Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan)
The Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, is the second-oldest classical text of Japan and the first official history of the Japanese state, completed in 720 CE under imperial commission. Written largely in Classical Chinese — the literary prestige language of East Asia — it presents Japan's history from the age of the gods through the reign of Empress Jito in 697 CE. Alongside the slightly older K
Overview
The Nihon Shoki, or Chronicles of Japan, is the second-oldest classical text of Japan and the first official history of the Japanese state, completed in 720 CE under imperial commission. Written largely in Classical Chinese — the literary prestige language of East Asia — it presents Japan's history from the age of the gods through the reign of Empress Jito in 697 CE. Alongside the slightly older Kojiki (712 CE), the Nihon Shoki forms the twin pillars of Shinto mythological and historical tradition, narrating the creation of the Japanese islands, the deeds of divine beings (kami), and the divine descent of the imperial dynasty from the sun goddess Amaterasu.
Unlike the Kojiki, which was compiled from oral tradition in a hybrid Japanese-Chinese script, the Nihon Shoki was composed in formal Kanbun (literary Chinese) for an international audience, intended to demonstrate that Japan possessed a civilization comparable to Tang-dynasty China and Silla Korea. It is significantly longer than the Kojiki and frequently presents multiple variant versions of the same myth, preserving a wider range of regional traditions. This editorial decision gives the Nihon Shoki a distinctive character as an anthology of mythological traditions rather than a single authoritative narrative.
The Nihon Shoki remains foundational for Shinto religious practice and Japanese national identity. Its cosmological narratives describe the origin of the sacred Japanese landscape, the nature of the kami, and the unbroken lineage connecting the imperial family to the divine realm. For centuries it was read alongside the Kojiki as scripture by Shinto priests and studied as history by Japanese scholars, administrators, and emperors.
- Genesis 1-2 (creation from chaos, divine ordering of nature)
- Genesis 6:1-4 (divine beings and human interaction)
- Exodus 10:21-23 (cosmic darkness as divine intervention)
- Exodus 25-27 (sacred objects as vessels of divine presence)
- Psalm 19:1-6 (the heavens declare divine glory)
The Nihon Shoki records variant versions of the same myths in its margins, making it an unusual ancient text that preserves multiple competing traditions rather than harmonizing them into a single official version.