A myth alive in silence: The Nihon Shoki and the poetic
Myths that Live in Silence: The Nihon Shoki and Poetry
Even after a thousand years, its words still tickle our ears like the wind. The Nihon Shoki is not just a history book. It is a poetic record of the universe woven by gods and people, and a quiet foundation that forms the spiritual framework of the nation of Japan.
This book is said to have been completed in the fourth year of the Yoro era (720) during the Nara period. Compiled by Prince Toneri and others, this 30-volume masterpiece tells the history from the Age of the Gods to the reign of Empress Jitō, interweaving myth and historical fact. However, its narrative style differs from that of a simple chronicle or political record. It is imbued with the space and resonance of a waka poem, as well as a multi-layered perspective.
The beginning chapter - when heaven and earth open up.
"When the heavens and the earth first appeared, the name of the god who was born in Takamagahara was..."
This opening passage quietly announces the birth of the world, like a ray of light filtering through morning mist. Without sound or color, only the word "opening" conveys the stirrings of the universe. The Nihon Shoki begins with a story from the Age of the Gods and depicts the spiritual structure of Japan through the lineage of the Emperors. However, this structure is not based on a linear timeline, but is circular, multi-layered, and poetic.
What is particularly noteworthy is the way it is structured. The Nihon Shoki often lists multiple theories, with the phrase "said in one book." This does not define a single truth, but rather overlaps different perspectives and traditions, giving the reader "room to choose." Like gagaku music, where different melodies overlap, multiple voices resonate to create a single worldview.
This structure is deeply connected to the "resonance in silence" that WABISUKE values. A lingering impression rather than a definite meaning. A question rather than a definitive statement. Rather than forcing meaning on the reader, it speaks softly to resonate with the reader's inner sensibilities. The Nihon Shoki is a history book with just such a poetic structure.
The philosophy embedded in the stories of the emperors is also not to be overlooked. The imperial genealogy is not simply a record of lineage. It depicts the boundary between politics and beauty, order and chaos, faith and reality. For example, the chapter on Empress Suiko, Japan's first female emperor, quietly captures the acceptance of Buddhism and cultural transformation. Her collaboration with Prince Shotoku, the establishment of the Seventeen-Article Constitution, and the dispatch of Japanese envoys to the Sui Dynasty—all of these were experiments in beauty and order that arose amid the turbulent times.
The descriptions convey the changes of the times softly yet surely, like the changing seasons. History is both a record of power and a record of beauty. The Nihon Shoki delicately weaves together these two. Political events and mythological tales all resonate together like a poem, sending quiet ripples through the reader's heart.
And so, when we read the Nihon Shoki today, it is not just to learn about the past. Rather, it serves as a mirror through which we can quietly gaze into the future. The words of the gods, the decisions of the emperor, and the lives of the people—these things ask us today, "How should we live?" In times of change, what should we preserve and what should we let go of? How can we reweave beauty and order? The Nihon Shoki quietly poses these questions.
WABISUKE's depictions of tea time, tranquil colors, and poetic words all resonate with the spirit of the Nihon Shoki. History is not something distant, but something that is present in our breathing. And that breathing will become poetry and stories, and be passed down to the next millennium.
Reading the Nihon Shoki is not about reminiscing about the past. It is about thinking about how to live beautifully, quietly, and powerfully in the present. Listen carefully to the voices of myth and let your mind wander in the margins of history. Therein lies the light that will illuminate our future.