490 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1891. 



ninth century, iugeuiously identified the various Buddhist saints with 

 the Shinto deities, that the uewfaitli became poimlar and finally almost 

 supplanted the other. Then arose different schools of Shinto, and now 

 we find the two religions borrowing from each other, until it is some- 

 times confusing to decide whether a certain temple is IJuddhistic or 

 Shinto, or both. 



The popular mythology of Japan suggests to the mind fabulous beasts 

 and dragons, rishi and sennin — old men of the mountain solitudes hav- 

 ing magic powers — imps, and innumerable spirits of earth and air. But 

 most of these have come from China or distant India. They have no 

 place in the primitive worship of the people. Even so it is with the 

 ancient books, for they too were compiled at a time when Chinese ideas 

 had begun to influence the imagination of the writers, and all of them 

 require the most critical study to eliminate foreign elements. To learn 

 what the native beliefs were, it is necessary to adhere strictly to purely 

 Japanese accounts, industriously comparing different texts in order to 

 discover what was originally a part of the records. This the Japanese 

 scholars have faithfully done. The difficulties have been very great. 

 Although writing was originally introduced from China or Korea, there 

 is a style of composition which from the beginning has been distinctively 

 Japanese. But the old language is very different from that now in use. 

 It is difficult to understand, the sense is often obscure, and there are 

 many words handed down from very ancient time, the meanings of which 

 were already forgotten by the old transcribers, who wrote them down 

 phonetically. 



The oldest Japanese book known is the Ko-ji-ki, Record of Ancient 

 Matters, a translation of which, by Prof. Basil Hall Chamberlain, was 

 published in the year 1882. The original work dates from 711 A. d. 

 The Emperor Temmu (673-686 A. d.), desiring to preserve the ancient 

 traditions in a pure form, had the records of the chief families examined 

 and compared. A member of his household committed the whole to 

 memory. After the death of the emperor, the Empress Cemmio (708- 

 714 A. D.) had the record written down as it was recited. 



The authenticity of this book as a true record of the ancient lore of 

 Japan is too strong to be questioned. It relates a mythology remark- 

 ably complex and fantastic, but withal consistent and connected. Its 

 age can not be estimated. It must have grown through many centu- 

 ries, for when the Ko-ji ki was written, it was a completed system and 

 the origin and meaning of its rich symbolism had been already forgot- 

 ten. Some of the language is certainly older than the sixth century 

 and some dates fr.>m before the fourth. 



Next to the Ko-ji-ki there is a larger but less reliable work, the M- 

 hon-gi, or Chronicles of Japan, dated 720 A. d., which is more affected by 

 Chinese influences. There are also numerous commentaries by Japa- 

 nese scholars. The Mhon-gi has not been translated, but in the Annales 

 des Empereurs du Japan (Mpon o dai itsi ran), by Klaproth, 1834, a 

 portion is translated with suggestive notes. 



