Japanese Literature (3)
Fudoki
Local records began to be recorded in the year 713, as commanded by
the then Emperor, Genmei. The Fudoki became Japan’s first comprehensive
local record. Out of the original records only one remains fully intact
today, the Izumo no Kuni. It covered what is now the Shimane prefecture.
Lost are records from Hitachi (Ibaraki prefecture), Harima (Hyogo prefecture),
Hizen (Nagasaki prefecture), and Bungo, (Ooita prefecture). The Fudoki
are invaluable to local anthropologists as they detail a region’s mythology,
religious practices, farming and industry, and general lifestyle.
More on the history of Japanese literature next week.
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