Nihon Shoki

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nihon-shoki

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the compilation period?Completed in 720 CE
2. What is the editorial supervisor?Prince Toneri
3. Why was the Nihon Shoki written in classical Chinese?It was written in classical Chinese to match the style of Chinese histories and to show that Japan could be as great as its neighbor, Tang China.
4. How does the Nihon Shoki connect the Japanese emperor to the gods?It says the emperor comes from the sun goddess Amaterasu, so the ruler is a descendant of a god, giving him special power.

Historiography: The study of the writing of history, including its methods and principles.
Sinicization: The adoption of Chinese culture, language, and political systems by other cultures.
Cosmogonic Myth: A narrative explaining the origin and creation of the universe and its fundamental elements.
Kami: Deities or spirits in Shinto, the indigenous religion of Japan.