Chapter 28: (Emperor Temmu, first chapter) Ama no Nunakahara Oki no Mahito no Sumeramikoto, Kami no maki.
  • Chapter 29: (Emperor Temmu, second chapter) Ama no Nunakahara Oki no Mahito no Sumeramikoto, Shimo no maki.
  • Chapter 30: (Empress Jito) Takamanohara Hirono Hime no Sumeramikoto.

[edit] Process of compilation

Shoku Nihongi notes that "先是一品舎人親王奉勅修日本紀。至是功成奏上。紀三十巻系図一巻" in the part of May, 720. It means "Up to that time, Prince Toneri had been compiling Nihongi on the orders of the emperor; he completed it, submitting 30 volumes of history and one volume of genealogy." The volume of genealogy is no longer extant.

[edit] Contributors

The process of compilation is usually studied by stylistic analysis of each chapter. Although written in classical Chinese, some sections use styles characteristic of Japanese editors, while others seem to be written by native speakers of Chinese. According to recent studies, most of the chapters after #14 (Emperor Yūryaku chronicle) were contributed by native Chinese, except for Chapters 22 and 23 (the Suiko and Jomei chronicle). Also, as Chapter 13 ends with the phrase "see details of the incident in the chronicle of Ōhastuse(Yūryaku) Emperor" referring to the assassination of Emperor Ankō, it is assumed that this chapter was written after the compilation of subsequent chapters. Some believe Chapter 14 was the first to be completed.

[edit] References

The Nihon Shoki is said to be based on older documents, specifically on the records that had been continuously kept in the Yamato court since the sixth century. It also includes documents and folklore submitted by clans serving the court. Prior to Nihon Shoki, there were Tennoki (Chronicle of the Emperors), and Kokki (Chronicle of the State) compiled by Prince Shotoku and Soga no Umako, but as they were stored in Soga's residence, they were burned at the time of the Isshi Incident.

The work's contributors refer to various sources which do not exist today. Among those sources, three Baekje documents(Kudara-ki,etc) are cited mainly for the purpose of recording diplomatic affairs.[1][2] Records possibly written in Baekje may have been the basis for the quotations in the Nihon Shoki. But textual criticism shows that scholars fleeing the destruction of the Baekje to Yamato wrote these histories and the authors of the Nihon Shoki heavily relied upon those sources.[1] The use of Baekje's place names in Nihon Shoki is another piece of evidence that the history used Baekje documents..

Some other sources are cited anonymously as aru fumi (一書; other document), in order to keep alternative records for specific incidents.

[edit] Exaggeration of reign lengths

Most scholars agree that the purported founding date of Japan (660 BCE) and the first thirteen emperors of Japan are mythical. This does not necessarily imply that the persons referred to did not exist, merely that there is insufficient evidence to conclude that they existed or can be assigned to a particular period of history. It is much more likely that they were chieftains, or local kings, and that the polities they ruled would not have encompassed all, or even most, of Japan.

For those monarchs, and also for the Emperors Ojin and Nintoku, the lengths of reign are likely to have been exaggerated in order to make the origins of the imperial family sufficiently ancient to satisfy numerological expectations. It is widely believed that the epoch of 660 BCE was chosen because it is a "xīn-yǒu" year in the sexagenary cycle, which according to Taoist beliefs was an appropriate year for a revolution to take place. As Taoist theory also groups together 21 sexagenary cycles into one unit of time, it is assumed that the compilers of Nihon Shoki assigned the year 601 (a "xīn-yǒu" year in which Prince Shotoku's reformation took place) as a "modern revolution" year, and consequently recorded 660 BCE, 1260 years prior to that year, as the founding epoch.

[edit] Kesshi Hachidai (Eight undocumented monarchs)

For the eight emperors of Chapter 4, only the years of birth and reign, year of naming as Crown Prince, names of consorts, and locations of tomb are recorded. They are called the Kesshi Hachidai (欠史八代) because no legends are associated with them. Recent studies support the view that these emperors were invented to push Jimmu's reign further back to the year 660 BCE. Nihon Shoki itself somewhat elevates the "tenth" emperor Sujin, recording that he was called the Hatsu-Kuni-Shirasu (御肇国: first nation-ruling) emperor.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Sakamoto, Taro. The Six National Histories of Japan: Rikkokushi. UBC Press, 40. ISBN 0-7748-0379-7. 
  2. ^ in Delmer M. Brown: The Cambridge History of Japan. Cambridge University Press, 170. ISBN 0-521-22352-0. 

[edit] External links

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