I also read Murasaki Shikibu! Complete modern language translation of the unlikely “Nihon Shoki” + all 8 volumes of explanatory books are now published!
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Press release: June 3, 2024
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I also read Murasaki Shikibu! Complete modern language translation of the unlikely “Nihon Shoki” + all 8 volumes of explanatory books are now published!
*Volume 1, “Age of the Gods: The Beginning of the World,” released on June 10th, includes all of the many separate stories. You can enjoy variations of myths that are not found in the Kojiki. *
A copy of “Nihon Shoki: Complete Modern Language Translation + Commentary – 1 – The Age of Gods – The Beginning of the World” by Keiko Terada
*Easy to read structure based on popular lectures*
* The oldest “authorized history” is vividly revived in modern times! *
The Nihon Shoki, which was established 1,300 years ago, is the oldest official history that has been read for over 1,000 years. It is said that Murasaki Shikibu also read it.
Up until now, most books about Nihon Shoki had no explanations, even if they had been translated into modern languages, or they had been compiled by picking out interesting scenes. Therefore, this series was started with the aim of translating all 30 volumes of the Nihon Shoki into modern languages and adding explanations to make them accessible to the general public.
Just around the time when this country began to call itself “Japan,” the history book “Nihon Shoki” was written to show the identity of our country both at home and abroad. It contains many interesting stories from the age of the gods, the founding of the nation, domestic and international tensions and upheavals, and periods of stability in ancient nations.
The first volume of the series, “The Age of the Gods – The Beginning of the World,” includes the “Age of the Gods” from the creation of heaven and earth, the creation of the country by Izanaki and Izanami, the Hidden Rocks of Heaven, the descent of the Tenson, and
Kamuyamatoiwarebiko (Emperor Jimmu). Did.
Nihon Shoki contains many separate stories, all of which have been translated into modern language and explained in an easy-to-understand manner for the general public.
Volume 1 will be released on June 10th. From then on, we will publish two volumes a year, totaling eight volumes.
At 30 volumes, the Nihon Shoki is long and is often thought to be difficult, but the author is Keiko Terada, who is popular at women’s universities and courses for working adults. In the course for working adults, we teach 30 volumes three times over about eight years, translating each sentence of the original text into modern language and explaining them.
Many participants have commented that it seems like they can see what people were like back then right before their eyes. This series is based on those lecture notes and has been structured to be as easy to read as possible.
* ◎Modern language translations and explanations are color-coded so that they can be understood at a glance. ◎Many separate stories are written in smaller fonts to emphasize the difference from the main text, and are numbered.
◎Impressive scenes include ink paintings by Chonto Watanabe, who is known for his dynamic style. The vows of Izanaki and Izanami, Amaterasu and Susanoo, etc. are contained on one or two pages (two-page spread). *
* ◎I added footnotes for difficult words and added furigana for kanji and god names as much as possible so that even junior high school students could read them. *
Example of double-page spread
* All “Bessatsuden” containing important contents are translated into modern language *
“Nihonshoki” contains many separate biographies in the form of “one book”. Most Nihon Shoki books for the general public omit the Betsuden, but in fact, the Betsuden contains important content, and if the Betsuden is omitted, there will be parts that don’t make sense. Masu. Therefore, in this book, all the separate biographies have been translated into modern language and explained (see the sample page below). You can enjoy variations of myths that are not found in the Kojiki.
Sample page of another story
*Interesting and deep explanation*
The appeal of this book is, of course, the explanations provided by the author, Keiko Terada. for example,
* ◎Why did the scene of intercourse between a man and a woman be included in the myth? (Kokusei no Dan) *
* ◎Speciality of Amaterasu in world mythology (Heaven’s Iwaya Step) * * ◎Izanami as the Earth Mother Goddess and the origin of life and death (stage of the birth of the gods) *
* ◎The true identity of Yamata no Orochi (Yamata no Orochi stage) * Such. We will decipher not only the interesting stories, but also the deep meanings contained within them, as well as the idea of
“Japan” that people at the time had from the perspective of comparative mythology.
* Structure of this book (contents of Volume 1) *
-Step 1- Opening heaven and earth
-Second Stage- Izanaki and Izanami
-Third stage- Seven generations of Gods (Kamiyo Nayo)
-4th stage- National birth
-5th stage- Birth of the gods
-Step 6- Amaterasu and Susanoo’s vow
-Step 7- Cave of Heaven (Iwaya)
-8th stage- Yamata no Orochi
-9th stage- Tenson descends
-Step 10- Umiyuki/Yamasachi
-Step 11- Birth of Kamuyamatoiwarebiko (Emperor Jimmu)
Close-up photo of Keiko Terada
Translated and written by Keiko Terada
Born in Tokyo. After graduating from the University of Sydney, Australia, completed the doctoral course at Japan Women’s University. After serving as a professor at Shonan Junior College, he is currently a lecturer at Gakushuin Women’s University and Wayo Women’s
University. Director of the Ancient Literature Society. Lectures on the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, and Manyoshu are also popular in courses for working adults. His edited books include “Japanese Mythology Encyclopedia” and “Manyo Kotoba Encyclopedia” (co-authored, published by Yamato Shobo).
* 8 volumes, 2 books a year, now published! *
The illustration below the back is an image.
calligraphy
Written by Keiko Terada (translation and commentary)
“Nihon Shoki Complete Modern Language Translation + Explanation – 1 – The Age of Gods – The Beginning of the World”
46-size paperback, 240 pages, 2-color text, regular price 1,870 yen (1,700 yen + tax)
ISBN978-4-907461-42-3
Good Books Co., Ltd.
Kyodo Building 602, 2-3-6 Nihonbashi Honmachi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 103-0023 Phone: 03-6262-5422 Fax: 03-6262-5423
URL https://good-books.co.jp
*About details about this release*
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