, alternatively known as ''Kuni tsu Fumi'' meaning "National Record", is a Japanese historical text purported to have been written in 620 by

Shōtoku Taishi Shōtoku may refer to: * Prince Shōtoku , also known as or , was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period in Japan who served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yōmei and his consort, Princess Anahobe no Has ...

and

Soga no Umako was the son of Soga no Iname and a member of the powerful Soga clan of Japan. Conflicting evidence has suggested that Soga no Umako was actually an emperor during the Asuka period. Umako conducted political reforms with Prince Shōtoku during t ...

. It is recorded in the ''

Nihon Shoki The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...

'', but there are no known extant copies. Assuming that it did in fact exist, it would predate both the ''

Kojiki The , also sometimes read as or , is an early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, hymns, genealogies, oral traditions, and semi-historical accounts down to 641 concerning the origin of the Japanese archipelago, the , and the Japanese imperia ...

'' (712) and the ''Nihon Shoki'' (720). According to the ''Nihon Shoki'',

On this year, Hitsugi no Miko and Shima no Ōomi worked together on ''
Tennōki , alternatively known as ''Sumera Mikoto no Fumi'', is a historical text purported to have been written in 620 by Shōtoku Taishi and Soga no Umako. It is recorded in the '' Nihon Shoki'', but no extant copies are known to exist. According to t ...
'' and ''Kokki'', composing the true history of the various court nobles.

During the

Isshi Incident The was a successful plot by Nakatomi no Kamatari ( Fujiwara no Kamatari), Prince Naka no Ōe and others who conspired to eliminate the main branch of the Soga clan, beginning with the assassination of Soga no Iruka. It takes its name from th ...

in 645, the residence of

Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato imperial court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to th ...

(a successor of Soga no Umako) was burned down. The ''Nihon Shoki'' records that the ''Kokki'' burned along with the ''Tennōki'', but the ''Kokki'' was saved before being destroyed.

On the thirteenth day as
Soga no Emishi was a statesman of the Yamato imperial court. His alternative names include Emishi () and Toyora no Ōomi (). After the death of his father Soga no Umako, Emishi took over '' Ōomi '', the Minister of State, from his father. According to th ...
was about to be killed, flames burned the ''Tennōki'', ''Kokki'', and treasures. Fune no Fubitoesaka quickly grabbed the burning ''Kokki'' and presented it to
Naka no Ōe Naka may refer to: Places in Japan * Naka, Hyōgo, a former town in Hyōgo Prefecture * Naka, Ibaraki, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture * Naka, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture * Naka District, Ibaraki, a district in Ibaraki Prefecture * ...
.Sakamoto, p. 264.

However, this copy or its remains did not apparently survive. On November 13, 2005, the remains of

Soga no Iruka (died July 10, 645) was the son of Soga no Emishi, a statesman in the Asuka Period of Japan. He was assassinated at court in a coup d'état involving Nakatomi no Kamatari and Prince Naka-no-Ōe (see: Isshi Incident), who accused him of tryi ...

's residence were discovered in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

, supporting the description found in ''Nihon Shoki''. Researchers speculate whether parts of the ''Tennōki'' or ''Kokki'' may be found.

Notes

References

* {{cite book , last = Sakamoto , first = Tarō , author2=Ienaga Saburō , author3=Inoue Mitsusada , author4=Ōno Susumu , author4-link=Ōno Susumu , title = Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Nihon Shoki (vol. 2) , publisher =

Iwanami Shoten is a Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo.Louis Frédéric, ''Japan Encyclopedia'', Harvard University Press, 2005, p. 409. Iwanami Shoten was founded in 1913 by Iwanami Shigeo. Its first major publication was Natsume Sōseki's novel '' ...

, year = 1965 , isbn = 4-00-060068-0 Asuka period 7th-century history books Old Japanese texts 7th-century Japanese books Lost books

See also

Notes

References