Nihon Shoki (I)
- Language:
- English
- Translation:
- W. G. Aston
- Status:
- Complete work
- Authorship:
- Recorded or compiled by others
- Condition of the text:
- Clean text
- Extent:
- ~170,000 words · 819 passages
Cite this work
- APANihongi. (n.d.). Nihon Shoki (I). SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/nihongi/nihongi-chronicles-of-japan-vol-i-aston
- MLANihongi. "Nihon Shoki (I)." SigPhi, https://sigphiai.com/en/works/nihongi/nihongi-chronicles-of-japan-vol-i-aston.
- ChicagoNihongi. Nihon Shoki (I). SigPhi. https://sigphiai.com/en/works/nihongi/nihongi-chronicles-of-japan-vol-i-aston.
What it is about
The first volume of the Nihon shoki, the chronicle of Japan of 720, in W. G. Aston's English translation: from the age of the gods down to the early emperors.
Context and history
This first volume is the more mythological of the two, and therefore the one to read with most caution as history: it opens with the separation of heaven and earth and comes down to reigns whose chronology matches nothing verifiable. It was compiled at court command and written in classical Chinese. It is also worth knowing that the catalogue carries this same text a second time, by error, under the author name 'Kojiki': the Kojiki is a different and earlier work.
Editorial context, not a citable source: unlike the passages of the work itself, these statements cannot be checked against the corpus.
TueE chief object of preparing this translation of the standard native history of Ancient Japan, known as the Vzkongz, was to make accessible to European scholars the very considerable store of material for the study of mythology, folk-lore, early civilization, and manners and customs which it contains. It may also prove of interest to those numerous Japanese who are acquainted with the English language, and who may have the curiosity to learn in what light their ancient history and traditions are viewed by a Western student. As only a limited sale of a work of this kind could be expected, the translator was fortunate in being relieved from all pecuniary responsibility for its publication by the Japan Society. His special acknowledgments are due to those members by whose liberality a guarantee fund for this purpose has been. provided. It remains for him to express his indebtedness to other workers, by whose labours in the field of Japanese and Chinese learning he has freely profited. The writings of Messrs. Chamberlain and Satow’ have been placed under frequent contribution, and for the latter part of the work, the scholarly German translation of the Wzhongz, by Dr. Florenz, has been of the greatest possible assistance. He should also mention the names of Williams, Giles, Parker, Mayers, Gubbins, Hepburn, Anderson, Legge, and Eitel, who