Nihon shoki Translation (part 1)

[Matthieu Felt]

Dear List Members,

Following up on Robert Wittkamp's recent exciting book announcement (and on John Bentley's Nihon shoki translation announcement from October), I am excited to announce another member of the ancient Japanese historiography family: The Chronicles of Japan, Volume I: Age of the Gods and Legendary Sovereigns (Oxford, 2026).

https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-chronicles-of-japan-9780197606223

The Chronicles of Japan, Volume I covers Nihon shoki from the Age of the Gods through Emperor Buretsu. As with other titles in the Hsu-Tang Library, the kanbun appears side-by-side with the English, and there are plentiful notes, maps, and figures throughout. We're also excited to kick off the Hsu-Tang Library growing to cover writings across the Sinographic cultures of East and Southeast Asia. I would encourage colleagues with ideas for kanbun translations to submit proposals.

There is a saying that a true classic merits multiple translations, and I'm humbled to add this one alongside Aston, Bentley, and the many excerpts here and there by other great scholars. Volume 2 is coming soon!

Matthieu Felt

University of Florida

PS: I must add that the list of Nihon shoki and Kojiki translations in the Introduction to this edition does not include John Bentley's new translation because we were already in production when it was announced and it was too late to amend. I will rectify this formally in the Introduction to Volume 2.