Written by the imperial command in the eighth century, the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Mariners) is Japan's classic of classics, the oldest connected literary work and the fundamental scripture of Shinto. Accepted as fact until quite recently, it is a key to the historical roots of the Japanese people - their early life and the development of their character and insittutions- as well as a lively mixture of legend and history, genealogy, and poetry. It stands as one of the greatest monuments of Japanese literature because it preserves more faithfully than any other book the mythology, manners, language, and traditions of Japan. It provides, furthermore, a vivid account of a nation in the making.