Kojiki: Fully Revised Edition - (Tuttle Classics) by O No Yasumaro (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The classic story of Japan's national origins in a new and fully updated edition.

The Kojiki is the classic of Japanese classics--a foundational text for Japanese history and literature and for the Shinto religion. This literary masterpiece has shaped Japanese thought and culture for a millennium and continues to be influential today. Its vivid storytelling style, tales of supernatural interventions in human affairs, and powerful depictions of human emotions continue to inspire countless works of poetry, drama and art.

Central to the story are the primordial deities Izanagi and Izanami, their role in creating the Japanese islands, and the birth of divine beings who established Japan's imperial bloodline. These elements form the spiritual basis for Shinto, Japan's indigenous religion. The divine origins of the imperial family reinforced their sacred status and right to rule the nation--a concept that has shaped Japan's political structures for many centuries.

In this new and vastly improved edition, the English text has been improved and Japanese characters and place names have been modernized. Latin versions of "racy" passages in the earlier editions have been rendered into English. Footnotes have been shortened and edited for their relevance to modern readers. The result is a truly accessible edition of the Kojiki--a book which remains a cornerstone of Japan's national identity, offering a window to ancient beliefs and customs that continue to define the Japanese people today.

About the Author

O no Yasumaro was a prominent Japanese nobleman and scholar of the Nara period. He was commissioned by the court to compile the Kojiki and collaborated closely with Hieda no Are, whose recited oral traditions formed the basis for the text. Yasumaro's work has been crucial in preserving Japan's culture and identity, shaping the nation's spiritual heritage.

Basil Hall Chamberlain (1850-1935) was a British Japanologist who played a key role in introducing Japanese culture and language to the West during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a prolific writer and translator of Japanese works including The Classical Poetry of the Japanese, Things Japanese and Japanese Fairy Tales.

Matthieu Felt is Assistant Professor of Japanese at the University of Florida, where he teaches courses on Japanese literature and culture. He received his Ph.D. in Japanese literature from Columbia University and is the author of Meanings of Antiquity: Myth Interpretation in Premodern Japan. He is currently working on a two-volume translation of The Chronicles of Japan for Oxford University Press.