著者

彭 丹

出版者

法政大学国際日本学研究所

雑誌

国際日本学 = INTERNATIONAL JAPANESE STUDIES (ISSN:18838596)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.6, pp.165-179, 2009-03-31

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The Kojiki, Japan’s oldest book of history, was finished in 712, in the context of the nation’s foundation. In it, Amaterasu Ōmikami’s father Izanagi, the greatest god of the Yamato dynasty, is helped by three peaches. And Emperor Jinmu, the founder of the Yamato dynasty, is guided by a red crow. What is the significance of the peaches and the red crow in the Kojiki?Both the peaches and red crow were borrowed by the authors of the Kojiki from ancient Chinese mythology, where they are symbols of the sun god. In this fashion, Chinese sun worship is incorporated into this historical account of the Yamato dynasty. It was a strong desire of the authors of the Kojiki to acquire the grace of a sun god like that of the great dynasties of China. Moreover, the ambition of the authors of the Kojiki to assimilate the learning of Chinese civilization inspired them to use language that might even surpass it in excellence.