Kojiki

Kojiki or Furukotofumi (古事記), also called in English the Records of Ancient Matters, is the oldest book known in Japan. The kojiki is a book filled with Japenese mythology and religion, the Shinto. A feature of this book is that mix the reality of the first emperor of Japan and many other with the gods. Therefore, it is difficult to know what the Kojiki saids is real or not.

The Kojiki is written in Chinese, but the way the Japeneses wrote their Kojiki is by using the pronounciation of the Chinese symbol and not the signification of the symbol. In other word, a Chinese can't be able to read the Kojiki exept if he now how to talk Japenese. It includes many Japanese names and some phrases.

History

The Kojiki was written 712 AD.

Izanagi, Izanami

Izanagi and Izanami are the first god in the mytholy of Japan. Izanagi is the man and Izanami is the woman.

The creation of Japan by Izanagi and Izanami

The first part of the Kojiki, is the creation of Japan by Izanagi and Izanami. This is the legend:

Izanami and Izanagi are kamis (god in the Japanese mythology), they had to do more difficult task, create life on a strange mass, the Earth. Izanagi take his lance, Ameno Nobuko,and began to mix this strange mass with this one. By putting out his lance after mixing, a drop fall down the lance on the water and create a little island. This island is known as Onogoro, a island of rock. Intrigued by their creation, the two gods began to watch this island for a long time. People began to appear on the island and reproduce. But Izanagi and Izanami can't understand why, because of their pureness, they can't understand what love is. After a long time of watching their creation, they decided to go on this island. The two gods began to recognize a certain feeling towards each other. Izanami, decide then to ask Izanagi if he wanted to marry her. Izanagi accepted without hesitation. Their first child was a sort of horrific worm. They decided to reject and abandon the child, but the second child they had was horrific too. Izanami and Izanagi decided to ask the more ancient kamis couple why they have all this misfortune. For this, they had to go at Takamanohara, the kingdom implanted in the Milky way. The ancient couple said that the source of the couple of Izanagi and Izanami was the cause of all trouble. Only Izanagi can ask Izanami in marriage and not the inverse. Therefore, Izanagi and Izanami decided to stay in the heaven, with the other kamis. But the two kamis began to become unfortunate and stop talking to each other. The time flow, but one day, Izanami remembered the beautiful time she spent with Izanagi. Then, the goddess decided to return on Onogoro and when Izanagi saw her, by her beauty he decided to follow her. The island was now a beautiful earth covered by grass. Izanagi decided to ask Izanami in marriage a new time, she accepted the preposition and the two got married a new time, but as this time it was the man who ask the woman, the two god didn't had a malediction like the other time. They did new children who were islands. The first was Awaji, after come Shikoku, Oki, Kyuushui, Tsushima, Honshuu and Hokkaido. Six other islands appeared after, and three thousand other came. The Japan was born by this way, known as Wakoku.

Amaterasu

Amaterasu is the central goddess in the Japanese mythology. She is the goddess of the sun. In the legend, all the emperors of the Japan are descendant of Amaterasu.

Related pages

• Nihon Odai Ichiran

Other source

• The Internet Sacred Text Archive - An online version of Basil Hall Chamberlain's 1919 translation of Kojiki.
• [1]
• [JEAN HERBERT (1964). Aux sources du Japon le Shintô, éditions Albin Michel]