Harima Fudoki - (Brill's Japanese Studies Library) by Edwina Palmer (Hardcover)

About the Book

In this new critical edition of Harima Fudoki, Edwina Palmer presents a fresh translation and interpretation of the stories of gods, people and places contained in this important eighth-century Japanese document, a primary source for all who study ancient Japan.

Book Synopsis

Harima Fudoki, dated to 714CE, is one of Japan's earliest extant written records. It is a rich account of the people, places, natural resources and stories in the Harima region of western Japan. Produced by the government as a tool for Japan's early state formation, Harima Fudoki includes important myths of places and gods from a different perspective to the contemporaneous 'national' chronicles. This document is an essential primary source for all who are interested in ancient Japan.
In this new critical edition, Palmer draws upon recent research into the archaeology, history, orality and literature of ancient Japan to reinterpret this hitherto little-known document. Palmer's insightful commentary contextualizes the Harima tales for the first time in English.

About the Author

Edwina Palmer, PhD. (1984), SOAS London, is Associate Professor of Japanese Studies at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. She has published many articles on ancient Japan, and was winner of the Inoue Yasushi Prize in 2012.