ABSTRACT
JAPANESE historical writing began with the introduction of the Chinese script, and Chinese dynastic chronicles. From the seventh century Japanese emperors sponsored the compilation of official histories, and the oldest surviving example, the Kojiki, appeared in 712. This complex blend of myth, legend and reality describes the origins and achievements of the Imperial Household. The next major history, the Nihon Shoki (720), followed the language and form of the Chinese chronicles even more closely, and continued the glorification of the imperial line.
