Nihon Shoki

The second-earliest surviving chronicle of Japan, the 'Chronicle of Japan', completed in 720. The work began in the 7th century with the same objectives as for Koji-ki, but the Nihon Shoki is a more lengthy and scholarly attempt written in Chinese, the official written language of the day. It was compiled as part of the Ritsuryo state's effort to legitimize the ruling dynasty. Numerous documents, including Chinese and Korean sources, were clearly consulted and often cited. Beginning with a slightly different version of a creation myth from the one related in Koji-ki, the chronicles end with the events at the very end of the 7th century. The accounts include imperial genealogies, legendary events, and reign chronicles. They have been used in archaeological studies of the protohistoric Kofun period.

[Nihongi]. The ‘Chronicles of Japan’, the first official history completed in 720. The work began in the 7th century with the same objectives as for Kojiki, but the Nihon Shoki is a more lengthy and scholarly attempt written in Chinese, the official written language of the day. Numerous documents, including Chinese and Korean sources, were clearly consulted, and often cited. Beginning with a slightly different version of a creation myth from the one related in Kojiki, the chronicles end with the events at the very end of the 7th century. The accounts for the last 100 years of its coverage are probably reliable.