Translation of The Chronicles of Japan, an 8th-Century Historical Work written in Classical Japanese

FAIN: FEL-281852-22

Matthieu Felt
University of Florida (Gainesville, FL 32611-0001)

Scholarly translation into English of The Chronicles of Japan (Nihon shoki, 720 CE), one of the oldest extant written works from the Japanese archipelago. 

This project is an English translation of The Chronicles of Japan (Nihon shoki, 720 CE) in two volumes. Translation of both volumes is under contract with Oxford University Press to be delivered on January 1, 2023, with each volume at approximately 544 pages. The Chronicles of Japan is one of the oldest extant written works from the Japanese archipelago. This text contains the Japanese creation myths, the histories of legendary and historical sovereigns from 660 BCE to 697 CE, and many ancient songs and poems. As such, it is the foundational work in premodern Japanese history, literature, and religion, and also relevant to studies of premodern world literature, world mythology, and the production of local texts within the Chinese cultural sphere. The only complete translation of this text in English was completed by W.G. Aston in 1896. The stilted language, frequent use of Latin, and unclear formatting of Aston’s translation have created the urgent need for a new one.