The Shoku Nihongi（続日本紀）is an imperially commissioned history of Japan written in the early Heian period. It is the second of the Rikkoshi (六国史) or "six histories of the nation", coming directly after the Nihonshoki (日本書紀). It is one of the most important primary historical sources for information about Japan's Nara period.
The work covers the 95-year period from the beginning of Emperor Mommu's reign in 697 CE until the 10th year of Emperor Kammu's reign in 791 CE. It was completed in 797 CE.
In total, the Shoku Nihongi is forty volumes long. It is entirely written in kanbun , a Japanese form of classical Chinese, as was normal for formal Japanese texts at the time.
References
- Rikkoshi (『六国史』), by Sakamoto Tarou (坂本太郎) (Yoshikawa Kobunkan (吉川弘文館), 1970, republished 1994)
External links
Text of the 'Rikkoshi' (in Japanese)
