The second of the major early Japanese chronicles, completed in 720 in classical Chinese. It gives several versions of the same myth in a row — Kojiki does not do this.

Why is Nihon Shoki needed?

As a state document — for diplomatic prestige before continental neighbors; as a source — for cross-checking versions of myths against the more cohesive account of Kojiki.

How is 'Nihon Shoki' written in Japanese?

日本書紀 (にほんしょき): 日本 'Japan', 書 'book', 紀 'chronicle'. The title literally means 'book of the chronicle of Japan'.

What does Nihon Shoki mean?

Literally — 'Chronicles of Japan': 日本 'Japan' plus 書紀 'chronicle book'. One of the six official compilations of state history known as Rikkokushi.

Where is Nihon Shoki encountered in Japan?

As an academic source — in studies of Shinto and early history, less often as a tourist attraction: unlike Kojiki, it has no separate cult of veneration; it is a working historical text.

Is Nihon Shoki reflected in anime?

Directly rarely — the text is too specialized. But alternative versions of myths from it are sometimes used by authors for whom the more famous version from Kojiki did not fit.

Nihon Shoki — what kind of book is it and why is it needed

Nihon Shoki is the second and much more voluminous official chronicle of Japan: completed in 720, written in classical Chinese for diplomatic prestige. Its main feature is that instead of one version of a myth, it presents several in a row: 'according to some accounts it was so, according to others — otherwise.' No single canon: scholarly conscientiousness a thousand years before science itself.

The title sounds as dry as can be — 'Chronicles of Japan' — but in fact it is the most branched, most contradictory source about all the gods at once: the authors honestly admitted that there were several versions of the myth and simply wrote them all down.

What is Nihon Shoki and why was it written

Nihon Shoki is the second of the major early Japanese chronicles, completed in 720, eight years after Kojiki, under the leadership of Prince Toneri. The chronicle was written not in the hybrid script of its predecessor, but in classical Chinese (kanbun) — the intention was that the text would be read beyond the country's borders, so it was important to meet continental standards of historical prose.

Year of completion: 720, with Prince Toneri as chief compiler.
Volume: 30 scrolls versus three for Kojiki — a much more detailed account.
Language: classical Chinese, unlike the hybrid Japanese of Kojiki.
Feature: gives several alternative versions of the same myth in a row, without choosing for the reader.

How researchers read the chronicle

Mythology researchers usually read Kojiki and Nihon Shoki in parallel: where one source diverges from the other, it is a hint that the myth was not unified across the country, but was assembled from different regional versions — a direct window into the pre-literate oral tradition.

日本書紀 — 'Annals of Japan'

Japanese	Reading	Translation
日本書紀	Nihon Shoki · Nihon Shoki	Chronicles of Japan
日本	Nihon · Nihon	Japan
一書曰く	aru fumi ni iwaku · aru fumi ni iwaku	'In one of the scrolls it is said' — formula before an alternative version of a myth
六国史	Rikkokushi · Rikkokushi	'Six National Histories' — the corpus that includes this chronicle
舎人親王	Toneri Shinnō · Prince Toneri	Chief compiler of the chronicle

What characters make up the title

日本書紀 is read にほんしょき: 日本 'Japan' (literally 'source of the sun'), 書 'to write, book', 紀 'chronicle, annals, era'. 日本 is the very first word learned in the N5 course, and it also opens the title of the country's main state chronicle.

紀 — значение: chronicle, account, narrative, history, annals — онъёми: キ — 9 штрих(ов). 紀 — 'chronicle, annals, era': on the left the thread 糸, on the right the phonetic 己. The same character appears in 世紀 (century) and 紀元 (era, epoch).

Write 紀 along the guides and learn the stroke order.

How it differs from Kojiki

If Kojiki is a cohesive, once-told story, Nihon Shoki is more like an archive of drafts left as is: each version of a myth is honestly marked 'according to some accounts' or 'in another scroll it is said.' For a diplomatic document, such scrupulousness is unusual — state chronicles usually aim for a single, convenient version of events, not a catalog of discrepancies.

What of this can be read in Russian

Nihon Shoki is a working, reference text. Russian editions exist in academic translations intended more for a researcher than a casual reader — unlike the much more accessible retellings of Kojiki.

FAQ

What is Nihon Shoki?: The second of the major early Japanese chronicles, completed in 720 in classical Chinese. It gives several versions of the same myth in a row — Kojiki does not do this.
Why is Nihon Shoki needed?: As a state document — for diplomatic prestige before continental neighbors; as a source — for cross-checking versions of myths against the more cohesive account of Kojiki.
How is 'Nihon Shoki' written in Japanese?: 日本書紀 (にほんしょき): 日本 'Japan', 書 'book', 紀 'chronicle'. The title literally means 'book of the chronicle of Japan'.
What does Nihon Shoki mean?: Literally — 'Chronicles of Japan': 日本 'Japan' plus 書紀 'chronicle book'. One of the six official compilations of state history known as Rikkokushi.
Where is Nihon Shoki encountered in Japan?: As an academic source — in studies of Shinto and early history, less often as a tourist attraction: unlike Kojiki, it has no separate cult of veneration; it is a working historical text.
Is Nihon Shoki reflected in anime?: Directly rarely — the text is too specialized. But alternative versions of myths from it are sometimes used by authors for whom the more famous version from Kojiki did not fit.

Sources

Updated: 2026-08-29