Kojiki: Records of Ancient Matters

Before Japan existed, there was only water, and then the gods descended from the heavens to create it. The Kojiki is that original story, the birth cry of a nation, recorded in 712 AD by a woman with a perfect memory. This is not merely history; it is the sacred mythology that gave Japan its emperors, its sun goddess, and its understanding of the cosmos. Here you will find Amaterasu, the radiant deity who rules the heavens, and her wild brother Susanoo, whose rage tears at the fabric of the world. Here too are the first emperors, their genealogies stretching back to the divine, and the ancient rituals that still shape Japanese culture today.Compiled by Emperor Tenmu who feared the old stories would be forgotten, the Kojiki preserves the oral traditions of Japan's earliest storytellers in language that echoes with numinous power. It is the bedrock upon which a civilization built its sense of self, essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the soul of Japan, from the tea ceremony to anime, from imperial tradition to modern literature. The Kojiki demands patience and reverence, but it rewards readers with the profound sense that they are touching the very origins of a culture that still resonates today.