The Kojiki (“Record of Ancient Matters”) is a product of the commands of the Japanese emperor Temmu in the seventh century CE. The object was to collect and record ancient myths and legends of Japan. We are told that the storyteller Heida no Are recited the legends to the scribe O no Yasumaro. The selection of stories and the way they were written down were influenced by the political and social mores and priorities of the time. With the Nihongi (see Nihongi), the Kojiki, published in 712, is the major source for present knowledge of Shinto mythology (see Shinto entries).
A Dictionary of Asian Mythology. Copyright © 2001, 2002 by David Leeming. All rights reserved.
