O no Yasumaro. – Philippi, Donald L. (transl.): KOJIKI. Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Donald L. Philippi

Japan: University of Tokyo Press, 1980 (1968). 8vo softcover. v, [3], 655 pp. Extensive glossary. Bibliography. Index. Text in English. Contents clean, bright and unmarked. Moderate external wear. Overall a very good copy

The Kojiki (The “Records of Ancient Matters” or “An Account of Ancient Matters”), also sometimes read as Furukotofumi or Furukotobumi is Japan’s oldest surviving narrative. The eighth-century Kojiki, chronicles the mythical origins of its islands and their ruling dynasty through a diverse array of genealogies, tales, and songs that have helped to shape the modern nation’s views of its ancient past.. It is claimed in its preface to have been composed by O no Yasumaro at the request of Empress Genmei in the early 8th century (711–712), and thus is usually considered to be the oldest extant literary work in Japan. The myths contained in the Kojiki as well as the Nihon Shoki are part of the inspiration behind many practices and unified “Shinto orthodoxy”. Later, they were incorporated into Shinto practices such as the misogi purification ritual. Kojiki is divided into three books, the first of which describes an early age of the gods, beginning with heaven and earth coming into existence and ending with accounts of the descent of Ninigi. The second book portrays the origins of rule by legendary sovereigns, starting with Jinmu, and describes the expansion of their realm, following reign-by-reign until that of the fifteenth legendary ruler, Ojin. The third book continues from the sixteenth ruler, Nintoku, to Suiko