The

(

, 712 A.D.) is the oldest surviving book-length work of Japanese literature. A compendium of diverse materials assembled by order of the imperial court in the late seventh and early eighth centuries, it is comprised of myths, legends, poems and historical records passed down orally over many centuries – or, from the early seventh century onwards, materials collected in earlier manuscripts now lost. The work is not only of great literary and historical significance, but also of central importance in the native Japanese religious tradition of Shinto, the “way of the gods”, since it contains the foundational myths of the religion. In particular, it has been used in modern times as the authoritative sacred text of what is now known as “national…

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Citation: Starrs, Roy Anthony. "Kojiki". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 April 2014 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35240, accessed 22 November 2024.]