Kojiki
Also known as: Records of Ancient Matters, Record of Ancient Matters, Furukotofumi, 古事記
Japan’s earliest extant book intertwines cosmogony, divine genealogies, and royal annals. From the creation by Izanagi and Izanami to heroic cycles and imperial origins, it legitimizes rule through mythic ancestry.
Description
The Kojiki, compiled in 712 CE, is the oldest surviving Japanese book, blending mythic cosmogony, divine genealogies, and early imperial traditions. It narrates the formation of the islands, the birth of myriad deities, and the descent of heavenly lineage to rule the terrestrial realm. Central episodes include Amaterasu’s withdrawal into the Rock Cave and return, Susanoo’s slaying of the Yamata-no-Orochi, Ōkuninushi’s land-making and cession, the sea-voyage cycle of Hoderi and Hoori, and the imperial foundations culminating in Emperor Jimmu. Structured in three books, it functions as a mytho-historical charter for sovereignty, ritual order, and cultural origins, preserving archaic songs and names alongside courtly ideology.
Historiography
The Kojiki was compiled by Ō no Yasumaro from Hieda no Are’s memorized corpus and submitted to Empress Genmei in 712. The oldest extant manuscript is the Shinpukuji-bon (1371–1372), a late medieval copy; earlier exemplars are lost. Edo-period scholarship, notably Motoori Norinaga’s multi-volume Kojiki-den, profoundly shaped textual interpretation and national learning. The Kojiki is often read alongside the Nihon Shoki (720) and regional Fudoki as complementary witnesses to early myth and state formation.
Date Notes
Compiled by Ō no Yasumaro from the memorized recitations of Hieda no Are and presented to Empress Genmei; incorporates earlier oral and court traditions.
Archetypes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Izanagi
- Izanami
- Amaterasu
- Susanoo
- Tsukuyomi
- Ōkuninushi
- Ninigi
- Emperor Jimmu
Myths
- Creation of the Islands by Izanagi and Izanami
- Birth of Amaterasu, Tsukuyomi, and Susanoo
- Amaterasu’s Retreat to the Rock Cave
- Susanoo and the Orochi
- Descent of the Heavenly Grandson
- Jimmu’s Eastern Conquest
Facts
- Oldest surviving Japanese book, compiled in 712 CE.
- Presented by Ō no Yasumaro to Empress Genmei; based on Hieda no Are’s memorized accounts.
- Structured in three books spanning cosmogony to early imperial genealogies.
- Earliest extant manuscript is the Shinpukuji-bon, copied in 1371–1372.
- Key commentary tradition includes Motoori Norinaga’s Kojiki-den in the Edo period.
- Narratives ground imperial legitimacy in descent from Amaterasu through Ninigi and Jimmu.
- Contains myth cycles: Rock Cave, Orochi, Ōkuninushi’s land-making, Hoderi–Hoori sea tale, Yamato Takeru.
- Preserves archaic songs (uta) and names interwoven with prose.
- Closely paired with the Nihon Shoki (720) and regional Fudoki records.
- Three Sacred Treasures—mirror, sword, magatama—anchor ritual sovereignty.