View source for Teiki

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The {{nihongo|'''''Teiki'''''|帝紀|}} is a historical text purported to have been compiled in 681. The text is no longer extant.
==Background==
According to the ''[[Nihon Shoki]]'':{{sfn|Sakamoto|Ienaga|Inoue|Ōno|1965|pp=445-446}} <blockquote>On the seventeenth day, the emperor, residing in his place in the Daigokuden, commanded Prince Kawashima, Prince Osakabe [etc...] to record a definitive edition of the ''Teiki'' and ''Jōko Shoji''.</blockquote>
According to the [[Kojiki]] preface, [[Emperor Tenmu]] said:{{sfn|Kurano|Takeda|1958|pp=45-47}}{{sfn|Yamaguchi|Kōnoshi|1997|pp=21-23}} <blockquote>What I hear is that the ''Teiki'' and ''Honji'' brought about by the many houses already differ from the truth and contain many inaccuracies. Should those mistakes not be corrected now, the original meaning will be lost within but a few years. They are the basis of the national system and are the foundation of the imperial government. Thus, I would like to carefully examine the ''Teiki'' and ''Kyūji'', remove the errors, and establish the truth for future generations.</blockquote>
He then had [[Hieda no Are]] memorize the contents of the ''Teiki'' and ''[[Kyūji]]'', both of which were later used as historical sources for composing the ''[[Kojiki]]''.
==Title==
The actual title of the text is unknown due to orthographic difficulties of old Japanese texts. The reading ''Teiki'' is taken from the [[on'yomi]] reading. In addition, traditional Japanese readings include ''Sumera Mikoto no Fumi'' and ''Sumerogi no Fumi''. All literally mean "Imperial Chronicle".
The ''Kojiki'' preface makes reference to two other titles: {{nihongo|''Sumera Mikoto no Hitsugi''|帝皇日嗣||extra="Genealogy of the Emperors"}} and {{nihongo|''Sakitsuyo no Furukoto''|先代旧辞|}}. Both are alternative names for the ''Teiki''.{{sfn|Kurano|Takeda|1958|p=45}}{{sfn|Yamaguchi|Kōnoshi|1997|p=21}}
==Contents==
As the text no longer exists, very little is actually known about it. The general view is that the ''Teiki'' described the imperial line. One theory claims that was a genealogy of the imperial line recording the reigns of each emperor.{{sfn|Kurano|Takeda|1958|p=45}} Another theory, based on the literal title, claims that it was a record of imperial accomplishments, but that it would not have been appropriate as a genealogy.{{sfn|Yamaguchi|Kōnoshi|1997|p=22}}
A competing theory identifies the second and third volume of the ''Kojiki'' as the actual contents of the ''Teiki''.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}} And yet another speculates that the ''Teiki'' and ''Kyūji'' were not two separate texts, but was rather a single unified text.{{citation needed|date=May 2023}}
==See also==
* [[Historiography of Japan]]
==Notes==
{{Reflist}}
==References==
* {{cite book |last1=Kurano |first1=Kenji |authorlink1=
|last2=Takeda |first2=Yūkichi |authorlink2=
|title=Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Kojiki
|location=[[Tokyo]] |publisher=[[Iwanami Shoten]]
|date=1958
|pages=
|url=
|doi=
|isbn=4-00-060001-X
}}
* {{cite book |last1=Sakamoto |first1=Tarō |authorlink1=
|last2=Ienaga |first2=Saburō |authorlink2=
|last3=Inoue |first3=Mitsusada |authorlink3=
|last4=Ōno |first4=Susumu |authorlink4=Susumu Ōno
|title=Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei: Nihon Shoki
|volume=2
|location=[[Tokyo]] |publisher=[[Iwanami Shoten]]
|date=1965
|pages=
|url=
|doi=
|isbn=4-00-060068-0
}}
* {{cite book |last1=Yamaguchi |first1=Yoshinori |authorlink1=
|last2=Kōnoshi |first2=Takamitsu |authorlink2=
|title=Nihon Koten Bungaku Zenshū: Kojiki
|location=[[Tokyo]] |publisher=[[Shogakukan]]
|date=1997
|pages=
|url=
|doi=
|isbn=4-09-658001-5
}}
[[Category:Asuka period]]
[[Category:7th-century history books]]
[[Category:Old Japanese texts]]
[[Category:7th-century Japanese books]]