The Kojiki (古事記) is considered the oldest book in Japan’s history and is also known as Furukotofumi. The writing of the relic is in ancient Japanese language, such as the use of manyogana (Japanese writing with Chinese characters, used in the sixth century).
The writings of the Kojiki contain tales from the year 712 when Ō no Yasumaro presented it to Empress Gemmei. The stories also depict supernatural beings (very similar to those portrayed in anime). The tales are based on an earlier version with a similar name: Kujiki. The book is filled with songs and poems divided into three volumes representing the order of each: Kamitsumaki (“upper roll”), Nakatsumaki (“middle roll”), and Shimotsumaki (“lower roll”).
The first Kojiki contains a preface, and the focus of the unit is on gods, as well as their creation and birth. The following book discusses the history of the Emperor Jimmu (the first Japanese emperor) and ends with the life accounts of the Emperor Ōjin (15th emperor of Japan). However, the stories are not considered true as they mix reality with fiction. The emperors from the 2nd to the 9th of Japan are mentioned, but their conquests are not complete like those of the others.
The last unit of the book highlights the 16th to the 33rd Emperors, and the difference compared to the previous volumes of Kojiki is that it references relationships with the gods, and the emperors from the 24th to the 33rd also have information that was suppressed.
Table of Contents
Historical Context of the Kojiki
The Kojiki is set in a historical context of political unification and social stratification in Japan that ended in 710. A little earlier, Emperor Tenmu (672 – 686) ascended to the throne following the fall of Emperor Kobus (672).
For the authorization of the development of the Kojiki, the genealogical record of the royal family was used, along with legends, traditions, manuscripts, songs, and others, in which the court as a whole would benefit from the mystical narratives of the work that began to be written in 712. This is why the first writings are concentrated on reigns and imperial successions, after which mystical stories emerged to explain the origin of everything.
The Kojiki was a subject of study during the Edo Period, by Metoori Norinaga (scholar) who wrote a research on the work and called it Kojiki – den divided into 44 volumes. It had an English translation by Basil Hall Chamberlain, but the most recent translation of the Kojiki is from 1968 translated by Donald Philippi.
The Ise and the Urabe are considered the largest fragments of the Kojiki. The Ise is divided in the manuscript Shinpukuji-bon (真福寺本), from 1371-1372 (the oldest manuscript), and in the manuscripts Dōka-bon (道果本).
The Dōka-bon (1381) is one of the three subdivisions of the Dōka. From the Dōka-bon only the first half of volume one remains. Next is the Dōshō-bon (道祥本) from 1424 which also only has the first volume and is incomplete, and then the Shun’yu-bon (春瑜本) which is a single volume.
The Mythology Depicted in the Kojiki
Japanese mythology speaks of gods and how they emerged, their abilities, the creation of everything in the Universe, and the history of the emperors who rose to power. Some gods include those of the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, Rain, Wind, and Agriculture among others. It also addresses the relationship between good and evil among the deities and humans themselves.
The Kojiki states that the main gods are: Amenominakanushi (deity that presides over the universe), Takamimusubi (deity responsible for creative force), Kamimusubi (creator deity), Umashiashikabihikoji (deity of sprouts and reeds), and Amenotokotachi (deity of eternal celestial permanence).
In addition to these main gods, seven more generations emerged, in which the last ones were Izanagi and Izanami. The prefix at the beginning of their names IZA means to invite or lead. The end of the name identifies the gender, with MI for female and GI for male. There is no consensus on their relationship, whether they were siblings, married, or something else.
For those who believe that Izanagi and Izanami are a couple, there is a belief that their union resulted in the emergence of the islands, the Japanese archipelagos, after all, according to citations, they were the ones tasked with completing the creation of the universe. There were events that led to the birth of the Goddess of the Sun and her younger brother the God of Thunder, who had conflicts between themselves.
If you pay close attention to the complete narrative of the Kojiki, even with much mysticism involved, it is possible to notice that it is a story with the political interests of the rulers of the time in order for people to respect and accept rulers from the same lineage.
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