뉴스레터

The NAHF recently published An Annotated Translation of The Nihon Shoki (譯註日本書紀) (in three volumes), an outcome of the six years of monthly meetings and camps, and discussions by seven researchers. With detailed comments and annotations, and an extensive bibliography that reflects the results of the latest studies, this annotated translation will serve as a complete guide to understanding The Nihon Shoki, which is a very useful and important historical source for research in the histories of ancient Korea as well as ancient Japan and especially of their relations. However, since its reliability as a historical document is questionable, The Nihon Shoki should be approached with caution. Otherwise, one could end up being persuaded by its logic. Using The Nihon Shoki selectively at one's convenience also carries the risk of running into logical contradictions. The Nihon Shoki has two faces: truth and fiction, exaggeration and embellishment, and good and evil. It would be difficult to draw an objective conclusion from The Nihon Shoki without analytical insight into the ideology behind its compilation and the spirits of the time that run throughout it. The Nihon Shoki has been a subject of endless debate over its interpretation between Korea and Japan. And there is a diversity of opinions even among researchers within the country.

The Nihon Shoki Asserts the Legitimacy of Imperial Rule

The Nihon Shoki was compiled at a time when a unified imperial state on the basis of ritsuryou (ordinance) had been completed with its name 'Nihon (日本)' having been created. The Nihon Shoki begins with the Japanese creation myth and goes on to give a chronological account of the history of ancient Japan with focus on the Emperors, from the first Emperor Jimmu (神武) to Empress Jito (持統) of the late 7th century.

Emperor Temmu, the initiator of the compilation of The Nihon Shoki, is the one who established a centralized power structure after winning the Jinshin War, the largest civil war in ancient Japan. He instituted the nation's name 'Nihon' and the title 'Emperor,' and laid out a power structure with the Emperor at its center. The year 720 saw the completion of The Nihon Shoki, the chief editor of which was Prince Toneri (舍人親王), a son of Emperor Temmu. He was deeply involved in the compilation of history books while, as a member of royal family, serving as Great Minister of the Council of State (知太政官事), a position said to be responsible for overseeing every affair. It was all Emperor Temmu's idea to advocate the long history, justification, and legitimacy of imperial rule as the ideology behind the compilation of The Nihon Shoki, and to compile such a historical book at all. To assert the long history of Japan, they created the birth myth, established Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, (天照大神), as the imperial ancestor that governed the world in heaven, and created an imperial family line where her descendent Jimmu would found Japan and become the ancestor of all generations of Emperors to this day. Consequently, the imperial family's long history and superiority to other clans were highlighted. And the sacredness of imperial blood was emphasized in an attempt to grant absolute power to imperial rule.

An important part of the ideology behind the compilation of The Nihon Shoki is its relevance to the Empire of the Korean Peninsula. The major ideology behind the compilation of The Nihon Shoki in relation to the Empire of the Korean Peninsula is the historical view that regards the Empire of the Korean Peninsula as a tributary state. Jungaeki (仲哀紀), Shingongki (神功紀), and Eungshinki (應神紀) deal with the origin of the subjugation of the Empire of the Korean Peninsula and tribute, including the tale of Empress Jingu's conquest of the Three Han States, the establishment of diplomatic relations with Baekje, and the tale of subjugating the seven states of Gaya. The Empire of the Korean Peninsula in ancient times held a ceremony where it would establish itself as a tributary state subjugated to Japan, and pledge allegiance as a western tributary to Japan, a divine country ruled by the Emperor. The legend of Empress Jingu, which is the core of The Nihon Shoki, is the origin myth of the tale of (Japan's) subjugation of Silla and the rest of the Empire of the Korean Peninsula, and goes on to serve the practical function as the stereotyped notion of subsequent incidents related to Korea.

Criticizing and Overcoming the Distorted View of Korean History

In the five-state history, including The Shoku Nihongi, which was compiled after The Nihon Shoki, in the midst of diplomatic friction and strained relations with Silla, the legend of Empress Jingu embodied the sense of superiority that the ruling class of ancient Japan was feeling to Silla. In modern times, with active research into the classics, the legend of Empress Jingu was manifested as contempt for Korea, which provided an ideological basis for Seikanron (advocacy of a punitive expedition to Korea). During the modern period of Japanese invasion and rule of Korea, when learning was a tool of politics, the legend of Empress Jingu was used by the government scholars for the practical purpose of justifying Japanese rule of the Korean Peninsula. And the legend was also used in classrooms, included at the core of the textbook description. A distorted history was handed down and remembered for generations to form the Japanese people's stereotyped view of Korea. This is unprecedented, and serves as a good example that demonstrates the ills of the wrong history.

Kyecheki (繼體紀) and Heummyeongki (欽明紀) have been subjects of prolonged debate due to their description of Minama Nihonfu and other complex international relations of the 6th-century Gaya Empire with Baekje, Shilla, and Wa. This is an issue at the height of controversy over the history of relations between ancient Korea and Japan. Addressing and resolving it is at the core of establishing the history of ancient Korea and Japan. As the historical records give rise to various interpretations and include complex descriptions, there are numerous logical arguments being made. This confusion is being compounded by nationalist approaches and the differing viewpoints and perspectives resulting from the differing individual research areas. The intricately woven historical records need to be reorganized, and then the inherent problems of the history of Gaya, the relationships within the Empire of the Korean Peninsula and then with Wa need to be tackled in succession.

The Nihon Shoki features the activities of numerous clans. These clans played important roles in the process by which Japan became a unified nation. And what was handed down for generations in their families constitute the basic materials for the compilation of The Nihon Shoki. The clans that were active in the Korean Peninsular during the period of ancient Japan usually adopted writing styles that glorified the activities of their ancestors.

Many of the historical materials for the compilation of The Nihon Shoki are related to the Korean Peninsula, notably Kudaraki (百濟記)』, Kudarasinsen (百濟新撰), and Kadarahonki (百濟本記). These three books on Baekje (Kudara) are compiled by period, such as the Hanseong period, the Woongjun period, and the Sabi period. However, there is controversy over the main agent and nature of its compilation. And its contents also require caution as they appear to have been embellished substantially at the time of the compilation of The Nihon Shoki. There is also Ilbonseki (日本世記) written by Dohyun, a Buddihist monk from Koguryo, and a number of records left by the group of Gilsa (吉士), immigrants of the Korean Peninsula engaged in foreign affairs.

The Nihon Shoki is an ancient history book made in ancient times, and it is very useful in understanding the political ideology of Japan's ruling class of the time. However, this does not mean that The Nihon Shoki is an objective representations of the reality at that time. We need to subject this historical source to thorough criticism in order to correct its distorted perception of the history of ancient Korea. The NAHF's recent publication of an annotated translation is not the end but the beginning of research in The Nihon Shoki. I hope that it will be a foundation for establishing correct historical views in the history of ancient Japan, ancient Korea-Japan relations, and even of East Asia.

The Nihon Shoki housed in Mishima Taisha (三嶋大社), Shizuoka (靜岡), Japan
(The 1,300th Anniversary of the Koijiki and Izumo Grand Shrine Special Exhibition
"The Grand Izumo Exhibition (大出雲展)," 2012, Kyoto National Museum)