Kojiki

The Kojiki (古事记Japanese, German " old recording events " ), rarely also in Kun - reading Furukotofumi, describes the mythology and early history of Japan from the mythical age of the gods until the time of Empress Suiko. It was at that time primarily the legitimacy of the ruling family. It is not only the first comprehensive written source of Japan, but also includes the first evidence of the Japanese language ( Altjapanisch ). Although the majority of the text is written in classical Chinese, but in some places, especially poetic passages, the characters are not used in their minds, but with their phonetic value to the name of the then spoken Japanese. Older traditional products are just some authored by the Japanese on classic Chinese texts, namely Buddhist religious treatises and government edicts.

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The Kojiki was of no Ō Yasumaro, a scribe of the court, written to the year 712 and divided into three fascicles. Dictated the text from the tradition masters Hieda no Are, a confidant of Emperor Temmus, the Japanese mythology memorized on his behalf out. It is unclear whether Hieda no Are a man or a woman was, the name both possibilities.

The Kojiki describes in the first fascicle the generations of the heavens and the earth (ie, Japan), which have been " begotten " from Urgötterpaar Izanagi. The most well known children of the sun goddess Amaterasu are Urgötterpaares and her brother Susanoo, which partly occurs as a storm god, partly as a trickster figure, and finally descends to the underworld to earth and after a conflict with his sister. Also Amaterasu's grandson Ninigi increases down to earth and founded the dynasty of the Japanese Tenno (until now trace their pedigree in a direct line to the sun goddess ). The last two fascicles are devoted to the reigns of the individual Tenno, but here are the most stories, especially the second fascicle, probably attributable more to the mythological area.

In the year 720 Nihonshoki a work of similar content, which, however, written entirely in Chinese, detail and is more oriented to real historical data arose. The Nihon Shoki was long regarded as the more important source. Only through the study of Motoori Norinaga (1730-1801), especially the archaic language of the Kojiki was highlighted by the, learned this work a new appreciation. In the School of Kokugaku it was perceived as true, infallible source and functionalized as a central font for the constructed at the same time Shinto. After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, it served as a template in the construction of the State and the State Shinto. Some of the shinto embossed new religions regard the Kojiki as scripture, though the traditional Shinto has no sacred writings.

The first German translation was made in 1901 by Karl Florence in excerpts. In 1976, Kinoshita Iwao after a new edition of the Japanese text (1940 ) and its transliteration (1940 ) as the third volume of a complete translation out. 2012 was followed by a new translation with extensive commentary by Klaus Antoni.