The Nihon Shoki, often called the Chronicle of Japan, was completed in 720 CE under imperial commission. As the second-oldest history of the archipelago—right after the Kojiki—it stitches together myth, legend and early court records into a sweeping narrative. Tales of Izanagi and Izanami shaping the islands, or Amaterasu’s dazzling emergence from a cave, weave Shinto cosmology directly into the nation’s origin story.

Beyond its role as a mythical saga, this chronicle served a very practical purpose: reinforcing the divine status of the Yamato rulers. By tracing emperors’ genealogy back to the sun goddess herself, it cemented the court’s authority and offered a unifying identity during a time when regional clans often acted like cats on a hot tin roof.

Centuries later, the Nihon Shoki still pulses through modern Japan. Rituals peppered throughout the imperial calendar—like enthronement ceremonies or visits to the Grand Shrine at Ise—draw on its verses. A 2024 Tokyo National Museum exhibition showcased original scroll fragments, reminding visitors that these stories are far from dusty relics. In pop culture, video games such as “Okami” tap those very myths for characters and quests, introducing younger generations to ancient Shinto themes.

In public discourse, too, this chronicle remains a touchstone. Debates over cultural heritage laws, the balance between tradition and modernity, even discussions about Japan’s constitutional monarchy often hark back to passages in the Nihon Shoki. When the nation rallied after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake, many found solace in local shrine festivals whose origins are outlined in those same early chronicles.

More than a dusty manuscript, the Nihon Shoki is the bedrock of a civilization’s sense of self—an ever-present backdrop to festivals, scholarship and everyday life, proving that stories rooted in antiquity can still shape a nation’s heartbeat today.