Nihon Kōki facts for kids
Nihon Kōki (Nihon Kōki (日本後紀)) is an important book about the history of Japan. It was finished in the year 840. This book is the third one in a series called the Six National Histories. It tells about events that happened between the years 792 and 833.
Creating the Nihon Kōki History Book
After an earlier history book called Shoku Nihongi was finished in 797, Emperor Saga decided that more history should be written down. So, in 819, he ordered a new book to be made, covering the years since the last one.
Many smart people worked on this book. The main editors were Fujiwara no Otsugu, Minamoto no Tokiwa, Fujiwara no Yoshino, and Fujiwara no Yoshifusa. They worked hard, and the book was finally completed in 840.
Sadly, a lot of the Nihon Kōki was lost a long time ago. This happened during big wars in the late 1400s, called the Ōnin and Bunmei Wars. The book originally had 40 volumes, but now only ten of them still exist.
What's Inside Nihon Kōki?
The Nihon Kōki was written in a style called kanbun. This means it was written using classical Chinese characters and grammar. The book covers 42 years of Japanese history, from 792 to 833.
It tells about the reigns of four different emperors:
What makes this history book special is that it includes more than just facts. It also contains comments and sometimes even criticism about emperors and other important officials. Plus, you can find poetry written in the book, which gives us a glimpse into the culture of that time.
See also
In Spanish: Nihon Kōki para niños
- Ruijū Kokushi: This is another historical text. It organizes information from the Six National Histories by topic and date. It's very helpful for understanding what was in the missing parts of the Nihon Kōki.
